About
About True Condo Cost
True Condo Cost helps condo buyers estimate the full monthly cost of ownership, not just the mortgage payment on a listing.
We built this site after seeing too many buyers budget from a listing payment that left out HOA, insurance, taxes, and assessment risk.
Why this site exists
Condo buyers often anchor on purchase price and principal-and-interest payments. Then the first year brings higher property taxes after reassessment, an HO-6 quote that exceeds their guess, HOA dues that rise after a master policy renewal, or a special assessment notice from a reserve project nobody mentioned at showing.
True Condo Cost is a free educational site. We are not a lender, brokerage, or law firm. Our job is to help you model a more complete monthly bill before you fall in love with a floor plan.
What we publish
The site includes interactive calculators, long-form guides, state and city pages written for specific markets, and blog posts on fees, insurance, and buyer checklists. Every calculator runs on numbers you enter. We do not store your inputs on a server or pull live tax or insurance rates into the tools.
- Monthly ownership cost and affordability tools
- HOA, assessment, reserve, and closing cost calculators
- Guides on insurance, property tax, and rent vs buy
- State and city pages on local cost drivers and buyer due diligence
How we think about accuracy
We would rather show a clear estimate from your assumptions than pretend we know your exact tax bill or insurance premium. Read our methodology page for how each input works and what the tools exclude.
When a number matters for an offer or a loan, verify it with your lender, insurance agent, association documents, and local tax office. Calculator output is a planning starting point, not a quote.
What we are not
We do not provide financial, tax, legal, insurance, or real-estate advice. We do not rank buildings, sell leads to agents, or claim credentials we do not have.
If you spot an error or have a question about the site, email us through the contact page. We update content when rules or buyer questions change.
Where to start
Use the affordability calculator on the homepage with your own purchase price, HOA dues, and tax rate. Then open the guides and state pages that match your market. If you are comparing rent vs buy, try the dedicated comparison tool and read the breakeven calculator for your planned stay.