Cost to Own
United StatesRankings Counties ranked 100 Data vintage ACS 2023 5-Year

Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year

Highest Rents in America

Median gross rent by county, which includes rent plus the utilities the tenant pays. Comparing it against the monthly cost to own is the honest version of the rent-versus-buy question.

Top 100

#CountyState Median rentMonthly to ownMedian home
1 San Mateo County CA $2,893$10,291$1,494,500
2 Santa Clara County CA $2,814$9,656$1,382,800
3 Marin County CA $2,584$9,720$1,390,000
4 San Francisco County CA $2,419$9,613$1,380,500
5 Orange County CA $2,352$6,486$915,500
6 Contra Costa County CA $2,322$6,035$830,800
7 Alameda County CA $2,318$7,520$1,057,400
8 Loudoun County VA $2,317$5,102$701,000
9 Arlington County VA $2,275$6,253$864,800
10 Ventura County CA $2,248$5,520$768,400
11 Fairfax County VA $2,230$5,168$699,700
12 Falls Church city VA $2,205$7,314$1,005,400
13 Nassau County NY $2,195$5,251$658,700
14 Suffolk County NY $2,190$4,512$539,500
15 Manassas Park city VA $2,175$2,958$381,200
16 Santa Cruz County CA $2,172$7,115$1,015,200
17 San Diego County CA $2,154$5,681$791,600
18 Napa County CA $2,141$5,995$838,800
19 New York County NY $2,132$8,040$1,108,900
20 Middlesex County MA $2,126$5,214$687,200
21 Fairfax city VA $2,122$4,973$677,400
22 Douglas County CO $2,095$4,744$674,000
23 Sonoma County CA $2,093$5,606$779,000
24 Solano County CA $2,088$4,348$589,600
25 Broomfield County CO $2,074$4,494$631,600
26 Norfolk County MA $2,072$4,964$649,400
27 Nantucket County MA $2,070$9,220$1,387,000
28 Suffolk County MA $2,069$4,947$680,700
29 Western Connecticut Planning Region CT $2,060$5,052$625,400
30 Honolulu County HI $2,054$6,074$873,000
31 Santa Barbara County CA $2,050$5,282$735,700
32 Howard County MD $2,038$4,421$576,700
33 King County WA $2,035$5,734$811,200
34 Eagle County CO $2,032$5,595$814,700
35 Alexandria city VA $2,031$5,134$696,800
36 Montgomery County MD $2,030$4,538$615,200
37 Prince William County VA $2,002$3,749$500,600
38 Monterey County CA $1,995$5,197$723,100
39 Placer County CA $1,991$4,872$658,800
40 Anne Arundel County MD $1,990$3,386$450,300
41 Summit County UT $1,969$6,601$1,000,400
42 Monroe County FL $1,959$5,295$723,800
43 Park County CO $1,942$3,418$489,300
44 Forsyth County GA $1,937$3,687$493,800
45 Stafford County VA $1,925$3,355$458,800
46 San Benito County CA $1,922$5,480$751,500
47 Somerset County NJ $1,921$4,369$523,900
48 Queens County NY $1,915$5,179$699,200
49 Wasatch County UT $1,905$4,890$724,400
50 District of Columbia DC $1,900$5,080$724,600
51 San Luis Obispo County CA $1,899$5,587$777,200
52 Rockwall County TX $1,899$3,306$386,000
53 Charles County MD $1,897$3,116$402,300
54 Williamson County TN $1,895$4,747$673,700
55 Los Angeles County CA $1,893$5,621$783,300
56 Boulder County CO $1,893$5,004$713,900
57 Aleutians West Census Area AK $1,886$3,185$419,100
58 Pitkin County CO $1,880$7,670$1,131,200
59 Westchester County NY $1,876$5,125$638,400
60 Snohomish County WA $1,866$4,576$644,600
61 Maui County HI $1,863$5,900$858,600
62 Bergen County NJ $1,863$4,800$593,200
63 Morris County NJ $1,860$4,575$557,000
64 Summit County CO $1,851$5,762$850,700
65 Routt County CO $1,845$5,158$756,200
66 Manassas city VA $1,835$3,327$434,700
67 Rockland County NY $1,826$4,666$564,200
68 Putnam County NY $1,824$3,945$448,000
69 Palm Beach County FL $1,818$3,184$407,300
70 Riverside County CA $1,814$3,844$510,300
71 Arapahoe County CO $1,812$3,739$526,000
72 Hudson County NJ $1,811$4,225$508,600
73 Kauai County HI $1,810$5,684$817,900
74 Middlesex County NJ $1,810$3,816$439,300
75 Broward County FL $1,804$3,008$380,400
76 Jefferson County CO $1,792$4,238$604,400
77 Collin County TX $1,792$3,805$447,600
78 Fayette County GA $1,787$3,074$405,600
79 Kings County NY $1,784$6,358$889,700
80 York County VA $1,777$3,007$411,200
81 St. Johns County FL $1,775$3,510$457,600
82 Washington County OR $1,773$4,036$558,500
83 Monmouth County NJ $1,771$4,634$566,500
84 Denver County CO $1,770$4,105$586,700
85 Fort Bend County TX $1,770$3,121$350,300
86 Kendall County IL $1,763$2,815$298,900
87 Prince George's County MD $1,761$3,169$404,300
88 Teton County WY $1,758$9,350$1,371,900
89 Yolo County CA $1,757$4,387$593,800
90 Collier County FL $1,752$3,675$486,800
91 Teller County CO $1,746$3,133$445,000
92 Kitsap County WA $1,741$3,635$505,700
93 Spotsylvania County VA $1,733$2,747$375,000
94 Miami-Dade County FL $1,731$3,296$425,400
95 Pierce County WA $1,722$3,548$484,400
96 Williamson County TX $1,720$3,557$414,600
97 Sarasota County FL $1,715$2,894$373,100
98 Adams County CO $1,713$3,316$458,400
99 Gwinnett County GA $1,713$2,708$345,700
100 Hunterdon County NJ $1,707$4,213$498,800

Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 6.66%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.

Other rankings

All 15 rankings