True Monthly Cost Calculator — What a Home Really Costs Per Month

Why the mortgage isn't the real number

Ask most buyers what a home costs per month and they'll quote the mortgage. But the mortgage is only one line. Council tax, energy, insurance and — on a leasehold flat — service charge and ground rent can add hundreds of pounds a month on top. Budgeting on the mortgage alone is how people end up stretched after completion. This calculator builds the true monthly cost by adding every recurring line you know.

The lines that make up true monthly cost

• Mortgage repayment — loan (price minus deposit) amortised over the term at your rate, using the standard repayment formula.
• Council tax — set by your property's band and local authority; the England average is around £1,966/year. Enter the annual figure and the calculator divides by 12.
• Energy — the property's EPC estimates a typical annual energy cost; enter it as an annual figure.
• Service charge — leasehold flats only, paid monthly for building upkeep, insurance of the structure, lifts and communal areas. Enter 0 for a freehold house.
• Ground rent — leasehold only, paid to the freeholder. Enter 0 for freehold.
• Insurance — buildings and contents (buildings cover is a lender requirement; on a leasehold flat the structure is usually insured through the service charge).

Honest gaps, not invented numbers

If you leave a line blank, the calculator does not guess it. It excludes the line from the total and tells you exactly which lines are missing — so a total of "£1,420/month excluding service charge and insurance" is honest about what it does and doesn't include. Add the lines you can find and the figure tightens.

Leasehold buyers: watch the service charge

Service charges are the single most variable line and the one most likely to surprise a buyer. They can rise sharply, and disputes over them are common enough to have their own tribunal. Before you commit to a leasehold flat, check whether the building has a history of service-charge tribunal disputes — a pattern there is a material fact you'd want priced into your decision.

Get the real numbers for a real address

This calculator is only as good as the figures you feed it. The HouseCheckup Complete report pulls the actual council tax band, the EPC energy estimate and the leasehold context for a specific address, and folds the True Monthly Cost in alongside stamp duty, flood, crime and 70+ other checks — so the monthly figure isn't a guess.