Rent vs buy in Fort Worth, TX
In Fort Worth, Texas, the typical rent runs $1,612 /mo and the typical home price is $292,949.
Renting comes out ahead by $17k over 7 years
Today's mortgage rate and 20% down are combined with Fort Worth's usual rent and home value. The break-even point is year 11.
An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. These figures are estimates, not quotes. Every change to a number changes the stamp.
- Renting leads by
- $17k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- Year 11 when owning catches up
- Real cost of owning
- $2,837 per month year 1, against $1,612 rent
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The stamp draws on Fort Worth's typical rent and its typical home value. Different figures for your rent, price and time period can reverse the result.
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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fort Worth?
Across 7 years, renting costs $16,827 less after counting the money returned from your sale. For the first 10 years, renting is cheaper. By year 11, owning catches up.
Rent. Own. Net cost to date, organized by year.
Fort Worth average rent compared with the mortgage payment
At Fort Worth's typical price, here are all monthly costs in year 1. Rent and mortgage payments aren't the whole story.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,612 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,597 | $1,408 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $417 | 1.71% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $169 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $244 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $2,428 | $189 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $476 | The amount the cash would earn yearly at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $122 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,837 | Cash out, then subtract the equity part and add the two amounts above. |
The figures behind the Fort Worth result
- The typical home value: Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $292,949
- The typical rent: Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,612 a month
- Down payment: 20% prevents private mortgage insurance, which the model leaves out.
- 20%
- Mortgage rate: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home prices: Texas, 1995 to 2025 FHFA house price index
- 4.7% per year
- Growth in rent: yearly growth 2006 to 2026, CPI rent of primary residence
- 3.5% per year
- Return on savings: rebalanced yearly from 1928 to 2025, with 60% S&P 500 including dividends and 40% 10-year Treasuries
- 8.3% yearly
- Property tax: Census ACS 2020-2024, Fort Worth
- 1.71% applies to the value.
- Home insurance: Census ACS 2020-2024, Fort Worth
- $169 each month
- Maintenance: Fannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%
- Each year, the cost equals 1% of the value.
- Cost of buyingFreddie Mac, midpoint between 2% and 5%
- 3.5% applied to the purchase price
- Costs of sellingAgent commission and closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would change the result in Fort Worth?
Every line marks the point where the 7-year verdict for Fort Worth flips, and everything else stays as it is.
When renting wins
- Home prices rise at less than 5.4% a year (our model uses 4.7%, the long-run rate for Texas's market).
- The mortgage rate remains above 6.22%.
- A similar home rents below $1,790 a month; the typical figure here is $1,612.
- Your move comes before year 11.
Buying is ahead when
- Home prices grow by more than 5.4% a year.
- Locking a mortgage rate below 6.22% is the condition (today's is 7.24%).
- Monthly rent for that home would exceed $1,790.
- You remain for 11 years or longer.
How Fort Worth compares with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Fort Worth | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $292,949 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,612 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 15.1 (#616 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 2.4% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 1.71% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 43% | 42% |
Data from: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More cities in Texas
- Toss-up. Houston, TX. Renting leads by $2k, but the result is close.
- Rent. San Antonio, TX. The advantage for renting is $10k.
- Rent. Dallas, TX. Renting leads by $20k.
- Rent. Austin, TX. Renting leads by $111k.
- Renting comes out ahead by $34k in Arlington, TX.
- Renting comes out ahead by $12k in Garland, TX.