Sauk Rapids, MN · Updated Oct 2026

What a Sauk Rapids 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 Sauk Rapids house

$8,775a year · $731 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $256,100; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$3,167
1.362% of $256,100, less $23,501 homestead market value exclusion
Electricity and gas$2,372
587.82 kWh a month $1,198 · 71 therms $1,083 · franchise fee (passed through by Xcel) $91
Water and sewer$1,217
7,000 gallons a month on City of Sauk Rapids: water $40, sewer $50, stormwater utility fee (single-family homeowner) $7, street light utility fee (single-family parcel in a standard lighting area) $5 a month
Trash$244
64-gal cart (weekly), $20 a month
Home insurance$1,774
Typical premium $1,774

A Sauk Rapids house at the typical market value ($256,100) costs about $8,800 a year: $3,170 property tax and charges, $1,220 water and sewer, $240 trash, $2,370 electricity and gas, $1,770 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 29, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

One change saves this house about $36 a year:

Bring water use down to 7 units
$36 a year
Above 7 units a month, City of Sauk Rapids charges $7.85 a unit instead of $6.35.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.

Worth checking

Switch to the 34-gal cart (every other week) cartUp to $30 a year
Your cart costs $20 a month; the smallest costs $18. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Seniors: $2.50 off water and sewer bills$2.50 off each bi-monthly water and sewer bill
Registered senior citizens may deduct $2.50 from each bi-monthly water bill and $2.50 from each bi-monthly sewer bill.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartMonthly price = 2026 cart rate plus the recycling rate of $6.98, with Minnesota's 9.75% solid waste tax. Rates changed April 1, 2026 and the contract runs through March 31, 2027.

Value before exemptionsUse the estimated market value on your 2025 valuation notice (the one your 2026 tax bill is based on).

I live here and have the Homestead market value exclusion

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,774, NAIC average HO-3 homeowners premium for Minnesota, 2022, as published by the Insurance Information Institute.

Your use

Water, thousands of gallons a month

On your water bill. A typical house uses 5,000–8,000 gallons.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Xcel Energy bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Aug 15Minnesota property tax refund due; you may file up to one year after the due date
Late water-sewer billThe late payment penalty on water-sewer bills is 4% of the bill or $25.00, whichever is greater
Every two monthsWater and sewer are billed bi-monthly

Who serves this house

Water: City of Sauk Rapids; City of Sauk Rapids 2026 conservation rates, billed every two months: $23.00 fixed charge plus per-gallon tiers (first 6,000 gallons, 6,001 to 10,000, then over 10,000 per two months)
Property tax: 1.36% of value; 2026 taxes payable, Benton County (City of Sauk Rapids, School District 47)
Garbage: Republic Services; The City's contracted hauler for all residential garbage and recycling; invoiced every two months
Sewer: City of Sauk Rapids; Billed every two months from water use
Electricity: Xcel Energy; Sauk Rapids is listed as served with both electricity and gas
Gas: Xcel Energy; Sauk Rapids is listed as served with both electricity and gas

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The City's drinking water comes from four wells, 59 to 89 feet deep, drawing from the Quaternary Water Table aquifer
PFAS: The 2025 report says PFOA and PFOS were detected above the MCL; the City converted Wells #2 and #3 to emergency status

Other MN cities

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How these numbers are made

Water: City of Sauk Rapids 2026 rates: $23.00 fixed every two months ($11.50 a month); tiers of 6,000 and 10,000 gallons per two months are shown as per-month breakpoints (3 and 5 thousand gallons) at $0.00279, $0.00475 and $0.00587 per gallon ($2.79, $4.75 and $5.87 per 1,000 gallons).
Sewer: $10.50 fixed every two months plus the $40.02 minimum that covers 6,000 gallons, halved to $25.26 a month with 3 thousand gallons included, then $6.67 per 1,000 gallons. Residential sewer uses winter water use or actual use if lower, which the page does not model. Stormwater: $7.00 a month. Street lights: $4.75 a month for standard lighting areas; enhanced areas pay $5.75.
Garbage: Republic Services 2026 cart rate plus the $6.98 recycling rate, with the 9.75% solid waste tax added (the sheet says 'plus applicable taxes'); default is the 64-gallon cart.
Property tax: Benton County 2026 certified rates for tax area 1901 (City of Sauk Rapids, School District 47): 121.035% of tax capacity, plus a 0.12931% market value rate for the school; tax capacity is taxable market value (after the homestead exclusion) times the 1% class rate, so capacity rates are entered as percent/100 of taxable value. The county table's 'Other Taxing District' columns are MTC 3.428% and the airport column 0.245%. The starting value is the Census median market value, not an assessor figure; Sauk Rapids Township and other areas have other rates.
Electricity and gas: Xcel Energy; electric uses the EIA 2024 Minnesota Xcel average residential price (16.98 cents per kWh, fixed charges included, no separate basic charge); gas is a straight line through Xcel's published average bills at 10 and 300 therms plus the $3.00 monthly gas franchise fee listed for Sauk Rapids. The 4.0% electric franchise fee is applied to the whole energy bill.
Typical use: 587.8 kWh (EIA 2024 Xcel Minnesota residential average) and 71 therms (Xcel's stated typical residential customer). Insurance: 2022 NAIC statewide average premium for Minnesota (HO-3).
HELD (2026-10-29 audit): not publishable. Electric uses a 2024 EIA company average and gas a line through interim-rate average bills; the current Xcel MN residential all-in rates (base plus fuel, CIP, TCR, RES and other riders) and the current gas tariff (customer charge, per-therm, gas cost adjustment) were not found. Xcel MN rate book files Section 5 (electric, gas) on xcelenergy.com are 2019 base rates; the residential plan page shows base only (.00 basic; $0.13 Jun-Sep, $0.11 Oct-May).
Electric note narrowed to the EIA row; Xcel Energy is NSP-Minnesota's operating name; Sauk Rapids is listed EG on Xcel's communities-served list.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Sauk Rapids compares

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

Per year	Sauk Rapids	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.36%	1.49%	lower than 49 of the other 68 Minnesota cities we cover
Water	$474	$390	higher than 49 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$743	$661	higher than 49 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover
Trash	$244	$282	lower than 13 of the other 20 Minnesota cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,372	$2,120	higher than 68 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	$8,775	$9,629	lower than 56 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. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,372 a year, higher than 68 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 $2,372 a year for a typical house, higher than 68 of the other 71 Minnesota cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Sauk Rapids house costs

What is the property tax rate in Sauk Rapids?

About 1.36% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 taxes payable, Benton County (City of Sauk Rapids, School District 47)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Sauk Rapids?

About $6,787 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead market value exclusion.

How much is the water bill in Sauk Rapids?

About $101 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Sauk Rapids.

How much does trash pickup cost in Sauk Rapids?

$18 to $22 a month, depending on the trash cart size (34-gal cart (every other week), 64-gal cart (weekly), 95-gal cart (weekly)).

When is property tax due in Sauk Rapids?

Aug 15: Minnesota property tax refund due; you may file up to one year after the due date

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Sauk Rapids?

Yes. Seniors: $2.50 off water and sewer bills: Registered senior citizens may deduct $2.50 from each bi-monthly water bill and $2.50 from each bi-monthly sewer bill.

How much does a house in Sauk Rapids cost to run each year?

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