Rent vs buy in Cathedral City, CA
In Cathedral City, California, typical rent is $2,343 /mo and typical home value is $474,189 (California).
Over 7 years, buying wins by $19k
Using 20% down and today's mortgage rate, the figures use typical rent and home value in Cathedral City's market. You reach break-even in year 6.
Opinion, clearly marked, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any number and the stamp changes with it.
- Owning leads by
- $19k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- year 6 when owning catches up
- Real cost of owning
- $4,079 /mo year 1, against $2,343 rent
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The stamp draws on Cathedral City's typical figures for rent and home values. Change your rent, price and years and the result can flip.
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Enter the rent, price and down payment that apply to you. It updates as those figures change.
Is renting or buying cheaper in Cathedral City?
Over 7 years, buying costs less by $19,138, including the money you get back when you sell. In year 6, owning's net cost goes under renting's and remains lower.
Rent. Buy. Net cost to date, by year.
Average rent compared with the mortgage payment in Cathedral City
There's more to the picture than rent and the mortgage. At Cathedral City's typical price, here are all the monthly costs for year 1.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,343 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $2,585 | $2,279 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $332 | 0.84% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $105 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $395 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $3,417 | $307 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $771 | What the cash would earn each year at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $198 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $4,079 | Cash out, minus equity, plus both lines listed above. |
The figures behind the verdict for Cathedral City
- Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $474,189
- Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $2,343 /mo
- Down payment20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine does not model
- 20%
- Mortgage rateFreddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Home price growthFHFA house price index, California, 1995 to 2025
- 5.3% a year
- Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, yearly growth 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% a year
- Return on savings60% S&P 500 with dividends and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% a year
- Property taxCensus ACS 2020-2024, Cathedral City
- 0.84% of value
- Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Cathedral City
- $105 /mo
- MaintenanceFannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%
- 1% of value a year
- Buying costsFreddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%
- 3.5% of price
- Selling costsAgent commission plus closing costs
- 6% of price
What would flip the result in Cathedral City?
For Cathedral City, each line marks when the 7-year result changes, with everything else remaining unchanged.
Renting wins if
- Home prices grow by less than 4.8% a year; for this comparison, we use 5.3%, California's long-term rate.
- This condition applies when your mortgage rate remains above 7.95%.
- Monthly rent for a home like this comes in under $2,140 (typical here: $2,343).
- Your move happens before year 6.
Buying wins if
- Home prices rise by more than 4.8% each year.
- Today's mortgage rate is 7.24%, but you lock one below 7.95%.
- If you rented the same home, you would pay more than $2,140 each month.
- Staying 6 years or longer.
Cathedral City compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Cathedral City | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $474,189 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $2,343 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 16.9 (#499 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6.6% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 3.8% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.84% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 34% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Additional cities in California
- Los Angeles, CA. Rent. Renting leads by $111k.
- San Diego, CA. Rent. Renting is ahead by $108k.
- San Jose, CA. Rent. Renting comes out ahead by $210k.
- San Francisco, CA. Rent. Renting is ahead by $128k.
- Fresno, CA. Buy. Buying comes out ahead by $22k.
- Sacramento, CA. Toss-up. Renting is ahead by $3k.
- Long Beach, CA. Rent. Renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- Oakland, CA. Rent. Renting is ahead by $44k.
- Bakersfield, CA. Buy. Buying comes out ahead by $11k.
- Anaheim, CA. Rent. Renting comes out ahead by $115k.
- Stockton, CA. Buy. Buying is ahead by $16k.
- Renting leads by $27k in Riverside, CA.