Rent vs buy in Orange, CA

In Orange, California, the typical rent is $3,037 /mo and the typical home price is $1,120,386.

Rent

Renting comes out ahead by $160k over 7 years

Today's mortgage rate and a 20% down payment are paired with Orange's typical rent and home value. You reach break-even in year 19.

A clearly labeled opinion with the calculations shown. The figures are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any number and the stamp updates.

Renting is ahead by: $160k
Break-even point: year 19
Actual cost of owning: $9,331 /mo

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The stamp uses Orange's typical home value and rent figures. Your rent, price and years can change the result.

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Orange?

Over 7 years, renting saves $159,808 after counting the money returned when you sell. For the first 18 years, renting costs less. During year 19, owning catches up.

Renting. Owning. Net cost to date, shown by year.

Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Orange

At Orange's typical price, rent and the mortgage are only part of the monthly costs in year 1. Here are all of them.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$3,037	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$6,108	$5,384 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$616	0.66% of the value a year
Insurance	$109	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$934	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$7,767	$724 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$1,821	Annual return on the cash at 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$467	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$9,331	Cash out, minus the equity portion, with both earlier lines included.

The figures behind Orange's result

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $1,120,386
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $3,037 /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, California, 1995 to 2025: 5.3% 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, Orange: 0.66% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Orange: $109 /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

In Orange, what would flip the result?

Each line marks where the 7-year result for Orange changes; everything else stays as it is.

Renting is better when

Home-price growth remains below 6.9% annually. We apply California's long-run rate of 5.3%.
For mortgages, the rate stays over 4.69%.
A similar home rents for under $4,750 a month (the local typical rent is $3,037).
Your move happens before year 19.

When buying is better

Annual home price growth exceeds 6.9%.
You lock in a rate below 4.69% for your mortgage. Today's rate is 7.24%.
For the same home, you would pay more than $4,750 each month in rent.
You remain in the home for 19 years or more.

How Orange compares with the other 812 cities

Measure	Orange	Median city
Typical home value	$1,120,386	$422,451
Typical rent	$3,037 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	30.7 (#63 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	6.7% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	4.3% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.66%	0.87%
Households that rent	43%	42%

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

More California cities

Renting. Los Angeles, CA. Renting saves $111k.
Renting. San Diego, CA. Renting saves $108k.
Renting. San Jose, CA. Renting saves $210k.
Renting. San Francisco, CA. Renting saves $128k.
Buying. Fresno, CA. Buying saves $22k.

California's rent vs buy numbers