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Home Maintenance Cost Calculator

Estimate how much to budget yearly for home maintenance and repairs.

Details

1% is a common baseline; older homes often need 1.5-2%.

Enter your numbers and select Calculate to see results.

About This Calculator

This calculator estimates a reasonable annual home maintenance budget using the commonly cited '1% rule' — budgeting roughly 1% of your home's value per year for maintenance and repairs — with an adjustable percentage for older or newer homes.

How This Is Calculated

Annual Budget = Home Value × Maintenance %

1% rule
A common guideline: budget roughly 1% of home value annually for maintenance

A $400,000 home at the 1% rule suggests budgeting about $4,000/year, or roughly $333/month, for maintenance and repairs.

Assumptions

  • The 1% rule is a rough industry guideline, not a precise formula — actual costs vary significantly by home age, climate, materials, and how proactively you maintain the property.
  • Older homes, or homes with aging major systems (roof, HVAC, plumbing), often warrant a higher percentage.

Frequently Asked Questions

It's a commonly cited guideline suggesting homeowners budget roughly 1% of their home's value annually for maintenance and repairs — a simple planning heuristic, not a guarantee of actual costs in any given year.

Last updated January 15, 2026. Results are estimates for informational purposes only — read our disclaimer.