Rent vs buy in Marietta, GA

In Marietta, Georgia, the typical rent is $1,687 /mo and the typical home is $471,498.

Rent

Renting comes out ahead by $68k over 7 years

With a 20% down payment and today's mortgage rate, using Marietta's typical rent and its typical home value. Break-even arrives in year 24.

An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust one number and the stamp adjusts with it.

Renting leads by: $68k
Break-even point: At year 24
What owning really costs: $3,978 each month

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Is renting or buying cheaper in Marietta?

Over 7 years, renting costs less by $68,493 once you count the money you get back when you sell. For the first 23 years, renting is the cheaper choice. In year 24, owning catches up.

The rent option. The ownership option. Your net cost so far, shown by year.

Comparing average rent and mortgage payments in Marietta

At Marietta's typical price, these are all monthly costs for year 1. Your rent and mortgage payments don’t tell the whole story.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,687	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$2,571	$2,266 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$236	0.6% of the value a year
Insurance	$121	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$393	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$3,320	$305 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$766	What the cash would earn each year at 8.3%.
Buying costs, spread out	$196	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$3,978	Cash paid out, minus the equity portion, plus both lines listed above

Marietta verdict numbers

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $471,498
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,687 /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, Georgia, 1995 to 2025: 4.4% 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, Marietta: 0.6% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Marietta: $121 /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

Which change would flip the Marietta result?

Each line shows a change point for the 7-year verdict in Marietta. All other figures stay the same.

When renting wins

Home prices grow at a yearly rate below 6.1%; we use 4.4% as Georgia's long-run rate for the calculation.
The mortgage rate holds above 4.64%.
Renting a comparable home costs less than $2,420 a month; the typical rent here is $1,687.
Your move happens before year 24.

When buying wins

Annual home price growth is faster than 6.1%.
You lock in a mortgage rate under 4.64% (today's rate is 7.24%).
Your monthly rent for the same home would cost more than $2,420.
Your stay lasts at least 24 years.

Marietta compared with the other 812 cities

Measure	Marietta	Median city
Typical home value	$471,498	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,687 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	23.3 (#202 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	6.2% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	2.3% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.60%	0.87%
Households that rent	53%	42%

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

Georgia’s other cities

In Augusta, GA, buying wins by $27k.
In Savannah, GA, it’s a toss-up. Renting is ahead by $1k.
Renting is ahead by $159k in Roswell, GA.

Georgia rent vs buy: the state's numbers