Rent vs buy in Broomfield, CO
In Broomfield, Colorado, typical monthly rent is $2,115 and the typical home value is $616,439.
Renting comes out ahead by $58k over 7 years
Using Broomfield's typical rent and home value, plus 20% down and today's mortgage rate. The break-even point: year 14.
An opinion, clearly marked. The math is shown. Estimates, not quotes. Adjust one number and the stamp updates.
- Renting leads by
- $58k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- Year 14 when owning catches up
- Real cost of owning
- $5,219 a month year 1, against $2,115 rent
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Which costs less in Broomfield, renting or buying?
Counting what you get back when you sell, renting costs $58,449 less over 7 years. For the first 13 years, renting stays the cheaper option. Owning draws even in year 14.
Renting. Owning. Net cost to date, by year.
Average rent compared with the mortgage payment in Broomfield
Rent and the mortgage tell only part of the story. Here is each monthly cost in year 1 for a home at Broomfield's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,115 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $3,361 | $2,962 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $308 | 0.6% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $176 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $514 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $4,359 | $399 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $1,002 | What the cash would earn over a year at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $257 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $5,219 | Cash out, minus the equity part, plus both lines above |
The Broomfield verdict and the numbers behind it
- Typical home value Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $616,439
- Typical rent Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $2,115 a month
- Down payment: 20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine doesn't model
- 20%
- Mortgage rate Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- How home values have grownFHFA home price index data, Colorado, 1995 to 2025
- 5.2% per year
- Rent growthCPI primary residence rent, yearly growth 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% each year
- Return on savings60% S&P 500, dividends included, and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Property tax, from Census ACS 2020-2024, Broomfield
- 0.6% of the home's value
- Home insurance, from Census ACS 2020-2024, Broomfield
- $176 a month
- Upkeep costsfrom Fannie Mae, low end of a 1% to 4% range
- Each year, the amount is 1% of value.
- Buying costs, from Freddie Mac, mid range of 2% to 5%
- 3.5% of the purchase price
- Selling costsAgent commission and closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would change the Broomfield result?
Every line marks the tipping point for the 7-year verdict in Broomfield, with everything else kept as it is.
When renting wins
- Annual home-price growth stays below 6.3%, and our calculation uses 5.2%, Colorado's long-run rate.
- For the mortgage, the rate remains above 5.55%.
- A similar home has monthly rent below $2,740; the local typical figure is $2,115.
- You move ahead of year 14.
When buying wins
- Home prices grow at more than 6.3% a year.
- You lock in a mortgage rate under 5.55% (today's is 7.24%).
- Paying rent on that home would take more than $2,740 a month from you.
- You stay for 14 years or more.
Broomfield compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Broomfield | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $616,439 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $2,115 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 24.3 (#158 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 4.6% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 1.5% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.60% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 37% | 42% |
Data from: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Other Colorado cities
- Denver, CO has renting ahead by $37k.
- Colorado Springs, CO has renting ahead by $17k.
- Aurora, CO has renting ahead by $22k.
- Fort Collins, CO has renting ahead by $41k.
- Lakewood, CO has renting ahead by $54k.
- Thornton, CO has renting ahead by $26k.
- Arvada, CO has renting ahead by $47k.
- Westminster, CO has renting ahead by $34k.
- Renting wins by $33k in Greeley, CO.
- Buying wins by $5k in Pueblo, CO.
- Renting wins by $53k in Centennial, CO.
- Renting wins by $147k in Boulder, CO.