Rent vs buy in Texas City, TX
In Texas City, Texas, typical rent is $1,394 /mo and a typical home costs $226,626.
Buying comes out ahead by $6k over 7 years
A 20% down payment and today's mortgage rate are paired with the typical rent and home value for Texas City's market. The break-even point is year 6.
This is an opinion, clearly labeled, with the math shown. The figures are estimates, not quotes. Change any number and the stamp changes with it.
- The owning advantage
- $6k after 7 years
- Point where the costs balance
- Year 6 when owning catches up
- Full cost of owning
- $2,140 each month year 1, against $1,394 rent
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In Texas City, is renting or buying cheaper?
Buying costs $6,387 less over 7 years. That includes the money returned to you when you sell. In year 6, owning's net cost falls below renting's and remains lower.
Rent option. Ownership option. Net cost by year so far.
Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Texas City
Rent and the mortgage don't tell the whole story. Here's every monthly cost for year 1 using Texas City's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,394 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,236 | $1,089 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $238 | 1.26% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $161 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $189 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $1,823 | $147 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $368 | The amount the cash would earn each year at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $94 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,140 | Take cash out, subtract the equity part and add the two lines above |
Texas City verdict: the numbers behind it
- Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $226,626
- Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,394 /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, Texas City
- 1.26% of value
- Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Texas City
- $161 /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 make it flip in Texas City?
For Texas City, each line marks the point where the 7-year verdict changes. All other values remain unchanged.
Conditions for renting to win
- With annual home price growth under 4.3%, we use Texas's long-run rate of 4.7%.
- The mortgage rate remains above 7.74%.
- For a home like this, the monthly rent is under $1,330 (the typical rent here is $1,394).
- You relocate before year 6.
Conditions for buying to win
- Home prices grow by more than 4.3% each year.
- You lock in a mortgage rate under 7.74% (today's is 7.24%).
- The same home would cost more than $1,330 a month to rent.
- You remain for 6 years or more.
How Texas City compares with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Texas City | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $226,626 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,394 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 13.5 (#700 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 4.9% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 4.7% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 1.26% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 43% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
Cities elsewhere in Texas
- Toss-up. Houston, TX. Renting has a $2k lead in the toss-up.
- Rent. San Antonio, TX. The result: renting ahead by $10k.
- Rent. Dallas, TX. Renting is $20k ahead.
- Renting comes out ahead in Fort Worth, TX, by $17k.
- Renting comes out ahead in Austin, TX, by $111k.
- The result is a toss-up in El Paso, TX, with buying ahead by $2k.
- Renting comes out ahead in Arlington, TX, by $34k.
- Buying comes out ahead in Corpus Christi, TX, by $4k.
- Renting comes out ahead in Plano, TX, by $105k.
- The result is a toss-up in Lubbock, TX, with buying ahead by $2k.
- Renting comes out ahead in Laredo, TX, by $20k.
- Renting comes out ahead in Irving, TX, by $36k.