Rent vs buy in Winston-Salem, NC
Typical rent $1,478 /mo. Typical home $260,047. Both figures are for Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Over 7 years, buying wins by $6k
It uses a typical rent and home value for Winston-Salem's market, with 20% down, using today's mortgage rate. The break-even year is 7.
Clearly labelled opinion, and we show the math. What you see here are estimates, not quotes. Change one number and the stamp changes.
- Owning is ahead by
- $6k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- Year 7 when owning catches up
- Real cost of owning
- $2,273 per month year 1, against $1,478 rent
Change my numbers
For rent and home value, the stamp uses Winston-Salem's typical numbers. Your own rent, price and years can flip it.
Do your numbers differ from the city's?
Enter the rent, price and down payment you want to use. The stamp updates to match.
In Winston-Salem, is it cheaper to rent or buy?
Count the money you get back when you sell, and buying comes out $6,025 cheaper over 7 years. In year 7, the net cost of owning falls below renting's, and it stays lower.
Rent. Buy. Net cost so far, listed year by year.
Winston-Salem: average rent compared with the mortgage payment
Rent and the mortgage tell only part of it. Here is every monthly cost in year 1, using Winston-Salem's typical price.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,478 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $1,418 | $1,250 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $189 | 0.87% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $87 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $217 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $1,910 | $168 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $423 | What that money would earn yearly at 8.3% |
| Buying costs, spread out | $108 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $2,273 | Cash out, minus the equity portion, plus the two lines above |
Winston-Salem verdict: the numbers behind it
- Typical home value: Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $260,047
- The typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
- $1,478 per month
- Down payment: 20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine doesn't model
- 20%
- Mortgage rate: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- Price growth for homesFHFA house price index, North Carolina, 1995 through 2025
- 4.4% yearly
- Rent growth: CPI primary residence rent, yearly growth 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% yearly
- Return on savings: 60% S&P 500, dividends included, and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year, 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Property tax: Census ACS 2020-2024, Winston-Salem
- 0.87% of the value
- Home insurance: Census ACS 2020-2024, Winston-Salem
- $87 a month
- Maintenance: Fannie Mae, lower end of the 1% to 4% range
- 1% of value each year
- Cost of buying: Freddie Mac, midpoint of the 2% to 5% range
- 3.5% of the price
- Costs of sellingAgent commission plus closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would change the verdict in Winston-Salem?
Each line is a threshold: cross it and the 7-year verdict for Winston-Salem changes. Everything else stays as it is.
Renting comes out ahead when
- Home prices gain less than 4.1% a year; our model uses 4.4%, the long-run rate for North Carolina's housing.
- The mortgage rate remains above 7.65%.
- For a home like this, rent comes in under $1,410 a month ($1,478 is typical here).
- Moving happens before year 7.
Buying comes out ahead when
- Home prices rise by more than 4.1% a year.
- You lock in a mortgage rate under 7.65% (today's is 7.24%).
- If you rented the same home, it would cost more than $1,410 a month.
- Staying 7 years or longer.
How Winston-Salem compares with the other 812 cities
| Measure | Winston-Salem | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $260,047 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $1,478 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 14.7 (#643 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 7.2% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 5.3% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.87% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 44% | 42% |
Where the numbers come from: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More North Carolina cities
- Rent. Charlotte, NC. Renting has the edge by $30k.
- Rent. Raleigh, NC. Renting is $61k better here.
- Toss-up. Greensboro, NC. Renting leads by $3k, so it's a toss-up.
- Rent. Durham, NC. Renting has the edge by $40k.
- Buy. Fayetteville, NC. Buying has the edge by $9k.
- Rent. Cary, NC. Renting has the edge by $131k.
- Rent. Wilmington, NC. Renting has the edge by $47k.
- Buy. High Point, NC. Buying comes out ahead by $4k.
- Rent. Concord, NC. Renting comes out ahead by $20k.
- Buy. Greenville, NC. Buying comes out ahead by $13k.
- Rent. Asheville NC. Renting comes out ahead by $53k.
- Toss-up. Gastonia, NC. It's close, and renting is ahead by $576.