Rent vs buy in Rockville, MD

In Rockville, Maryland, typical rent is $2,372 /mo and a typical home is $595,387.

Rent

Over 7 years, renting comes out $91k ahead

Using Rockville's typical rent and home value, plus 20% down and today's mortgage rate. No break-even point within 30 years.

A clearly labeled opinion, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust one number and the stamp updates.

Rent leads by: $91k
Break-even point: 30+ years
Actual ownership cost: $5,155 /mo

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The stamp is built on Rockville's typical rent and typical home value. It can flip if you change your rent, your price or your years.

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Would renting or buying cost less in Rockville?

Across 7 years, renting costs $91,474 less when you include the money returned after the sale. In every year shown, renting has a lower net cost than owning, and owning never catches up within 30 years.

Renting. Ownership. Net cost so far for each year.

Average rent compared with mortgage payments in Rockville

At Rockville's typical price, the monthly costs in year 1 run well past rent and the mortgage. Here they all are.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$2,372	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$3,246	$2,861 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$486	0.98% of the value a year
Insurance	$96	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$496	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$4,324	$385 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$968	What your cash would earn each year at 8.3%
Buying costs, spread out	$248	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$5,155	Cash out minus the equity portion plus the two lines listed above

Numbers behind Rockville's verdict

Typical home value from Zillow ZHVI, September 2026: $595,387
Typical rent from Zillow ZORI, September 2026: $2,372 /mo
Down payment: 20% means no private mortgage insurance, which the engine doesn't model.: 20%
Mortgage rate source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US): 7.24%
Growth in home prices: FHFA house price index for Maryland, 1995 to 2025: 4.1% per year
Rent growth: CPI rent of primary residence, growth measured yearly, 2006 to 2026: 3.5% per year
Return on savings60% S&P 500 (dividends included) and 40% 10-year Treasuries, mixed and rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025: 8.3% per year
Property tax, per Census ACS 2020-2024, Rockville: 0.98% of the value
Home insurance cost: Census ACS 2020-2024, Rockville: $96 per month
Maintenance: Fannie Mae, low end of the 1% to 4% range: 1% of value per year
Buying costs: Freddie Mac, the middle of the 2% to 5% range: 3.5% of the price
Costs of selling: Agent commission plus closing costs: 6% of the price

In Rockville, what would flip the result?

Each line shows where the 7-year verdict in Rockville flips, with everything else held as is.

Renting comes out ahead when

Home prices rise by less than 5.9% a year (our figure is 4.1%, Maryland's rate over the long run).
The mortgage rate holds above 4.49%.
A home like this one goes for less than $3,350 a month in rent (the typical figure here is $2,372).
Any move in the next 30 years leaves owning behind: it doesn't catch up at these numbers.

When buying wins

Home prices grow at more than 5.9% a year.
You lock in a mortgage rate under 4.49% (right now it is 7.24%).
If you rented the same home, it would cost more than $3,350 a month.

Rockville compared with the other 812 cities

Measure	Rockville	Median city
Typical home value	$595,387	$422,451
Typical rent	$2,372 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	20.9 (#291 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	3% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	2.7% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.98%	0.87%
Households that rent	47%	42%

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

Maryland's other cities

Rent vs buy in Maryland: numbers for the whole state