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Clark County, WA

Rent vs Own in Clark County, Washington

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Clark County at $1,922/mo while the ownership stack lands near $3,154/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 130,065.

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Renting is cheaper in Clark County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,922/mo, meaningfully below the $3,154/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $1,232/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

The purchase price is the larger hurdle

Median household income is $97,536, so the 5.4x home-price-to-income ratio is the binding constraint here, even before the 4.4% of income that goes to property tax. Buyers in this band usually need a larger down payment or a longer commute to a cheaper ZIP before the monthly ownership math clears.

Decision signal 2

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Clark County lists a $522,900 median home with $4,290/yr property tax (0.82%). HUD's $1,922/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$3,154/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $1,232/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 3

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Clark County from $1,997/mo in FY2025 to $1,922/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $75/mo (-3.8%). 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.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Clark County ranks 16 of 39 Washington counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 23 other Washington 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
$3,154
Mortgage (P&I) $2,644
Property Tax $358
Insurance (est.) $153
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,922
Studio$1,570
1-Bedroom$1,677
2-Bedroom$1,922
3-Bedroom$2,619
4-Bedroom$3,109

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$97,536
$8,128/mo
Home Price / Income
5.4x
Expensive (>5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
4.4%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Clark County owners still owes $3,000 or more every year - a recurring holding cost of a few hundred dollars a month, which is why "paid off" understates the real cost of keeping property here.

Clark 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

King County
Home: $859,900 Tax: $7,114/yr
Pierce County
Home: $526,600 Tax: $4,770/yr
Snohomish County
Home: $696,000 Tax: $5,364/yr
Spokane County
Home: $410,700 Tax: $3,434/yr
Thurston County
Home: $480,300 Tax: $4,209/yr
Kitsap County
Home: $555,100 Tax: $4,279/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Clark County, Washington? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Clark County by roughly $1,232/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 Clark County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,922/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,539/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 Clark County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $97,536 household here can afford up to $292,608 -- about $230,292 short of this county's $522,900 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 Clark County? ▼
$522,900, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.82% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Clark County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 3.8% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Clark County compare to other Washington counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 39 Washington counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Clark County lands at spot 16, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/washington">Washington state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.

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 →