Rent vs buy in Coeur d'Alene, ID
In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the typical rent is $1,865 /mo and the typical home is $606,227.
Renting leads by $61k across 7 years
Using Coeur d'Alene's typical home value and rent, plus 20% down and today's mortgage rate. The break-even point is year 14.
Clearly labelled as an opinion, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any figure and the stamp updates.
- Lead for renting
- $61k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- Occurs during year 14 when owning catches up
- Owning's full cost
- $4,948 each month year 1, against $1,865 rent
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Which costs less in Coeur d'Alene, renting or buying?
Counting money returned after the sale, renting costs $60,783 less over 7 years. For the first 13 years, renting costs less. In year 14, owning catches up.
The renting option. The owning option. Net costs by year so far.
Coeur d'Alene: average rent compared with mortgage payments
At Coeur d'Alene's typical price, here are all monthly costs during year 1. Rent and the mortgage are only part of the story.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,865 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $3,305 | $2,913 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $217 | 0.43% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $74 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $505 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $4,102 | $392 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $985 | At 8.3% a year, that's what the cash would earn. |
| Buying costs, spread out | $253 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $4,948 | Subtract the equity part from cash out, then add both amounts listed above. |
Coeur d'Alene's verdict explained by numbers
- Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $606,227
- Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,865 /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, Idaho, 1995 to 2025
- 5.2% 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, Coeur d'Alene
- 0.43% of value
- Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Coeur d'Alene
- $74 /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
Which changes would reverse the Coeur d'Alene result?
Each line marks a change in the 7-year verdict for Coeur d'Alene, while everything else remains unchanged.
Conditions for renting to win
- Growth in home prices stays under 6.3% a year. Our figures use 5.2%, Idaho's long-run average.
- A mortgage rate above 5.45% remains in place.
- A similar home rents for under $2,520 each month, while the typical rent here is $1,865.
- Your move happens before year 14.
Conditions for buying to win
- Home price growth exceeds 6.3% each year.
- You fix your mortgage at below 5.45%, compared with today's rate of 7.24%.
- If you rented the same home, the monthly cost would exceed $2,520.
- You stay for 14 years or more.
Coeur d'Alene compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Coeur d'Alene | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $606,227 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,865 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 27.1 (#104 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 9.3% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 2.2% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.43% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 41% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
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