Rent vs buy in Rock Hill, SC
In Rock Hill, South Carolina, the typical rent is $1,517 /mo and the typical home costs $319,971.
Renting comes out ahead by $8k over 7 years
It uses the rent and home value typical for Rock Hill's market, with today's mortgage rate and 20% down. The break-even point is year 9.
Clearly labeled opinion with the math shown. These figures are estimates, not quotes. If you change a number, the stamp changes with it.
- Renting leads by
- $8k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- Year 9 when owning catches up
- Actual cost of owning
- $2,694 /mo year 1, against $1,517 rent
Change my numbers
That stamp is built on the rent and home value typical for Rock Hill's market. Your rent, price and time period can change the result.
The city's numbers aren't yours?
Put in the rent, price and down payment you want to use. The stamp shifts with them.
Is renting or buying cheaper in Rock Hill?
Renting costs $8,412 less over 7 years, including the money returned to you when you sell. For the first 8 years, renting costs less. In year 9, owning catches up.
Renting. Owning. Net cost by year so far.
In Rock Hill, average rent vs mortgage payment
Rent and mortgage payments don't tell you everything. Here are all monthly costs for year 1, using Rock Hill's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,517 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,744 | $1,538 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $139 | 0.52% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $98 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $267 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $2,248 | $207 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $520 | Annual earnings on the cash at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $133 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,694 | Cash out, with the equity part taken off, plus the two lines above |
The figures behind Rock Hill's result
- Typical home value Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $319,971
- Typical rent Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,517 /mo
- Down payment: at 20% you avoid private mortgage insurance, and the engine does not model it
- 20%
- Mortgage interest rateFreddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home pricesFHFA house price index, South Carolina, 1995 through 2025
- 4.5% per year
- Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, growth each year from 2006 to 2026
- The yearly rate is 3.5%.
- Return on savings60% S&P 500 including dividends, 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- The yearly rate is 8.3%.
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Rock Hill provides the property tax data.
- 0.52% of the value
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Rock Hill provides the home insurance data.
- The monthly cost is $98.
- Maintenance, from Fannie Mae: the low end of the 1% to 4% range
- Each year, the rate is 1% of value.
- Buying costs, from Freddie Mac: the middle of the 2% to 5% range
- 3.5% of the price
- Selling costsCommission paid to the agent plus closing costs
- 6% of the price
Which factors could change the Rock Hill result?
Each line marks where the 7-year verdict for Rock Hill flips, with everything else kept as it is.
When renting is the better choice
- Home prices grow by less than 4.8% a year. Our figure, 4.5%, is South Carolina's long-term rate.
- The mortgage rate holds above 6.77%.
- A similar home rents for less than $1,610 each month. The local typical rent is $1,517.
- Before year 9, you move.
When buying is the better choice
- Home prices increase each year at a rate above 4.8%.
- Today's rate is 7.24%, and you lock one under 6.77%.
- More than $1,610 each month would be the rent for the same home.
- You stay for 9 years or more.
Rock Hill and 812 other cities side by side
| Measure | Rock Hill | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $319,971 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,517 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 17.6 (#458 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6.8% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 4.3% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.52% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 46% | 42% |
Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024 provide the source data.
Other cities across South Carolina
- For Charleston, SC, renting wins by $56k in the comparison.
- For Columbia, SC, buying wins by $29k in the comparison.
- For North Charleston, SC, buying wins by $16k in the comparison.
- For Mount Pleasant, SC, renting wins by $162k in the comparison.
- For Greenville, SC, renting wins by $9k in the comparison.
- For Summerville, SC, renting wins by $5k in the comparison.
- For Goose Creek, SC, buying wins by $22k in the comparison.