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Barrow County, GA

Rent vs Own in Barrow County, Georgia

Owning the median home in Barrow County clears the monthly bar: about $1,768/mo versus HUD's $1,820/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 24,170.

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Buying is cheaper in Barrow County

Owning runs about $1,768/mo here, under $1,820/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $52/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Barrow County

Primary driver

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $80,653, for a 3.7x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 2.9% of that income. Small changes in down payment or rate move this county across the rent-vs-own line more than they would in a high-ratio market.

Decision signal 2

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Barrow County ranks 89 of 158 Georgia counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 69 other Georgia counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Barrow County's median home ($294,700) carries $2,307/yr in property tax at 0.78%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,768/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,820/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $52/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Barrow County from $1,830/mo in FY2025 to $1,820/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $10/mo (-0.5%). A falling benchmark narrows the case for buying here, and it usually reflects HUD re-estimating the local market rather than existing rents being cut.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$1,768
Mortgage (P&I) $1,490
Property Tax $192
Insurance (est.) $86
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,820
Studio$1,585
1-Bedroom$1,660
2-Bedroom$1,820
3-Bedroom$2,182
4-Bedroom$2,605

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$80,653
$6,721/mo
Home Price / Income
3.7x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
2.9%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

A $2,000 to $2,999 yearly bill greets most paid-off owners in Barrow County, above what the majority of American counties charge and heavy enough that a fixed retirement income feels it directly.

Barrow County matches the national pattern: six-figure earners between $100,000 and $200,000 account for more of these write-offs than any other local group.

Against that holding-cost profile, the monthly ownership stack already undercuts HUD rent here, so the long-run tax bill is an ownership feature more than a reason to keep renting.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Fulton County
Home: $458,800 Tax: $4,033/yr
Gwinnett County
Home: $380,900 Tax: $3,617/yr
Cobb County
Home: $407,200 Tax: $2,720/yr
DeKalb County
Home: $357,800 Tax: $3,310/yr
Cherokee County
Home: $435,100 Tax: $2,985/yr
Forsyth County
Home: $550,400 Tax: $4,020/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Barrow County, Georgia? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Barrow County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $52/mo. Change the down payment, rate, or time horizon in the calculator and that gap can flip - owning also builds equity that rent never does.
What is the average rent in Barrow County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,820/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,020/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How much house can you afford in Barrow County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $80,653 household here can afford up to $241,959 -- about $52,741 short of this county's $294,700 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
What is the median home price in Barrow County? ▼
$294,700, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.78% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
How does Barrow County compare to other Georgia counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 158 Georgia counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Barrow County lands at spot 89, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/georgia">Georgia state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Barrow County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 0.5% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →