Rent vs buy in Antioch, CA
In Antioch, California, the typical rent is $2,814 /mo and the typical home is $590,401.
Buying comes out ahead by $20k over 7 years
The starting point is Antioch's typical rent, its typical home value, 20% down and today's mortgage rate. The break-even point lands in year 6.
An opinion, clearly marked, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust one number, and the stamp shifts too.
- Owning leads by
- $20k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- year 6 when owning catches up
- What owning really costs
- $5,013 /mo year 1, against $2,814 rent
Change my numbers
The stamp relies on Antioch's typical rent and the home value there. Your rent, price and time period can change the result.
Your figures differ from the city's?
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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Antioch?
Counting the money you get back at sale, buying costs $20,320 less over 7 years. In year 6, owning's net cost becomes lower than renting's and stays lower.
Rent Owning Net cost so far, year by year.
Mortgage payment vs average rent in Antioch
At Antioch's typical price, here are all monthly costs for year 1. Rent and mortgage payments aren't the whole story.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,814 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $3,219 | $2,837 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $374 | 0.76% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $104 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $492 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $4,189 | $382 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $960 | What your cash would earn each year at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $246 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $5,013 | Cash out, take off the equity part, then add the two lines above |
Behind the Antioch verdict: the numbers
- Typical home value, from Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $590,401
- Typical rent, from Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $2,814 /mo
- Down payment: 20% keeps private mortgage insurance out, and the engine does not model it.
- 20%
- Mortgage rate: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home pricesFHFA house price index, California, 1995 through 2025
- 5.3% each year
- Growth in rentCPI for rent of a primary residence, yearly growth 2006 through 2026
- 3.5% each year
- Savings return: 40% 10-year Treasuries and 60% S&P 500 with dividends, rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Property tax, from Census ACS 2020-2024, Antioch
- 0.76% of the value
- Insurance for the home: Census ACS 2020-2024, Antioch
- $104 /mo
- Home upkeepFannie Mae, at the lower end of the 1% to 4% range
- Each year, 1% of value
- Buying costs: Freddie Mac, midpoint of 2% to 5%
- 3.5% of the home price
- Costs of selling: Agent commission plus closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would flip this in Antioch?
Each line marks where the 7-year verdict for Antioch flips, with everything else held as it is.
Renting comes out ahead when
- Home prices rise at less than 4.9% a year; our model uses 5.3%, a long-run rate for California's homes.
- The mortgage rate remains above 7.85%.
- Renting a home like this costs less than $2,600 a month (the local typical is $2,814).
- Your move happens before year 6.
When buying wins
- Home prices grow at more than 4.9% a year.
- When you lock a mortgage rate under 7.85%, the condition is met (today's is 7.24%).
- You would pay more than $2,600 a month to rent the same home.
- You stay for 6 years or longer.
Antioch compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Antioch | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $590,401 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $2,814 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 17.5 (#468 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 4.8% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 2.7% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.76% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 36% | 42% |
Sources listed here: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Other California cities
- Rent. Los Angeles, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- Rent. San Diego, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $108k.
- Rent. San Jose, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $210k.
- Rent. San Francisco, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $128k.
- Buy. Fresno, CA. Here, buying comes out ahead by $22k.
- Toss-up. Sacramento, CA. It's close, but renting stays ahead by $3k.
- Renting wins: Long Beach, CA. The margin is $111k.
- Rent. Oakland, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $44k.
- Buy. Bakersfield, CA. Buying comes out ahead by $11k.
- Rent. Anaheim, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $115k.
- Buy. Stockton, CA. Buying comes out ahead by $16k.
- Rent. Riverside, CA. renting comes out ahead by $27k.