Rent vs buy in Middletown, OH
In Middletown, Ohio, the typical rent is $1,287 /mo and the typical home $259,898.
Renting comes out ahead by $38k over 7 years
The math here uses Middletown's typical rent, its typical home value, a 20% down payment and today's mortgage rate. No break-even point within 30 years.
An opinion that's clearly labelled, with the math shown. The figures are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any figure and the stamp updates.
- Renting leads by
- $38k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- 30+ years owning never catches up sooner
- What owning really costs
- $2,356 /mo year 1, against $1,287 rent
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In Middletown, is renting or buying cheaper?
Renting costs $37,959 less over 7 years, counting what you get back at the sale. In each year shown, renting's net cost sits under owning's, and owning never catches up inside 30 years.
Rent. Owning Running net cost, year by year.
Middletown: average rent against the mortgage payment
Rent and the mortgage payment don't tell the whole story, so here are all the monthly costs for year 1, using Middletown's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,287 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,417 | $1,249 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $271 | 1.25% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $89 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $217 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $1,993 | $168 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $422 | What your cash would earn yearly at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $108 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,356 | Cash paid out, minus the equity piece, plus the two rows above |
The Middletown verdict, number by number
- Typical home value, Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $259,898
- Typical rent, Zillow, ZORI, September 2026
- $1,287 /mo
- Down payment: 20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine doesn't model
- 20%
- Mortgage rate, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home prices FHFA index of house prices, Ohio, 1995 to 2025
- 3.5% each year
- Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, each year's growth 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% each year
- Return on savings 60% S&P 500 with dividends plus 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, from 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Property tax Census data: ACS 2020-2024, Middletown
- 1.25% of the home's value
- Home insurance Census data: ACS 2020-2024, Middletown
- $89 per month
- Upkeep Fannie Mae, 1% to 4%, low end
- A yearly 1% of value
- Cost of buying Freddie Mac, 2% to 5%, middle
- 3.5% of purchase price
- Costs when you sell Agent commission and closing costs
- 6% of sale price
In Middletown, what would flip it?
Each line marks the spot where the 7-year verdict for Middletown flips, with everything else left as it is.
Renting is ahead when
- Home prices grow more slowly than 5.3% each year (we use Ohio's long-run rate of 3.5%).
- The rate on a mortgage holds above 4.63%.
- A home like this would rent for less than $1,690 a month (the typical figure here is $1,287).
- Any time you move in the next 30 years, owning still won't catch up at these numbers.
When buying comes out ahead
- Home prices grow more than 5.3% a year.
- You lock in a mortgage rate below 4.63% (the current rate is 7.24%).
- If you rented the same home, it would cost more than $1,690 a month.
Middletown compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Middletown | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $259,898 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,287 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 16.8 (#502 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 8% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Property tax | 1.25% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 46% | 42% |
The numbers come from Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Other Ohio cities
- Renting. Columbus, OH. Renting is ahead by $12k.
- Buying. Cleveland, OH. Buying is ahead by $49k.
- Renting. Cincinnati, OH. Renting is ahead by $19k.
- Buying. Toledo, OH. Buying is ahead by $21k.
- Buying. Akron, OH. Buying is ahead by $19k.
- Buying. Dayton, OH. Buying is ahead by $25k.
- Renting. Parma, OH. Renting is ahead by $25k.
- Toss-up, renting ahead by $2k. Canton, OH
- Buying. Lorain, OH. Buying is ahead by $7k.
- Renting. Hamilton, OH. Renting is ahead by $44k.
- Buy. In Youngstown, OH, buying has the edge by $54k.
- For Springfield, OH, it's a toss-up, with renting ahead by $713.