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Camden County, NC

Rent vs Own in Camden County, North Carolina

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Camden County at $1,287/mo while the ownership stack lands near $1,966/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 3,293.

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Renting is cheaper in Camden County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,287/mo, meaningfully below the $1,966/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $679/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Camden County from $1,129/mo in FY2025 to $1,287/mo in FY2026: it increased by $158/mo (+14.0%). 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 2

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Camden County ranks 89 of 100 North Carolina counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 11 other North Carolina counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Camden County lists a $337,100 median home with $1,952/yr property tax (0.58%). HUD's $1,287/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$1,966/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $679/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 4

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $91,078, for a 3.7x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 2.1% 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
$1,966
Mortgage (P&I) $1,705
Property Tax $163
Insurance (est.) $98
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,287
Studio$1,121
1-Bedroom$1,139
2-Bedroom$1,287
3-Bedroom$1,790
4-Bedroom$2,159

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$91,078
$7,590/mo
Home Price / Income
3.7x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
2.1%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

The typical mortgage-free owner in Camden County is billed $1,500 to $1,999 annually, rather more than a single month of median two-bedroom rent nationally, the level at which buyers start budgeting the tax as its own line rather than folding it into escrow.

Camden 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.

With ownership already mid-range more expensive than rent month-to-month, that annual bill reinforces why cash-flow renters stay put unless they are deliberately buying for tenure rather than monthly savings.

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

Wake County
Home: $461,300 Tax: $3,260/yr
Mecklenburg County
Home: $406,800 Tax: $2,890/yr
Guilford County
Home: $259,900 Tax: $2,174/yr
Forsyth County
Home: $250,400 Tax: $1,984/yr
Durham County
Home: $389,400 Tax: $3,092/yr
Cumberland County
Home: $199,200 Tax: $1,850/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Camden County, North Carolina? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Camden County by roughly $679/mo under default loan assumptions. Closing a gap this size usually needs a meaningfully lower price or rate, not a cosmetic tweak.
What is the average rent in Camden County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,287/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,038/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
Is rent going up or down in Camden County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 14.0% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Camden County compare to other North Carolina counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 100 North Carolina counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Camden County lands at spot 89, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/north-carolina">North Carolina state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
How much house can you afford in Camden County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $91,078 household here can afford up to $273,234 -- about $63,866 short of this county's $337,100 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 Camden County? ▼
$337,100, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.58% 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

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