Rent vs buy in Gardena, CA
In Gardena, California, the typical rent is $2,334 /mo and the typical home value is $780,233.
Over 7 years, renting comes out ahead by $90k
Using Gardena's typical rent and home value, a 20% down payment and today's mortgage rate Break-even point: year 16
Clearly labeled opinion, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust a number and the stamp changes.
- Amount renting is ahead
- $90k after 7 years
- When costs break even
- Year: 16 when owning catches up
- Actual cost of owning
- $6,491 /mo year 1, against $2,334 rent
Change my numbers
That stamp takes Gardena's typical rent and typical home value as its inputs. Your own rent, price and years can flip the result.
Do your figures differ from the city's?
Add the rent, price and down payment you want to use. The stamp changes with those figures.
In Gardena, is renting or buying cheaper?
For 7 years, renting comes out $89,934 ahead. This includes the money you get back when you sell. During the first 15 years, renting costs less. In year 16, owning catches up.
The renting option The owning option Net cost by year so far
Average rent compared with mortgage payments in Gardena
Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story. At Gardena's typical price, these are all monthly costs in year 1.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,334 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $4,254 | $3,749 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $410 | 0.63% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $88 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $650 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $5,402 | $504 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $1,268 | What the cash would earn yearly at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $325 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $6,491 | The two lines above plus cash out minus the equity part |
Numbers behind the Gardena verdict
- Home value, typicalZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $780,233
- Rent, typicalZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $2,334 /mo
- Down payment: 20% means no private mortgage insurance, and the engine does not model that insurance
- 20%
- Rate source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home pricesFHFA house price index, California, 1995 to 2025
- Each year: 5.3%
- Rent growth: CPI for primary residence rents, annual growth from 2006 through 2026
- Each year: 3.5%
- Return on savings60% S&P 500 plus dividends, 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- Each year: 8.3%
- Property tax source: Census ACS 2020-2024, Gardena
- 0.63% of the value
- Home insurance source: Census ACS 2020-2024, Gardena
- $88 per month
- Maintenance source: Fannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%
- Each year: 1% of value
- Buying costs source: Freddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%
- A rate of 3.5% based on price
- Costs of sellingAgent commission plus closing costs
- A rate of 6% based on price
In Gardena, what would flip it?
Each line marks where Gardena's 7-year verdict changes. Everything else stays as it is.
When renting wins
- Home prices grow at a rate below 6.6% a year. Our figures use California's long-run rate of 5.3%.
- The mortgage rate remains above 5.18%.
- For a home like this, rent is under $3,300 each month. Here, the typical amount is $2,334.
- Moving before year 16.
When buying wins
- Home prices rise by more than 6.6% a year.
- Today's rate is 7.24%; you lock in a rate below 5.18%.
- You'd pay more than $3,300 a month to rent that same home.
- Staying 16 years or longer.
Gardena compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Gardena | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $780,233 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $2,334 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 27.9 (#94 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6.9% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 5.1% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.63% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 51% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow data for ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More cities in California
- Verdict: rent. In Los Angeles, CA, renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- Verdict: rent. In San Diego, CA, renting comes out ahead by $108k.
- Rent. San Jose, CA. Here renting wins by $210k.
- For San Francisco, CA, renting is ahead by $128k.
- For Fresno, CA, buying is ahead by $22k.
- For Sacramento, CA, it's a toss-up, with renting ahead by $3k.
- For Long Beach, CA, renting is ahead by $111k.
- Rent. Oakland, CA. Here renting wins by $44k.
- Buy. Bakersfield, CA. Here buying wins by $11k.
- Rent. Anaheim, CA. Here renting wins by $115k.
- Buy. Stockton, CA. Here buying wins by $16k.
- Rent. Riverside, CA. Here renting wins by $27k.