Rent vs buy in Leander, TX

In Leander, Texas, the typical rent is $1,897 /mo and the typical home is $420,175.

Rent

Renting comes out $55k ahead over 7 years

With 20% down, today's mortgage rate, and Leander's typical rent and home value. You reach the break-even point in year 21.

Our opinion is clearly labeled and includes the math. These are estimates, not quotes. If you change a number, the stamp will change.

Ahead with renting: $55k
When costs balance: year 21
Actual cost of ownership: $3,974 /mo

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Leander's typical rent and home value are used for the stamp. Your rent, price and years can change the result.

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In Leander, is it cheaper to rent or buy?

After counting the money you get back when you sell, renting costs $55,314 less over 7 years. During the first 20 years, renting costs less. In year 21, owning catches up.

Rent. Buy. Net cost through each year so far.

Average rent compared with mortgage payments in Leander

Rent and mortgage payments aren't the whole story. Here are all monthly costs for year 1 using Leander's typical price.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,897	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$2,291	$2,019 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$627	1.79% of the value a year
Insurance	$120	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$350	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$3,388	$272 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$683	At 8.3% a year, the cash would earn:
Buying costs, spread out	$175	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$3,974	Cash paid, minus the equity portion, plus the two costs listed above

How the Leander result was calculated

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $420,175
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,897 /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, Texas, 1995 to 2025: 4.7% 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, Leander: 1.79% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Leander: $120 /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 Leander's result?

Each line marks where the 7-year verdict for Leander changes. Everything else stays the same.

Renting comes out ahead when

Home prices grow by less than 6.3% a year; Texas's long-run rate of 4.7% is the figure we use.
The mortgage rate stays higher than 4.89%.
A home like this has monthly rent below $2,490 (the typical amount here is $1,897).
Before year 21, you make your move.

Buying comes out ahead when

Each year, home prices increase by more than 6.3%.
You lock a mortgage rate under 4.89% (today's is 7.24%).
For the same home, renting would cost you more than $2,490 monthly.
You stay for 21 years or longer.

Leander compared with the other 812 cities

Measure	Leander	Median city
Typical home value	$420,175	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,897 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	18.5 (#407 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	3.8% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	0.8% a year	4% a year
Property tax	1.79%	0.87%
Households that rent	27%	42%

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

More cities in Texas

Toss-up. Houston, TX. The results are close, but renting leads by $2k.
Rent. San Antonio, TX. Renting has a $10k advantage.
Rent. Dallas, TX. Renting has a $20k advantage.
Rent. Fort Worth, TX. Renting has a $17k advantage.
Rent. Austin, TX. Renting has a $111k advantage.
Rent. Arlington, TX. Renting has a $34k advantage.

Texas rent-buy numbers