Austin, MN · Updated Oct 2026

What a Austin 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 Austin house

$6,914a year · $576 a month

Starts at $163,900 of home value. Typical use.

Property tax$1,698
About 1.04% of home value (Census average for Austin, not your bill's rate)
Electricity and gas$2,102
712 kWh a month $1,291 · 61.79 therms $810
Water and sewer$1,340
9 units (CCF) a month on Austin Utilities: water $40, sewer $72 a month
TrashNot included
No curbside hauler price is in the totals
Home insurance$1,774
Typical premium $1,774

A typical Austin house costs about $6,900 a year: $1,700 property tax and charges, $1,340 water and sewer, $2,100 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: Austin Utilities; Austin Utilities residential water, 2026: $19.90 basic charge for a 5/8" meter, plus $2.00 per ccf May-Oct and $1.45 per ccf Nov-April
Property tax: About 1.04% of home value; Census ACS 2020–2024 (5-year) median taxes paid and median home value
Garbage: City Solid Waste Transfer Station; Residents can deliver household garbage to the City's Solid Waste Transfer Station at 102 28th St SE
Sewer: City of Austin (billed by Austin Utilities); Sewer is billed to water consumers within the corporate limits of the City of Austin
Electricity: Austin Utilities; Residential electric service within established City limits
Gas: Austin Utilities; Gas rate schedule applies within established Austin Utilities Rate Areas

Pay or manage your bills

Other MN cities

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How these numbers are made

Property tax: the Census median real estate taxes paid ($1,698) divided by the Census median home value ($163,900), a 1.036% effective rate on market value. Mower County publishes no per-district tax-capacity rate table, so the homestead exclusion and school referendum rate are not modeled separately; enter your own bill to compare.
Water: Austin Utilities 2026 residential rates: $19.90 basic charge (5/8" meter) plus the $1.27 state testing fee and $3.00 Water Service Fund charge ($24.17 a month; December's fee is $1.25), and a year-round average of the $2.00 summer and $1.45 winter per-ccf rates ($1.725). The utility publishes no typical household use, so the page starts at 9 CCF.
Sewer: City of Austin $21.79 fixed plus $5.58 per ccf of water used. The sheet bills May-October at the lower of actual use or the November-April average; we charge on the water use you enter.
Electricity: $19.00 plus $0.12033 per kWh, plus the average of the 2026 Purchased Cost Adjustment months published so far (March-May $0.0125, September $0.00603, October $0.00619, others $0; November and December not yet posted and counted as $0). Typical use is 712 kWh a month (EIA 2024 Minnesota residential average).
Gas: $17.75 plus a year-round rate per therm from the sheet's per-ccf charges ($0.66054 April-October and $0.85575 November-March, weighted by months) plus the current $0.09375 Purchased Gas Adjustment, converted from ccf at 1.037 therms per ccf. Typical use is about 62 therms a month (EIA 2024 Minnesota residential gas use per customer). Garbage is not included: no residential hauler price is published.
Insurance: the 2022 NAIC statewide average premium for Minnesota (HO-3); it may be low today.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Austin compares

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

Per year	Austin	Median	Where it falls
Water	$476	$390	higher than 50 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$864	$661	higher than 64 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,102	$2,120	lower than 37 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	$6,914	$9,629	lower than 69 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $864 a year, higher than 64 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $864 a year, higher than 64 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Austin house costs

What is the property tax rate in Austin?

Property tax in Austin averages about 1.04% of home value a year (Census figures for the city; your own rate depends on your property's classification and exemptions).

How much is the water bill in Austin?

About $112 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Austin Utilities.

How much does trash pickup cost in Austin?

No curbside hauler price is in the totals

When is property tax due in Austin?

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 Austin?

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 Austin cost to run each year?

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