Rent vs buy in Smyrna, GA
In Smyrna, Georgia, the typical rent is $1,663 /mo and the typical home value is $442,294.
Over 7 years, renting comes out $65k ahead.
With Smyrna's typical rent and home value, a 20% down payment and today's mortgage rate. The break-even point lands in year 25.
An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math behind it. What you see are estimates, not quotes. Change any number and the stamp updates.
- Renting is ahead by
- $65k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- year 25 when owning catches up
- Actual cost of ownership
- $3,814 /mo year 1, against $1,663 rent
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Smyrna's typical rent and home value are what the stamp uses. Your own rent, price and years can flip the result.
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Is renting or buying cheaper in Smyrna?
When you include the money returned after selling, renting costs $64,523 less over 7 years. For the first 24 years, renting costs less. In year 25, owning catches up.
The renting option. The owning option. Net cost by year so far.
Comparing average rent and mortgage payments in Smyrna
Year 1 includes every monthly cost at Smyrna's typical price, not just rent and the mortgage.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,663 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $2,411 | $2,125 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $295 | 0.8% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $122 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $369 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $3,197 | $286 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $719 | The yearly return on that cash: 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $184 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $3,814 | Cash out minus the equity part, plus the two entries above |
What numbers produced the Smyrna verdict
- Typical home value per Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $442,294
- Typical rent per Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,663 /mo
- Down payment: 20% keeps you out of private mortgage insurance, and the engine doesn't model that.
- 20%
- Mortgage rate from Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Growth in home prices: FHFA house price index for Georgia, 1995 to 2025
- 4.4% per year
- Rent growth: CPI: primary residence rent, growth each year from 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% each year
- Return on savings: 60% S&P 500 with dividends, alongside 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% per year
- What you pay in property tax: Census ACS 2020-2024, Smyrna
- 0.8% of the home's value
- Insurance for the home: Census ACS 2020-2024, Smyrna
- $122 a month
- Maintenance: Fannie Mae, bottom of the 1% to 4% range
- Each year, 1% applies to the value.
- Buying costs: Freddie Mac, midpoint of the 2% to 5% range
- The price multiplied by 3.5%.
- Costs of selling: Agent commission plus closing costs
- 6% of the home's price
What would reverse this in Smyrna?
Each line marks the threshold where Smyrna's 7-year verdict flips, with all other inputs unchanged.
Renting comes out ahead when
- Home prices grow at a rate below 6.1% each year (the figure we use, 4.4%, is Georgia's long-run rate).
- Your mortgage rate remains above 4.63%.
- A home like this has a monthly rent below $2,350 (the local typical is $1,663).
- Before year 25, you move.
Buying is the better deal when
- Home prices rise by more than 6.1% a year.
- You lock in a rate under 4.63% for your mortgage (today's rate is 7.24%).
- More than $2,350 a month would be needed to rent that same home.
- You remain for 25 years or longer.
Smyrna compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Smyrna | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $442,294 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,663 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 22.2 (#236 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 5.5% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 0.9% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.80% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 41% | 42% |
Data from: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Cities elsewhere in Georgia
- Rent. Atlanta, GA. Renting comes out ahead by $13k.
- Buy. Columbus, GA. Buying comes out ahead by $31k.
- Buy. Augusta, GA. Buying comes out ahead by $27k.
- Buy. Macon, GA. Buying comes out ahead by $19k.
- Toss-up. Savannah, GA. Too close to call; renting leads by $1k.
- Rent. Athens, GA. Renting leads by $5k.
- Rent. Sandy Springs, GA. Renting comes out ahead by $184k.
- Rent. Roswell, GA. Renting comes out ahead by $159k.
- Buying wins by $21k in Warner Robins, GA.
- Renting wins by $107k in Johns Creek, GA.
- Buying wins by $7k in Mableton, GA.
- Renting wins by $154k in Alpharetta, GA.