Rent vs buy in Fayetteville, AR

Fayetteville, Arkansas has a typical rent of $1,581 /mo and a typical home value of $379,367.

Rent

Over 7 years, renting comes out $54k ahead.

Using Fayetteville's typical rent and home value, the calculation applies 20% down and today's mortgage rate. No break-even point appears during the next 30 years.

An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. What you see are estimates, not quotes. If you change a number, the stamp changes with it.

Renting leads by: $54k
Break-even point: 30+ years
Real cost of owning: $3,218 /mo

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The stamp relies on Fayetteville's typical rent plus its home value. You can reverse the result with your rent, price and years.

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Which costs less in Fayetteville, renting or buying?

Across 7 years, renting saves $53,717 when you include the money returned when you sell. During every year shown, renting's net cost remains below owning's. Owning won't catch up within 30 years.

Rent. Buy. Net cost to date, by year.

Average rent compared with mortgage payments in Fayetteville

Monthly rent and mortgage payments don't cover everything. These are all monthly costs for year 1 at Fayetteville's typical price.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,581	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$2,068	$1,823 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$177	0.56% of the value a year
Insurance	$127	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$316	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$2,688	$245 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$617	What the cash would earn each year at 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$158	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$3,218	Cash paid out, minus the equity part, plus both lines above

The Fayetteville numbers behind the verdict

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $379,367
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,581 /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, Arkansas, 1995 to 2025: 3.8% 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, Fayetteville: 0.56% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Fayetteville: $127 /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 reverse the result in Fayetteville?

Each line marks a point where the 7-year Fayetteville verdict changes while all other values stay fixed.

Renting comes out ahead when

Home prices rise at under 5.5% a year, and we use Arkansas's long-run rate of 3.8%.
The mortgage rate remains above 4.71%.
A similar home has a monthly rent below $2,160. The typical rent here is $1,581.
If you move at any time during the next 30 years, owning won't catch up with these numbers.

Buying comes out ahead when

At more than 5.5% each year, home prices increase.
You secure a mortgage rate below 4.71% (the current rate is 7.24%).
The monthly rent for that same home would be over $2,160.

How Fayetteville compares with 812 other cities

Measure	Fayetteville	Median city
Typical home value	$379,367	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,581 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	20.0 (#333 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	7.2% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	5.3% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.56%	0.87%
Households that rent	58%	42%

Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

Other cities located in Arkansas

Rent. Little Rock, AR. Renting saves $15k.
Rent. Bentonville, AR. Renting saves $109k.

Arkansas rent versus buy numbers