Rent vs buy in Hillsboro, OR

In Hillsboro, Oregon, the typical rent is $1,969 /mo and the typical home value is $509,612.

Rent

Renting comes out ahead by $44k across 7 years

For Hillsboro's typical rent and home value, the estimate includes 20% down and today's mortgage rate. The break-even point lands in year 13.

An opinion, clearly labelled, and the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Any change to a number changes the stamp.

Renting leads by: $44k
Break-even point: the 13th year
Full cost of ownership: Each month: $4,340

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The stamp takes its figures from Hillsboro's typical rent and home value. Different rent, price and time periods can change the result.

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Hillsboro?

If you include the money returned when you sell, renting costs $44,071 less over 7 years. For the first 12 years, renting costs less. By year 13, owning has caught up.

Rent. Buying. Net cost to date, broken out by year.

Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Hillsboro

Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story. Here are all monthly expenses during year 1 at Hillsboro's typical price.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,969	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$2,778	$2,449 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$352	0.83% of the value a year
Insurance	$73	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$425	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$3,629	$329 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$828	Annual return on the cash at 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$212	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$4,340	Cash paid out, subtract the equity part and add both lines listed above.

Hillsboro: the numbers behind the verdict

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $509,612
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,969 /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, Oregon, 1995 to 2025: 4.9% 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, Hillsboro: 0.83% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Hillsboro: $73 /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 could change the Hillsboro verdict?

Each line marks the point where the 7-year verdict for Hillsboro flips, holding all other inputs steady.

Renting comes out ahead when

Home prices rise less than 5.9% a year; the rate we use is 4.9%, Oregon's long-run rate.
A mortgage rate above 5.70% stays in place.
For a home like this, monthly rent is under $2,440 (the local typical is $1,969).
Your move happens before year 13.

Buying is ahead when

Home prices grow more than 5.9% a year.
You fix a mortgage rate under 5.70%; the rate today is 7.24%.
The same home would cost more than $2,440 a month to rent.
You stay for 13 years or longer.

How Hillsboro compares with the other 812 cities

Measure	Hillsboro	Median city
Typical home value	$509,612	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,969 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	21.6 (#261 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	4.5% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	1.8% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.83%	0.87%
Households that rent	50%	42%

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

More cities in Oregon

For Portland, OR, renting wins by $82k.
For Beaverton, OR, renting wins by $65k.
For Corvallis, OR, renting wins by $93k.
For Tigard, OR, renting wins by $102k.

Oregon rent vs buy: the state's numbers