Rent vs buy in Clarksville, TN

In Clarksville, Tennessee, the typical rent is $1,372 /mo and the typical home value is $317,914.

Rent

Over 7 years, renting comes out $19k ahead.

The calculation combines 20% down and today's mortgage rate with Clarksville's typical rent and home value. The break-even point arrives in year 11.

An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any number, and the stamp will change.

Renting leads by: $19k
Break-even point: year 11
Actual cost of ownership: $2,713 /mo

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Clarksville?

Over 7 years, renting costs $19,118 less when you include the money returned after the sale. For the first 10 years, renting costs less. Owning catches up at year 11.

Renting. Owning. Net cost to date, by year.

Mortgage payment vs average rent in Clarksville

At Clarksville's typical price, year 1 includes every monthly cost, not just rent and the mortgage.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,372	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$1,733	$1,528 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$167	0.63% of the value a year
Insurance	$104	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$265	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$2,269	$206 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$517	Annual earnings on cash of 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$132	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$2,713	Cash paid out, minus equity, plus the two entries listed above

The figures behind Clarksville's result

Value of a typical home: Zillow ZHVI, September 2026: $317,914
Typical rentZillow data, ZORI, September 2026: $1,372 /mo
A 20% down payment avoids private mortgage insurance, but the engine doesn't include that insurance in its model.: 20%
Rate: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US): 7.24%
Growth in home prices: FHFA house price index, Tennessee, 1995 through 2025: Each year: 4.7%
Rent growth: CPI rent of primary residence, yearly growth 2006 through 2026: Each year: 3.5%
Return on savings: 40% 10-year Treasuries plus 60% of S&P 500 with dividends, rebalanced yearly from 1928 to 2025: Each year: 8.3%
Property tax source: Census ACS 2020-2024, Clarksville: Share of value: 0.63%
Home insurance source: Census ACS 2020-2024, Clarksville: Monthly cost: $104
Maintenance costs: Fannie Mae, using the low end of 1% to 4%.: Each year: 1% of value
Costs to buy: Freddie Mac, taking the midpoint of the 2% to 5% range.: Price times 3.5%
Selling costs: Agent commission plus closing costs: 6% of the price

In Clarksville, what would flip it?

Every line below shows where the 7-year Clarksville verdict changes while all other assumptions stay the same.

Renting comes out ahead when

At less than 5.4% a year, home prices grow more slowly. The calculation uses 4.7%, Tennessee's long-run rate.
Here, the mortgage rate remains above 6.17%.
Such a home rents below $1,580 a month ($1,372 is typical here).
Your move happens before year 11.

Buying comes out ahead when

Home prices increase by more than 5.4% a year.
You lock in a mortgage rate under 6.17%; today's rate is 7.24%.
For the same home, monthly rent would exceed $1,580.
You remain for 11 years or longer.

How Clarksville compares with the other 812 cities

Measure	Clarksville	Median city
Typical home value	$317,914	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,372 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	19.3 (#366 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	6.4% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	3% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.63%	0.87%
Households that rent	44%	42%

The sources are Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

Other Tennessee cities

The $77k result in Hendersonville, TN favors renting.
In Spring Hill, TN, renting is ahead by $45k.

Rent vs buy: Tennessee's numbers