Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Owning Costs Less Than Renting in America
Counties where the full monthly cost of owning the median home comes in below median rent, even after tax, insurance, utilities and maintenance. These are the places where buying is cheapest relative to the local rental market.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
Top 100
| # | County | State | Monthly saved by owning | Median rent | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esmeralda County | NV | $431 | $1,319 | $888 |
| 2 | Chattahoochee County | GA | $251 | $1,235 | $984 |
| 3 | Hyde County | NC | $171 | $1,237 | $1,066 |
| 4 | Willacy County | TX | $113 | $868 | $755 |
| 5 | Kusilvak Census Area | AK | $113 | $832 | $719 |
| 6 | Wibaux County | MT | $112 | $964 | $852 |
| 7 | McDowell County | WV | $103 | $686 | $583 |
| 8 | Culberson County | TX | $91 | $971 | $880 |
| 9 | Crowley County | CO | $60 | $976 | $916 |
| 10 | Lamb County | TX | $58 | $900 | $842 |
| 11 | McKinley County | NM | $47 | $810 | $763 |
| 12 | Cochran County | TX | $45 | $738 | $693 |
| 13 | Northwest Arctic Borough | AK | $38 | $1,336 | $1,298 |
| 14 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | AK | $30 | $893 | $863 |
| 15 | Grant County | OK | $25 | $856 | $831 |
| 16 | Oglala Lakota County | SD | $23 | $563 | $540 |
| 17 | Mellette County | SD | $18 | $737 | $719 |
| 18 | Covington city | VA | $6 | $822 | $816 |
| 19 | Allendale County | SC | $6 | $691 | $685 |
| 20 | Chautauqua County | KS | $-1 | $713 | $714 |
| 21 | Newton County | TX | $-4 | $877 | $881 |
| 22 | Quay County | NM | $-7 | $752 | $759 |
| 23 | Dickens County | TX | $-7 | $753 | $760 |
| 24 | Nevada County | AR | $-9 | $841 | $850 |
| 25 | Sumter County | AL | $-16 | $841 | $857 |
| 26 | Knott County | KY | $-26 | $731 | $757 |
| 27 | Hudspeth County | TX | $-27 | $664 | $691 |
| 28 | Phillips County | AR | $-31 | $756 | $787 |
| 29 | Wheeler County | TX | $-32 | $995 | $1,027 |
| 30 | Bee County | TX | $-38 | $1,028 | $1,066 |
| 31 | Brown County | NE | $-39 | $932 | $971 |
| 32 | Edwards County | KS | $-40 | $732 | $772 |
| 33 | Dolores County | CO | $-40 | $1,688 | $1,728 |
| 34 | Scott County | MS | $-44 | $888 | $932 |
| 35 | Wyoming County | WV | $-47 | $737 | $784 |
| 36 | Comanche County | KS | $-48 | $672 | $720 |
| 37 | Jones County | TX | $-56 | $938 | $994 |
| 38 | Stonewall County | TX | $-58 | $620 | $678 |
| 39 | Lafayette County | AR | $-58 | $711 | $769 |
| 40 | Gilmer County | WV | $-59 | $764 | $823 |
| 41 | Boone County | WV | $-61 | $823 | $884 |
| 42 | Hodgeman County | KS | $-64 | $900 | $964 |
| 43 | Todd County | SD | $-67 | $537 | $604 |
| 44 | Castro County | TX | $-69 | $910 | $979 |
| 45 | Apache County | AZ | $-71 | $647 | $718 |
| 46 | Tillman County | OK | $-72 | $704 | $776 |
| 47 | Harding County | NM | $-72 | $700 | $772 |
| 48 | St. Francis County | AR | $-73 | $791 | $864 |
| 49 | Stanton County | KS | $-77 | $691 | $768 |
| 50 | Lewis County | KY | $-79 | $757 | $836 |
| 51 | Marlboro County | SC | $-80 | $686 | $766 |
| 52 | Perry County | KY | $-80 | $795 | $875 |
| 53 | Stewart County | GA | $-80 | $588 | $668 |
| 54 | Robeson County | NC | $-83 | $784 | $867 |
| 55 | Taliaferro County | GA | $-87 | $715 | $802 |
| 56 | Bertie County | NC | $-87 | $824 | $911 |
| 57 | Letcher County | KY | $-89 | $651 | $740 |
| 58 | Dewey County | SD | $-91 | $714 | $805 |
| 59 | Webster County | WV | $-91 | $687 | $778 |
| 60 | East Carroll Parish | LA | $-93 | $767 | $860 |
| 61 | Clark County | KS | $-95 | $771 | $866 |
| 62 | Taylor County | FL | $-95 | $878 | $973 |
| 63 | Garza County | TX | $-97 | $797 | $894 |
| 64 | Calhoun County | AR | $-110 | $822 | $932 |
| 65 | Logan County | ND | $-110 | $847 | $957 |
| 66 | Harlan County | KY | $-111 | $651 | $762 |
| 67 | Emporia city | VA | $-113 | $1,060 | $1,173 |
| 68 | Dimmit County | TX | $-114 | $753 | $867 |
| 69 | Lawrence County | IL | $-114 | $810 | $924 |
| 70 | Franklin County | IL | $-116 | $771 | $887 |
| 71 | Dawson County | TX | $-120 | $873 | $993 |
| 72 | Martinsville city | VA | $-121 | $784 | $905 |
| 73 | Appling County | GA | $-127 | $711 | $838 |
| 74 | Breathitt County | KY | $-127 | $543 | $670 |
| 75 | Alexander County | IL | $-127 | $540 | $667 |
| 76 | San Augustine County | TX | $-128 | $741 | $869 |
| 77 | Furnas County | NE | $-130 | $805 | $935 |
| 78 | Wayne County | MS | $-130 | $786 | $916 |
| 79 | Edwards County | TX | $-132 | $714 | $846 |
| 80 | Jewell County | KS | $-132 | $591 | $723 |
| 81 | Haskell County | TX | $-132 | $824 | $956 |
| 82 | Frio County | TX | $-134 | $1,006 | $1,140 |
| 83 | Dillon County | SC | $-135 | $692 | $827 |
| 84 | Pike County | KY | $-137 | $837 | $974 |
| 85 | Quitman County | MS | $-138 | $650 | $788 |
| 86 | Livingston County | KY | $-140 | $912 | $1,052 |
| 87 | Catahoula Parish | LA | $-141 | $724 | $865 |
| 88 | Knox County | TX | $-141 | $661 | $802 |
| 89 | Bamberg County | SC | $-141 | $794 | $935 |
| 90 | Holmes County | FL | $-142 | $823 | $965 |
| 91 | Reeves County | TX | $-143 | $988 | $1,131 |
| 92 | Wilkinson County | GA | $-143 | $766 | $909 |
| 93 | Harmon County | OK | $-144 | $663 | $807 |
| 94 | Motley County | TX | $-145 | $725 | $870 |
| 95 | Harper County | KS | $-146 | $693 | $839 |
| 96 | Williamsburg County | SC | $-147 | $769 | $916 |
| 97 | Vermilion County | IL | $-148 | $802 | $950 |
| 98 | Liberty County | FL | $-149 | $968 | $1,117 |
| 99 | Warren County | GA | $-149 | $676 | $825 |
| 100 | Clay County | KY | $-149 | $698 | $847 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. 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.
Counties Where Owning Costs Less Than Renting by state
The same ranking within a single state.
Alabama67Alaska26Arizona15Arkansas75California58Colorado64Florida67Georgia159Idaho44Illinois102Indiana92Iowa99Kansas105Kentucky120Louisiana64Maine16Maryland24Massachusetts14Michigan83Minnesota87Mississippi82Missouri115Montana56Nebraska93Nevada16New Jersey21New Mexico33New York62North Carolina100North Dakota53Ohio88Oklahoma77Oregon36Pennsylvania67South Carolina46South Dakota65Tennessee95Texas250Utah29Vermont14Virginia133Washington39West Virginia55Wisconsin72Wyoming23