Rent vs buy in Victoria, TX
In Victoria, Texas, the typical rent is $1,169 a month and the typical home is $214,046.
Over 7 years, renting wins by $13k
Applying today's mortgage rate and 20% down to Victoria's typical rent and typical home value. The break-even point comes in year 11.
Our opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Change any number and the stamp updates.
- Renting is ahead by
- $13k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- year 11 when owning catches up
- The true cost of owning
- $2,082 /mo year 1, against $1,169 rent
Change my numbers
The stamp works from Victoria's typical home value and rent. Put in your own rent, price and years, and the result can flip.
Do your numbers differ from the city's?
Enter your rent, price and down payment. Your entries change the stamp.
Which costs less in Victoria, renting or buying?
Counting the money that comes back to you when you sell, renting costs $13,493 less over 7 years. For the first 10 years, renting costs less. By year 11, owning catches up.
The renting option. The owning option. Cumulative net cost, by year.
Average rent compared with mortgage payment in Victoria
Monthly costs go beyond rent and mortgage payments, so here are all year 1 costs at Victoria's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,169 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,167 | $1,029 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $271 | 1.52% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $167 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $178 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $1,783 | $138 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $348 | The amount the cash would earn yearly at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $89 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,082 | Subtract the equity part from cash out, then add the two lines above. |
Behind the Victoria verdict: the numbers
- Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $214,046
- Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,169 /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, Victoria
- 1.52% of value
- Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Victoria
- $167 /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 change the result in Victoria?
Each line shows where the 7-year verdict for Victoria changes, with all other factors left unchanged.
Renting wins if
- Annual home price growth stays under 5.5%; we use 4.7%, which is the long-run rate for Texas's market.
- The mortgage rate remains above 6.12%.
- For a home like this, the monthly rent is under $1,310 (the typical rent here is $1,169).
- Moving before year 11.
Buying wins if
- Home prices rise at more than 5.5% a year.
- You lock in a mortgage rate under 6.12% (today's is 7.24%).
- You'd pay more than $1,310 a month to rent the same home.
- You stay 11 years or more.
Victoria compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Victoria | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $214,046 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,169 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 15.3 (#613 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 3.5% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Property tax | 1.52% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 42% | 42% |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More cities in Texas
- A toss-up. Houston, TX. Renting leads by $2k.
- Renting is the better choice. San Antonio, TX puts renting ahead by $10k.
- Renting. Dallas, TX. Renting comes out $20k ahead.
- Rent. Fort Worth, TX. The advantage goes to renting by $17k.
- Rent. Austin, TX. The advantage goes to renting by $111k.
- Toss-up. El Paso, TX. Buying leads by $2k, so it's a toss-up.
- Rent. Arlington, TX. The advantage goes to renting by $34k.
- Buy. Corpus Christi, TX. Buying has the advantage by $4k.
- Rent. Plano, TX. Renting has the advantage by $105k.
- Toss-up. Lubbock, TX. Buying leads by $2k, making it a toss-up.
- Renting. Laredo, TX. Renting comes out $20k ahead.
- Rent. Irving, TX. The advantage goes to renting by $36k.