Rent vs buy in Fairfield, CA
A typical home in Fairfield, California goes for $598,419, and typical rent there is $2,425 /mo.
Over 7 years, renting wins by $19k
With a 20% down payment and the current mortgage rate, this uses Fairfield's own typical rent and home value. The break-even point lands in year 9.
Clearly labelled opinion, with the math shown. Treat these as estimates, not quotes. Adjust a number and the stamp shifts with it.
- Renting leads by
- $19k after 7 years
- The break-even point
- Year 9 when owning catches up
- What owning really costs
- $5,074 /mo year 1, against $2,425 rent
Change my numbers
The stamp takes Fairfield's typical rent and home value as its inputs. Your own rent, price and years can flip the result.
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Enter the rent, price and down payment you want to use. Your entries change the stamp.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fairfield?
Count the money that comes back to you when you sell, and renting costs $18,676 less over 7 years. For the first 8 years, renting costs less. Owning catches up with renting in year 9.
Rent. Owning. Net cost to date, year by year.
Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Fairfield
Rent and mortgage payments are only part of the story. Here are all monthly costs for year 1 using Fairfield's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,425 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $3,263 | $2,876 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $374 | 0.75% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $104 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $499 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $4,239 | $387 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $973 | What the cash would earn yearly at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $249 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $5,074 | Cash out, minus what builds equity, plus both lines listed above |
Behind the Fairfield verdict: the numbers
- Typical home value: Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $598,419
- Typical rent: Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $2,425 /mo
- Down payment: putting 20% down avoids private mortgage insurance. The engine doesn't model that.
- 20%
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US), used as the mortgage rate
- 7.24%
- Home price growthFHFA index of home prices, California, 1995 to 2025
- 5.3% each year
- Rent growthYearly growth in CPI rent for a primary residence, 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% each year
- Return on savings60% S&P 500 including dividends, 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Property tax: Census ACS 2020-2024, Fairfield
- 0.75% of the value
- Home insurance: Census ACS 2020-2024, Fairfield
- $104 per month
- MaintenanceFannie Mae, the low end of the 1% to 4% range
- Each year, 1% of the value
- Buying costs: Freddie Mac, middle of the 2% to 5% range
- 3.5% of the purchase price
- Cost of sellingAgent commission plus closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would flip the result in Fairfield?
Each line marks the point where the verdict over 7 years in Fairfield flips, with everything else left as it is.
When renting wins
- Home prices rise at less than 5.7% a year (5.3%, California's long-run rate, is our figure).
- The mortgage rate remains above 6.69%.
- Renting a home like this costs under $2,630 a month (the typical figure here is $2,425).
- Your move happens before year 9.
When buying wins
- Home prices grow at more than 5.7% a year.
- You lock in a rate below 6.69% for your mortgage (today's is 7.24%).
- You'd pay more than $2,630 a month to rent the same home.
- You remain for 9 years or longer.
Fairfield vs the other 812 cities
| Measure | Fairfield | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $598,419 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $2,425 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 20.6 (#306 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 4.5% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 2.6% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.75% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 39% | 42% |
Data from Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Other California cities
- Rent. Los Angeles, CA. Renting is ahead by $111k.
- Rent. San Diego, CA. Renting is ahead by $108k.
- Rent. San Jose, CA. Renting is ahead by $210k.
- Renting wins by $128k in San Francisco, CA.
- Buying wins by $22k in Fresno, CA.
- Too close to call in Sacramento, CA, with renting ahead by $3k.
- Renting wins by $111k in Long Beach, CA.
- Renting wins by $44k in Oakland, CA.
- Buying wins by $11k in Bakersfield, CA.
- Renting wins by $115k in Anaheim, CA.
- Buy in Stockton, CA. Buying wins by $16k.
- Rent in Riverside, CA. Renting wins by $27k.