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Box Elder County, UT

Rent vs Own in Box Elder County, Utah

Buying the median Box Elder County home costs roughly $2,322/mo against a $1,118/mo HUD rent, ownership runs well above the rent benchmark here, so the page focuses on why the stack is so heavy. Owner-occupied homes: 14,857.

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Renting is cheaper in Box Elder County

Ownership works out near $2,322/mo while a comparable 2-bedroom rents for $1,118/mo - a wide monthly miss for buyers. That is a $1,204/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Box Elder County

Primary driver

Ownership sits far above the rent benchmark

The $403,600 median home in Box Elder County carries $1,966/yr in tax at 0.49%. Against HUD's $1,118/mo 2-bedroom rent, the ownership stack (~$2,322/mo) is a wide miss - roughly $1,204/mo. Here the useful question is which line item (price, tax, or insurance) dominates the overage, not whether a small assumption change closes it.

Decision signal 2

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Box Elder County ranks 24 of 29 Utah counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 5 other Utah counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Box Elder County from $1,012/mo in FY2025 to $1,118/mo in FY2026: it increased by $106/mo (+10.5%). A rising rent benchmark widens the gap in favour of owning over time, because the mortgage share of the ownership cost below is fixed at origination while the rent it is compared against reprices every year.

Decision signal 4

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $84,550, for a 4.8x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 2.3% 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.

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
$2,322
Mortgage (P&I) $2,041
Property Tax $164
Insurance (est.) $118
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,118
Studio$771
1-Bedroom$983
2-Bedroom$1,118
3-Bedroom$1,555
4-Bedroom$1,875

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$84,550
$7,046/mo
Home Price / Income
4.8x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
2.3%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

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

Box Elder 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.

When the ownership stack already sits far above HUD rent, that annual bill is less a tie-breaker and more confirmation that holding costs stay material long after the loan is gone.

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

Salt Lake County
Home: $525,700 Tax: $2,836/yr
Utah County
Home: $538,700 Tax: $2,370/yr
Davis County
Home: $505,500 Tax: $2,665/yr
Weber County
Home: $426,700 Tax: $2,557/yr
Washington County
Home: $510,700 Tax: $2,158/yr
Cache County
Home: $444,400 Tax: $2,011/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Box Elder County, Utah? ▼
Owning the median Box Elder County home is a wide miss versus HUD's 2-bedroom rent (about $1,204/mo more) on the standard stack. Treat this as a tenure/equity decision first; the cash-flow comparison alone will not favour buying here.
What is the average rent in Box Elder County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,118/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,104/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 Box Elder County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $84,550 household here can afford up to $253,650 -- about $149,950 short of this county's $403,600 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
How does Box Elder County compare to other Utah counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 29 Utah counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Box Elder County lands at spot 24, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/utah">Utah state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Box Elder County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 10.5% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
What is the median home price in Box Elder County? ▼
$403,600, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.49% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.

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 →