Rent vs buy in Jacksonville, FL

In Jacksonville, Florida, the typical rent is $1,589 each month, and a typical home costs $284,832.

Buy

Over 7 years, buying wins by $27k

Using Jacksonville's typical rent and home value, plus 20% down and today's mortgage rate. Year 5 is the break-even point.

Clearly labeled opinion, with the math shown. Estimates, not quotes. The stamp updates when you change a number.

How far owning is ahead: $27k
Point of break-even: year 5
Actual cost of owning: $2,498 each month

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The stamp uses typical rent and home value for Jacksonville's market. Your rent, price and time period can change the result.

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Jacksonville?

Over 7 years, buying costs $27,187 less after counting the money you receive when you sell. In year 5, owning's net cost falls below renting's and remains lower.

Rent. Cost of owning. Cumulative net cost, shown by year.

Jacksonville rent and mortgage payment averages

Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story. Here are all monthly costs for year 1, using Jacksonville's typical price.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,589	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$1,553	$1,369 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$176	0.74% of the value a year
Insurance	$135	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$237	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$2,101	$184 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$463	Cash earnings at 8.3% a year
Buying costs, spread out	$119	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$2,498	The two lines above, added to cash out after removing the equity part

The numbers behind this Jacksonville result

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $284,832
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,589 /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, Florida, 1995 to 2025: 5.4% 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, Jacksonville: 0.74% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Jacksonville: $135 /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 flip the Jacksonville verdict?

Each line marks where the 7-year Jacksonville verdict changes while everything else stays the same.

When renting wins

Our calculation uses 5.4%, Florida's long-run rate, for home price growth below 4.3% a year.
The rate for a mortgage remains above 8.92%.
A comparable home rents for under $1,300 each month (the local typical rent is $1,589).
Before year 5, you move.

When buying wins

Annual home price growth exceeds 4.3%.
A mortgage rate below 8.92% is what you lock in; today's is 7.24%.
You'd pay over $1,300 each month to rent the same home.
You remain in the home for 5 years or longer.

How Jacksonville compares with the other 812 cities

Measure	Jacksonville	Median city
Typical home value	$284,832	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,589 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	14.9 (#626 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	6.5% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	2.5% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.74%	0.87%
Households that rent	42%	42%

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

More cities in Florida

Buy. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Buying comes out ahead by $25k.
Buy. Pembroke Pines, FL. Buying comes out ahead by $22k.

Rent vs buy numbers for Florida