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.
Top 100
| # | County | State | Monthly saved by owning | Median rent | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esmeralda County | NV | $448 | $1,319 | $871 |
| 2 | Chattahoochee County | GA | $303 | $1,235 | $932 |
| 3 | Hyde County | NC | $213 | $1,237 | $1,024 |
| 4 | Willacy County | TX | $152 | $868 | $716 |
| 5 | Culberson County | TX | $134 | $971 | $837 |
| 6 | Wibaux County | MT | $126 | $964 | $838 |
| 7 | McDowell County | WV | $124 | $686 | $562 |
| 8 | Lamb County | TX | $100 | $900 | $800 |
| 9 | Cochran County | TX | $82 | $738 | $656 |
| 10 | Grant County | OK | $76 | $856 | $780 |
| 11 | Crowley County | CO | $51 | $976 | $925 |
| 12 | Covington city | VA | $44 | $822 | $778 |
| 13 | Oglala Lakota County | SD | $44 | $563 | $519 |
| 14 | Mellette County | SD | $42 | $737 | $695 |
| 15 | Kusilvak Census Area | AK | $40 | $832 | $792 |
| 16 | McKinley County | NM | $39 | $810 | $771 |
| 17 | Newton County | TX | $38 | $877 | $839 |
| 18 | Sumter County | AL | $38 | $841 | $803 |
| 19 | Allendale County | SC | $35 | $691 | $656 |
| 20 | Dickens County | TX | $32 | $753 | $721 |
| 21 | Nevada County | AR | $29 | $841 | $812 |
| 22 | Wheeler County | TX | $14 | $995 | $981 |
| 23 | Hudspeth County | TX | $11 | $664 | $653 |
| 24 | Chautauqua County | KS | $10 | $713 | $703 |
| 25 | Bee County | TX | $8 | $1,028 | $1,020 |
| 26 | Phillips County | AR | $5 | $756 | $751 |
| 27 | Knott County | KY | $-1 | $731 | $732 |
| 28 | Scott County | MS | $-4 | $888 | $892 |
| 29 | Brown County | NE | $-10 | $932 | $942 |
| 30 | Jones County | TX | $-12 | $938 | $950 |
| 31 | Quay County | NM | $-12 | $752 | $764 |
| 32 | Northwest Arctic Borough | AK | $-17 | $1,336 | $1,353 |
| 33 | Wyoming County | WV | $-20 | $737 | $757 |
| 34 | Stonewall County | TX | $-21 | $620 | $641 |
| 35 | Lafayette County | AR | $-23 | $711 | $734 |
| 36 | Tillman County | OK | $-23 | $704 | $727 |
| 37 | Castro County | TX | $-24 | $910 | $934 |
| 38 | Dolores County | CO | $-25 | $1,688 | $1,713 |
| 39 | Edwards County | KS | $-28 | $732 | $760 |
| 40 | Apache County | AZ | $-29 | $647 | $676 |
| 41 | Gilmer County | WV | $-32 | $764 | $796 |
| 42 | Boone County | WV | $-32 | $823 | $855 |
| 43 | St. Francis County | AR | $-35 | $791 | $826 |
| 44 | Stewart County | GA | $-38 | $588 | $626 |
| 45 | Comanche County | KS | $-39 | $672 | $711 |
| 46 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | AK | $-40 | $893 | $933 |
| 47 | Taliaferro County | GA | $-40 | $715 | $755 |
| 48 | Taylor County | FL | $-46 | $878 | $924 |
| 49 | Todd County | SD | $-47 | $537 | $584 |
| 50 | Robeson County | NC | $-48 | $784 | $832 |
| 51 | Marlboro County | SC | $-48 | $686 | $734 |
| 52 | Hodgeman County | KS | $-48 | $900 | $948 |
| 53 | East Carroll Parish | LA | $-50 | $767 | $817 |
| 54 | Bertie County | NC | $-50 | $824 | $874 |
| 55 | Lewis County | KY | $-52 | $757 | $809 |
| 56 | Perry County | KY | $-52 | $795 | $847 |
| 57 | Garza County | TX | $-55 | $797 | $852 |
| 58 | Emporia city | VA | $-64 | $1,060 | $1,124 |
| 59 | Webster County | WV | $-64 | $687 | $751 |
| 60 | Dewey County | SD | $-65 | $714 | $779 |
| 61 | Letcher County | KY | $-65 | $651 | $716 |
| 62 | Stanton County | KS | $-66 | $691 | $757 |
| 63 | Calhoun County | AR | $-69 | $822 | $891 |
| 64 | Dimmit County | TX | $-72 | $753 | $825 |
| 65 | Logan County | ND | $-74 | $847 | $921 |
| 66 | Dawson County | TX | $-76 | $873 | $949 |
| 67 | Harding County | NM | $-77 | $700 | $777 |
| 68 | Appling County | GA | $-78 | $711 | $789 |
| 69 | Martinsville city | VA | $-80 | $784 | $864 |
| 70 | Clark County | KS | $-81 | $771 | $852 |
| 71 | San Augustine County | TX | $-86 | $741 | $827 |
| 72 | Frio County | TX | $-86 | $1,006 | $1,092 |
| 73 | Harlan County | KY | $-87 | $651 | $738 |
| 74 | Haskell County | TX | $-88 | $824 | $912 |
| 75 | Wayne County | MS | $-90 | $786 | $876 |
| 76 | Edwards County | TX | $-90 | $714 | $804 |
| 77 | Holmes County | FL | $-92 | $823 | $915 |
| 78 | Wilkinson County | GA | $-93 | $766 | $859 |
| 79 | Reeves County | TX | $-94 | $988 | $1,082 |
| 80 | Harmon County | OK | $-95 | $663 | $758 |
| 81 | Liberty County | FL | $-96 | $968 | $1,064 |
| 82 | Catahoula Parish | LA | $-98 | $724 | $822 |
| 83 | Warren County | GA | $-101 | $676 | $777 |
| 84 | Quitman County | MS | $-101 | $650 | $751 |
| 85 | Knox County | TX | $-102 | $661 | $763 |
| 86 | Dillon County | SC | $-102 | $692 | $794 |
| 87 | Furnas County | NE | $-102 | $805 | $907 |
| 88 | Motley County | TX | $-103 | $725 | $828 |
| 89 | Gray County | TX | $-104 | $898 | $1,002 |
| 90 | Breathitt County | KY | $-105 | $543 | $648 |
| 91 | Emanuel County | GA | $-105 | $742 | $847 |
| 92 | Bamberg County | SC | $-106 | $794 | $900 |
| 93 | Wilcox County | AL | $-106 | $699 | $805 |
| 94 | Pike County | KY | $-106 | $837 | $943 |
| 95 | Livingston County | KY | $-108 | $912 | $1,020 |
| 96 | Dixie County | FL | $-109 | $792 | $901 |
| 97 | Refugio County | TX | $-111 | $842 | $953 |
| 98 | Hardeman County | TX | $-111 | $688 | $799 |
| 99 | Williamsburg County | SC | $-111 | $769 | $880 |
| 100 | Lee County | SC | $-114 | $806 | $920 |
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.