Rent vs buy in Janesville, WI

In Janesville, Wisconsin, typical rent is $1,165 /mo and the typical home value is $296,361.

Rent

Over 7 years, renting comes out ahead by $65k.

Today's mortgage rate, with Janesville's typical rent and home value and a 20% down payment. The first 30 years show no break-even point.

These estimates aren't quotes. The clearly labeled opinion shows the math. The stamp changes whenever you change a number.

Renters lead by: $65k
The break-even point: 30 years or more
Actual cost of home ownership: Monthly figure: $2,764

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Janesville's typical rent and home value provide the figures used by the stamp. Change your rent, price or years and the result can flip.

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In Janesville, is it cheaper to rent or buy?

If you include the money returned when you sell, renting costs $65,483 less over 7 years. In every displayed year, renting has a lower net cost than owning. Owning remains behind throughout the 30-year period.

The answer is renting. The answer is owning. Net cost by year so far.

Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Janesville

Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story. At Janesville's typical price, the figures cover every monthly cost in year 1.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,165	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$1,616	$1,424 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$412	1.67% of the value a year
Insurance	$75	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$247	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$2,350	$192 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$482	Annual return on that cash: 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$123	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$2,764	Cash out, minus the equity part, plus both entries above

How Janesville's verdict adds up

Zillow ZHVI, September 2026 for a typical home value: $296,361
Typical rent: Zillow ZORI, September 2026: Monthly figure: $1,165
A 20% down payment avoids private mortgage insurance, though the engine doesn't model it: 20%
Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US) for the mortgage rate: 7.24%
FHFA house price index, Wisconsin, 1995 to 2025 for home price growth: Each year: 4.1%
Rent growth: CPI primary-residence rent, yearly growth 2006 to 2026: Each year: 3.5%
Return on savings: S&P 500 with dividends, 60%; 10-year Treasuries, 40%; rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025: Each year: 8.3%
Tax on property: Census ACS 2020-2024, Janesville: 1.67% applies to value
Insurance for a home: Census ACS 2020-2024, Janesville: $75 /mo
Maintenance: Fannie Mae, lower end of 1% to 4%: Each year: 1% of value
Buying costs: Freddie Mac, midpoint of 2% to 5%: 3.5% applies to price
Costs for selling: Agent commission, plus closing costs: 6% applies to price

What changes could flip the Janesville result?

Each line marks the point where Janesville's 7-year verdict changes. All other figures stay as they are.

Renting comes out ahead when

Home prices rise by less than 6.7% a year. Our calculation uses 4.1%, Wisconsin's long-term rate.
The mortgage rate remains above 3.25%.
Monthly rent for a home like this stays below $1,870 (typical here: $1,165).
If you move at any time during the next 30 years, owning stays behind with these figures.

You win with buying when

Home prices rise by more than 6.7% a year.
You lock in a rate under 3.25% (today's sits at 7.24%).
For that same home, you'd pay more than $1,870 each month in rent.

Janesville compared with the other 812 cities

Measure	Janesville	Median city
Typical home value	$296,361	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,165 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	21.2 (#282 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	7.8% a year	6.2% a year
Property tax	1.67%	0.87%
Households that rent	33%	42%

Data come from Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

Other Wisconsin cities

In Madison, WI, renting comes out ahead by $79k.
In Kenosha, WI, renting comes out ahead by $15k.

Wisconsin rent vs buy numbers