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Cameron Parish, LA

Rent vs Own in Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Owning the median home in Cameron Parish clears the monthly bar: about $1,161/mo versus HUD's $1,217/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 1,925.

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Buying is cheaper in Cameron Parish

Owning runs about $1,161/mo here, under $1,217/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $56/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Cameron Parish

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $75,278, and the 2.7x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 1.2% of median income). The monthly gap above is more about mortgage rate and insurance assumptions than about the purchase price being out of reach.

Decision signal 2

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Cameron Parish from $1,144/mo in FY2025 to $1,217/mo in FY2026: it increased by $73/mo (+6.4%). 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 3

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Cameron Parish's median home ($202,500) carries $936/yr in property tax at 0.46%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,161/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,217/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $56/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Cameron Parish ranks 34 of 64 Louisiana counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 30 other Louisiana counties on this measure.

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
$1,161
Mortgage (P&I) $1,024
Property Tax $78
Insurance (est.) $59
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,217
Studio$921
1-Bedroom$928
2-Bedroom$1,217
3-Bedroom$1,459
4-Bedroom$1,611

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$75,278
$6,273/mo
Home Price / Income
2.7x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.2%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Most Cameron Parish households that own outright land between $800 and $1,499 a year, at the national middle, so the tax neither argues for renting nor against it and the decision turns on price and mobility instead.

Cameron Parish 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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cameron Parish, Louisiana?
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Cameron Parish home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $56/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.
How much house can you afford in Cameron Parish?
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $75,278 household here can afford up to $225,834, which comfortably covers this county's $202,500 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the average rent in Cameron Parish?
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,217/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $690/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
What is the median home price in Cameron Parish?
$202,500, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.46% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Cameron Parish?
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 6.4% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Cameron Parish compare to other Louisiana counties for renting vs buying?
Out of 64 Louisiana counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Cameron Parish lands at spot 34, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/louisiana">Louisiana state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
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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