What a Lexington 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.
Starts at the typical market value, $159,100; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.
- Property tax$2,492
1.566% of $159,100
- Electricity and gas$2,339
1200 kWh a month $1,575 · 31 therms $764
- Water and sewer$638
7,000 gallons a month on City of Lexington water: water $25, sewer $29 a month
- TrashNot included
Residential sanitation flat rate, $18.50 monthly
- Home insurance$1,869
Typical premium $1,869
A Lexington house at the typical market value ($159,100) costs about $7,300 a year: $2,490 property tax and charges, $640 water and sewer, $2,340 electricity and gas, $1,870 home insurance; trash is billed separately. 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 $35 a year:
Bring water use down to 7 units
$35 a yearAbove 7 units a month, City of Lexington water charges $1.47 a unit instead of $0.00.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.
Worth checking
Seniors 65+: Nebraska homestead exemption
Nebraska homestead exemption (Form 458)
How: Form 458 lists individuals 65 or older before January 1, 2025 as a category.
Money dates
- Homestead exemption application due June 30Form 458 is filed with the county assessor after February 1 and on or before June 30, 2025.
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Lexington water
- Residential metered: $21.75 monthly minimum for the first 5,000 gallons, then $1.10 per 1,000 gallons, effective January 1, 2026.
- Property tax
- 1.57% of value
- 2025 tax year, Dawson County (Lexington)
- Garbage
- City of Lexington
- Residential sanitation flat rate, $18.50 monthly, on the city utility rate sheet
- Sewer
- City of Lexington
- Sanitary sewer residential flat rate, $28.50 per month
- Electricity
- Lexington Utilities System
- Residential electric service from the city
Other NE cities
Grand Island home costsBellevue home costsFremont home costsLa Vista home costs
How these numbers are made
- Property tax uses the 2025 Nebraska Department of Revenue rates for Dawson County: county, Lexington school district 1, ESU 10, Central Community College, Central Platte NRD, city and county ag society, each per $100 divided by 100. The Lexington rural fire district (0.01 per $100) is not included because it was not shown to apply inside city limits.
- Water, sewer and electric use the rates in City Resolution 2025-25 effective January 1, 2026; the $1.00 monthly automated meter reading fees are added to the water and electric fixed charges. Water is the metered residential rate; the city also lists a $28.00 flat rate per dwelling unit.
- Electricity: the per-kWh rates are 5-month summer (May-September) and 7-month winter (October-April) weighted averages of the Residential - Basic rates; typical use is the EIA 2024 average for City of Lexington residential customers.
- Garbage uses the $18.50 monthly residential sanitation rate on the city's January 2025 rate sheet; the 2026 resolution states other previously established rates remain unchanged.
- Natural gas: Black Hills Nebraska Gas lists Lexington in Rate Area Five. Fixed charge is the $27.95 monthly charge + $0.63 safety rider + $0.26 HEAT; per-therm rates add delivery, $0.01825 weather normalization and the $0.864 Central Region default commodity rate of the largest Choice supplier; actual commodity depends on the supplier the household picks.
- Insurance is the 2022 Nebraska statewide average homeowners premium (the newest year Triple-I's page publishes), not a Lexington figure.
- Property tax rates are per $100 of valuation (state list rate column divided by 100). Rate Area Five, the safety rider and HEAT labels and the October 2026 effective date come from Black Hills Energy's rate materials; the PSC tariff text fetched here shows the charge columns only.
- Gas modelling: the fixed figure adds the $0.63 and $0.26 monthly charges shown beside the $27.95 customer charge; per-therm figures add the $0.01825 charge and the $0.864 per therm Black Hills Energy Services default figure from the PSC 2026 Choice summary. Actual commodity is the supplier price each household agrees to in the Choice Gas Program.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
How Lexington compares
A typical Lexington house against the 1000 cities we cover nationwide, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Lexington | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 1.57% | 1.36% | higher than 568 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide |
| Water | $296 | $681 | lower than 960 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $342 | $692 | lower than 773 of the other 882 cities we cover nationwide |
| Electricity and gas | $2,339 | $2,439 | lower than 541 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
| Home insurance | $1,869 | $1,492 | higher than 620 of the other 766 cities we cover nationwide |
| Total | $7,338 | $10,827 | lower than 860 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
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. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $296 a year at typical use, lower than 960 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide.
Ask: "Water here costs about $296 a year at typical use, lower than 960 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
2. Sewer and utility-bill fees
The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $342 a year, lower than 773 of the other 882 cities we cover nationwide. 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 $342 a year, lower than 773 of the other 882 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
Common questions about Lexington house costs
What is the property tax rate in Lexington?
About 1.57% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year, Dawson County (Lexington)), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Lexington?
About $7,831 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in Lexington?
About $53 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Lexington water.
How much does trash pickup cost in Lexington?
Residential sanitation flat rate, $18.50 monthly
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Lexington?
Yes. Seniors 65+: Nebraska homestead exemption: Nebraska homestead exemption (Form 458)
How much does a house in Lexington cost to run each year?
A Lexington house at the typical market value ($159,100) costs about $7,300 a year: $2,490 property tax and charges, $640 water and sewer, $2,340 electricity and gas, $1,870 home insurance; trash is billed separately. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.