Rent vs buy in North Richland Hills, TX
In North Richland Hills, Texas, the typical rent is $1,557 /mo and the typical home is $364,348.
Renting comes out ahead by $56k over 7 years
Using North Richland Hills's typical home value and rent, plus a 20% down payment and today's mortgage rate. The break-even point arrives in year 25.
A clearly marked opinion with the math shown. Estimates, not quotes. Adjust any number, and the stamp will change.
- Renting is ahead by
- $56k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- year 25 when owning catches up
- Actual cost of owning
- $3,457 /mo year 1, against $1,557 rent
Change my numbers
For the stamp, North Richland Hills's typical rent and typical home value are what count. Changing your rent, purchase price, or number of years can reverse the result.
Do your numbers differ from the city's?
Provide the rent, purchase price, and down payment you want to use. Those figures then alter the stamp.
Which costs less in North Richland Hills, renting or buying?
Across 7 years, renting costs $56,004 less after counting the money returned when you sell. For the first 24 years, renting costs less. Owning doesn't catch up until year 25.
Renting. Owning. Net cost to date, by year.
Average rent compared with mortgage payment in North Richland Hills
Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story. Here are all monthly expenses during year 1, based on North Richland Hills's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,557 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,986 | $1,751 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $458 | 1.51% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $200 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $304 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $2,949 | $236 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $592 | How much the cash would earn yearly at 8.3%. |
| Buying costs, spread out | $152 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $3,457 | Cash out minus the equity portion, plus the two lines above |
The North Richland Hills verdict, explained by the numbers
- Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $364,348
- Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,557 /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, North Richland Hills
- 1.51% of value
- Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, North Richland Hills
- $200 /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 the North Richland Hills verdict?
Each line marks where the 7-year result for North Richland Hills changes, while all other factors stay the same.
When renting comes out ahead
- Home prices grow by less than 6.5% each year. We use 4.7%, based on Texas's long-term rate.
- The rate for a mortgage remains above 4.49%.
- A similar home rents below $2,160 each month. The typical rent here is $1,557.
- The condition is that you move before year 25.
When buying comes out ahead
- The condition is annual home price growth above 6.5%.
- You lock in a mortgage rate under 4.49% (the current rate is 7.24%).
- The monthly rent for that same home would exceed $2,160.
- The condition is that you stay for 25 years or longer.
How North Richland Hills compares with the other 812 cities
| Measure | North Richland Hills | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $364,348 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,557 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 19.5 (#355 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 2.6% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 1.51% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 37% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More cities in Texas
- Toss-up. Houston, TX. The gap is small, and renting comes out $2k ahead.
- Rent. San Antonio, TX. The gap comes to $10k in favor of renting.
- Rent. Dallas, TX. Renting is ahead by $20k.
- Rent. Fort Worth, TX. Renting leads by $17k.
- Rent. Austin, TX. Renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- Too close to call. El Paso, TX. Buying holds a $2k lead, so it's a toss-up.
- Rent. Arlington, TX. Renting holds a $34k advantage here.
- Buy. Corpus Christi, TX. Buying comes out ahead by $4k.
- Rent. Plano, TX. Renting comes out ahead by $105k.
- Toss-up. Lubbock, TX. Too close to call, with buying ahead by $2k.
- Rent. Laredo, TX. Here, renting leads by $20k.
- Rent. Irving, TX. Renting comes out ahead by $36k.