Use the county auditor
For an Ohio property, start with the relevant county auditor's parcel record and tax information. Mason is in Warren County; West Chester is in Butler County. Hamilton County covers Cincinnati and many inner-ring communities.
LOCAL REFERENCE
Compare the parcel, not the headline tax rate.
A city-vs-township comparison can be useful, but the number that matters is the tax burden tied to the actual parcel, taxing districts, assessed value, exemptions, and current levy structure.
Do not use one “tax percentage” as the whole answer
Different taxing districts and levies can produce materially different bills. Compare the current parcel record and estimate how reassessment, exemptions, or a different purchase price could affect future costs.
Township vs. city
Government structure can change which taxes and service charges apply. West Chester Township, for example, states that townships do not levy a municipal income tax in the same way incorporated municipalities do, though special districts can exist.
Use taxes in the monthly-cost decision
For buyers, property tax belongs beside principal, interest, insurance, HOA fees, utilities, and maintenance—not as an isolated ranking of communities.