Albert Lea, MN · Updated Oct 2026

What a Albert Lea home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Albert Lea house

$8,146a year · $679 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $157,500; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$1,621
1.295% of $157,500, less $32,375 homestead market value exclusion
Electricity and gas$3,629
1500 kWh a month $2,727 · 71 therms $902
Water and sewer$1,122
9 units (CCF) a month on City of Albert Lea Utilities: water $44, sewer $49 a month
TrashNot included
No hauler price is in the totals
Home insurance$1,774
Typical premium $1,774

A Albert Lea house at the typical market value ($157,500) costs about $8,100 a year: $1,620 property tax and charges, $1,120 water and sewer, $3,630 electricity and gas, $1,770 home insurance; trash is billed separately. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Moved in this year? Apply for homestead by Dec. 31
Homestead lowers the taxable value of a home you own and live in. The homestead market value exclusion is 40% of value for homesteads valued at $95,000 or less (a maximum of $38,000), is reduced as values rise, and phases out at $517,200 or more.
How: Move in and file a homestead application with the assessor by December 31.
Claim the Minnesota property tax refund
Minnesota homeowners may get a Property Tax Refund based on their income and property taxes.
How: File with the Minnesota Department of Revenue by August 15 (you may file up to one year late).
Seniors 65+: defer part of your property tax
With the Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral, the tax you pay is 3% of household income and the state pays the rest as a loan, repaid with interest when you sell or cancel.
How: You must be 65 or older (if married, the other spouse at least 62) with household income of $96,000 or less; apply by November 1.
Veterans with a 70%+ disability rating: market value exclusion$150,000 or $300,000 off market value
Honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher can exclude $150,000 of market value; a 100% permanent and total disability rating qualifies for $300,000.
How: Own and occupy a homesteaded property on December 31; the program is administered by the counties, and Dec. 31 is the last day to file.

Money dates

Dec 31in 57 daysLast day to move into your home and file a homestead application with the assessor; also the last day for disabled veterans to apply for the value exclusion
May 15First half of real property taxes due
Aug 15Minnesota property tax refund due; you may still file up to one year late
Oct 15Last day to pay the second half of real estate taxes (unless part of the parcel is classified 2a agricultural land)

Who serves this house

Water: City of Albert Lea Utilities; City of Albert Lea 2026 water billing rates: base service charge by meter size plus residential consumption in three tiers per cubic foot
Property tax: 1.30% of value; 2026 taxes payable, Freeborn County (Albert Lea city, School District 241)
Garbage: Private haulers; For curbside pickup of garbage, residents and businesses hire private companies
Sewer: City of Albert Lea; Utility customers can view and pay their water and sewer bills in one place
Electricity: Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative; Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative provides electricity to farms, homes, businesses and industries in Southeast Minnesota
Gas: Minnesota Energy Resources; Minnesota Energy Resources delivers natural gas to communities across Minnesota

Pay or manage your bills

Other MN cities

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How these numbers are made

Property tax: Freeborn County's certified 2026 tax-capacity rates for Albert Lea city, School District 241: county 54.101%, city 54.755%, school 17.919%, Shell Rock River Watershed 2.026% and Albert Lea HRA 0.741% of tax capacity; the page applies the 1% class rate and the homestead exclusion. School market-value referendum rates is not modeled; enter your own bill to compare.
Value: Census ACS 2024 5-year median value of owner-occupied housing, $157,500 (market value; no assessor median was found).
Water: 2026 City fee schedule, $22.10 base (5/8" meter) plus $2.387, $2.984 and $3.826 per ccf (per-cubic-foot rates times 100) in tiers up to 8 and 25 ccf a month. Sewer: $22.90 base plus $2.935 per ccf. The tier breakpoints are read as monthly. The City says the average utility bill is about $88 a month.
Electricity: Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative's 2024 EIA average residential price of 15.15 cents per kWh (revenue includes fixed charges, so no separate customer charge is added). The co-op says new rates, a service charge and rate classes begin with its October billing statements, but no residential rate schedule is published on fmec.coop, so the current tariff could not be modeled. Typical use is the co-op's stated 'approximately 1500 kWh' a month for typical residential consumers (EIA's 2024 sales per customer is about 848 kWh, which is lower).
Gas: Minnesota Energy Resources; the 2025 Minnesota residential average delivered price of $10.98 per thousand cubic feet, converted at 10 ccf per Mcf and 1.037 therms per ccf, which includes customer charge and gas cost. MERC's rate page lists a $9.50 monthly customer charge and $0.24686 per therm distribution, but the monthly gas-cost adjustment (PGA sheet 7.03/7.04, effective 1-Oct-26) is only a change to base rates and no absolute per-therm gas cost is published, so the tariff could not be rebuilt; the state average is used instead. Typical use of 71 therms a month is Xcel Energy's Minnesota residential figure, used as a proxy because no MERC or Albert Lea figure was found.
Garbage: private haulers; no price is included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Albert Lea compares

A typical Albert Lea house against the 72 Minnesota cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Albert Lea	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.30%	1.49%	lower than 61 of the other 68 Minnesota cities we cover
Water	$530	$390	higher than 56 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$592	$661	lower than 50 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,629	$2,120	higher than 71 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,774	$1,774	in the middle of 70 other Minnesota cities we cover
Total	$8,146	$9,629	lower than 62 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Albert Lea's property tax rate is 1.30%, lower than 61 of the other 68 Minnesota cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Albert Lea is 1.30%, lower than 61 of the other 68 Minnesota cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $530 a year at typical use, higher than 56 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $530 a year at typical use, higher than 56 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,629 a year, higher than 71 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,629 a year for a typical house, higher than 71 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Albert Lea house costs

What is the property tax rate in Albert Lea?

About 1.30% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 taxes payable, Freeborn County (Albert Lea city, School District 241)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Albert Lea?

About $6,457 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead market value exclusion.

How much is the water bill in Albert Lea?

About $93 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on City of Albert Lea Utilities.

How much does trash pickup cost in Albert Lea?

No hauler price is in the totals

When is property tax due in Albert Lea?

May 15: First half of real property taxes due Aug 15: Minnesota property tax refund due; you may still file up to one year late

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Albert Lea?

Yes. Seniors 65+: defer part of your property tax: With the Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral, the tax you pay is 3% of household income and the state pays the rest as a loan, repaid with interest when you sell or cancel.

How much does a house in Albert Lea cost to run each year?

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