Rent vs buy in Kingsport, TN
For Kingsport, Tennessee, typical rent is $1,309 /mo and the typical home value is $253,302.
The outcome is uncertain: over 7 years, the difference comes to $2,551.
Using today's mortgage rate and 20% down, the figures reflect Kingsport's typical rent and home value. At year 7, costs balance.
Math is shown for a clearly labeled opinion. These are estimates, not quotes. Change a figure and the stamp will change with it.
- Gap
- $3k after 7 years
- Cost balance point
- Year 7 when owning catches up
- Actual cost of owning
- $2,187 /mo year 1, against $1,309 rent
Change my numbers
Kingsport's typical figures for rent and home value feed into the stamp. You can flip the result with your rent, price and years.
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Enter the rent, price and down payment you want to use. Those figures change what the stamp shows.
Is buying or renting cheaper in Kingsport?
The two options are within $2,551 of each other over 7 years, so small changes decide it. In year 7, the net cost of owning falls under renting's and remains lower.
Renting Owning Net cost through each year.
Average rent compared with the mortgage payment in Kingsport
Rent and the mortgage payment don't cover everything. Here are all monthly expenses during year 1 for a home priced at Kingsport's typical value.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,309 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,381 | $1,217 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $148 | 0.7% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $94 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $211 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $1,834 | $164 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $412 | Cash earnings at 8.3% a year |
| Buying costs, spread out | $106 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,187 | Cash paid out, minus the equity portion, plus both amounts listed above |
Figures behind the Kingsport result
- Home value, typicalZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $253,302
- Typical rent: Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,309 /mo
- With 20% down, you avoid private mortgage insurance, and the engine does not model it.
- 20%
- Mortgage rate: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home pricesFHFA house price index, Tennessee, 1995 to 2025
- Annual rate of 4.7%
- Rent growth: CPI for primary residence rent, yearly growth 2006 to 2026
- Annual rate of 3.5%
- Savings return: Historical returns. This allocation holds 60% in S&P 500 with dividends and 40% in 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, from 1928 to 2025.
- Each year, 8.3%
- Property tax: Census ACS 2020-2024, Kingsport
- 0.7% of the home's value
- Home insurance: Census ACS 2020-2024, Kingsport
- $94 each month
- UpkeepFannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%
- Each year, 1% of value
- Purchase costsFreddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%
- Price times 3.5%
- Costs when selling: Agent commission plus closing costs
- Price times 6%
What would make the Kingsport verdict go the other way?
Each line marks a change in the 7-year verdict for Kingsport; all other aspects remain unchanged.
When renting wins
- Our calculation uses 4.7%, Tennessee's long-run rate, for home price growth below 4.6% a year.
- This condition applies when the mortgage rate remains above 7.42%.
- A similar home costs under $1,280 to rent each month (typical here: $1,309).
- Before year 7, you move.
When buying wins
- Home prices grow by more than 4.6% a year.
- You lock in a mortgage rate under 7.42% (today's is 7.24%).
- The same home would cost more than $1,280 a month to rent.
- You remain for 7 years or longer.
How Kingsport compares with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Kingsport | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $253,302 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,309 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 16.1 (#545 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6.7% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Property tax | 0.70% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 40% | 42% |
More cities in Tennessee
- Rent. Nashville, TN. Renting has the edge by $24k.
- Buy. Memphis, TN. Buying has the edge by $36k.
- Rent. Knoxville, TN. Renting has the edge by $10k.
- Rent. Chattanooga, TN. Renting has the edge by $11k.
- Rent. Clarksville, TN. Renting has the edge by $19k.
- Rent. Murfreesboro, TN. Renting has the edge by $36k.
- Rent. Franklin, TN. Renting has the edge by $204k.
- Buy. Johnson City, TN. Buying has the edge by $4k.
- Buy. Jackson, TN. Buying has the edge by $25k.
- Rent. Hendersonville, TN. Renting has the edge by $77k.
- Renting. Smyrna, TN. Renting wins by $19k.
- Renting. Spring Hill, TN. Renting wins by $45k.