Rent vs buy in the United States
Calculators that compare renting and buying with U.S. prices, taxes and data. Start with housing — the decision with the most money at stake.
Rent vs buy a home calculator →
Pick any of 3,134 counties, 21,664 cities and towns or 24,884 ZIP codes and compare the full cost of owning and renting over time.
U.S. housing at a glance
- Median home value
- $332,700
- Median rent (all)
- $1,413
- Median 3-bed rent
- $1,584
- Price-to-rent ratio
- 17.5
- Property tax rate
- 0.94%
- Homeownership
- 65%
Home values rose 47% and rents 33% between the Census Bureau's 2015–2019 and 2020–2024 surveys. The 30-year mortgage rate averaged 7.24% in the week of 2026-10-29. See every state's numbers.