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Rent vs buy in Medford, OR

In Medford, Oregon, the typical rent is $1,728 /mo, and a typical home is $404,082 (Oregon).

Rent vs buy Medford verdict card: Renting comes out ahead by $19k over 7 years
Rent

Renting comes out ahead by $19k over 7 years

It assumes Medford's typical rent, a typical home value, 20% down, and it uses today's mortgage rate. The break-even point is year 10.

An opinion, clearly labeled, with the math shown. Estimates, not quotes. The stamp changes whenever a number changes.

Lead for renting
$19k
after 7 years
The break-even point
year 10
when owning catches up
Full cost of ownership
$3,436 /mo
year 1, against $1,728 rent

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For Medford's market, the stamp uses the typical rent and home value. Your rent, price and number of years can change the result.

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Which costs less in Medford, renting or buying?

When you count the money returned after you sell, renting costs $18,757 less over 7 years. For the first 9 years, renting costs less. In year 10, owning catches up.

Rent. Own. Net cost by year, so far.

$0$50k$100k$150k$200kyr 1yr 3yr 5yr 7yr 9yr 11yr 13yr 15

In Medford, average rent vs mortgage payment

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

Each month, year 1AmountWhat it is
Rent$1,728All of it, every month
Mortgage payment$2,203$1,942 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax$2630.78% of the value a year
Insurance$70Census median for the city
Upkeep$3371% of the value a year
Owning, cash out$2,872$261 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment$657What the cash would earn each year: 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out$1683.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning$3,436Cash out, minus the equity part, plus the two lines listed above

Numbers behind the Medford verdict

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
$404,082
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
$1,728 /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, Oregon, 1995 to 2025
4.9% 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, Medford
0.78% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Medford
$70 /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 reverse it in Medford?

Each line marks where the 7-year Medford verdict changes, with everything else kept the same.

When renting comes out ahead

  • Annual growth in home prices stays below 5.4%. For this calculation, we use 4.9%, Oregon's long-term rate.
  • The mortgage rate remains higher than 6.42%.
  • Renting a home like this costs less than $1,930 a month (the typical rate here: $1,728).
  • You move out before year 10.

When buying comes out ahead

  • Home prices grow at more than 5.4% a year.
  • You lock in a mortgage rate under 6.42% (today's is 7.24%).
  • For the same home, you'd pay over $1,930 a month to rent.
  • You remain 10 years or longer.

Medford compared with the other 812 cities

MeasureMedfordMedian city
Typical home value$404,082$422,451
Typical rent$1,728 /mo$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio19.5 (#359 of 813)18.5
Home prices, last 10 years5.1% a year6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years4% a year4% a year
Property tax0.78%0.87%
Households that rent44%42%

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

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Oregon rent vs buy data