Rent vs buy in Cupertino, CA
In Cupertino, California, the typical rent is $4,307 /mo and the typical home is $2,957,922.
Over 7 years, renting comes out ahead by $715k.
Today's mortgage rate and a 20% down payment, with Cupertino's typical rent and the typical home value as the baseline. No break-even point arrives within 30 years.
Clearly labelled opinion with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Swap in a different number and the stamp shifts.
- How far renting leads
- $715k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- 30 years or more owning never catches up sooner
- What owning really costs
- $24,068 /mo year 1, against $4,307 rent
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The stamp starts with Cupertino's typical rent and the typical home value there. Your own rent, price and years can flip it.
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In Cupertino, is it cheaper to rent or buy?
Across 7 years renting runs $715,021 cheaper, counting the money that comes back to you when you sell. Every year shown keeps renting's net cost under owning's, and owning won't catch up within 30 years.
Rent. Buying. Net cost to date, year by year.
Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Cupertino
Rent and the mortgage payment don't tell the whole story. Every monthly cost for year 1 at Cupertino's typical price is listed.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $4,307 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $16,127 | $14,214 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $1,232 | 0.5% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $116 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $2,465 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $19,940 | $1,912 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $4,808 | What that cash would earn each year at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $1,232 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $24,068 | Cash out, minus the equity share, plus the two lines listed above. |
The Cupertino verdict, in numbers
- Typical home valueZillow data: ZHVI, September 2026
- $2,957,922
- Typical rentZORI, September 2026, from Zillow
- $4,307 per month
- A 20% down payment avoids private mortgage insurance, and the engine does not model that.
- 20%
- Mortgage rateSource: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home pricesFHFA home price index series, California, 1995 to 2025
- 5.3% yearly
- Growth in rentYearly growth in CPI rent of primary residence, 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% yearly
- Savings return60% S&P 500, dividends included, plus 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Cupertino for property tax
- 0.5% of the value
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Cupertino for home insurance
- $116 a month
- Fannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4% for maintenance
- 1% of the value each year
- Freddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5% for buying costs
- 3.5% of the price
- Selling costsAgent commission and closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would flip the verdict in Cupertino?
Each line shows where the 7-year verdict in Cupertino flips, with everything else held as it is.
When renting wins
- Prices for homes grow at under 7.9% a year (our figure: 5.3%, California's rate over the long run).
- The rate on a mortgage stays above 2.87%.
- Monthly rent for a home like this sits under $11,970 (the typical figure here is $4,307).
- If you move at any point over the next 30 years, owning still never makes up the gap at these numbers.
When buying wins
- Home prices climb by more than 7.9% every year.
- You lock a mortgage rate that sits below 2.87%; today's rate is 7.24%.
- You'd pay over $11,970 a month to rent that same home.
Cupertino compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Cupertino | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $2,957,922 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $4,307 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 57.2 (#3 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6.6% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 5.4% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.50% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 39% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow data for ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More cities in California
- Rent. Renting wins by $111k in Los Angeles, CA.
- Rent. Renting wins by $108k in San Diego, CA.
- Rent. Renting wins by $210k in San Jose, CA.
- Rent. Renting wins by $128k in San Francisco, CA.
- Buy. Buying wins by $22k in Fresno, CA.
- Toss-up. Sacramento, CA. Renting leads by $3k.
- Rent. Long Beach, CA. Renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- Rent. Oakland, CA. Renting is ahead by $44k.
- Buy. Bakersfield, CA. Buying comes out ahead by $11k.
- Rent. Anaheim, CA. Renting is ahead by $115k.
- Buy. Stockton, CA. Owning comes out ahead by $16k.
- Rent. Riverside, CA. renting comes out ahead by $27k.