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Clarke County, MS

Rent vs Own in Clarke County, Mississippi

Owning the median home in Clarke County clears the monthly bar: about $687/mo versus HUD's $867/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 4,892.

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Buying is cheaper in Clarke County

Owning runs about $687/mo here, under $867/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $180/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $46,108, and the 2.6x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 1.4% 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 down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Clarke County from $963/mo in FY2025 to $867/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $96/mo (-10.0%). 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 3

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Clarke County's median home ($118,100) carries $666/yr in property tax at 0.56%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $687/mo, which undercuts HUD's $867/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $180/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Clarke County ranks 38 of 81 Mississippi counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 43 other Mississippi 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
$687
Mortgage (P&I) $597
Property Tax $56
Insurance (est.) $34
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$867
Studio$750
1-Bedroom$783
2-Bedroom$867
3-Bedroom$1,044
4-Bedroom$1,150

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$46,108
$3,842/mo
Home Price / Income
2.6x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.4%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

In Clarke County, once the mortgage ends staying put is close to free: the largest cluster of debt-free households faces a yearly charge under $800, so insurance and upkeep, not the tax office, set what the home costs to keep.

Clarke 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

DeSoto County
Home: $269,600 Tax: $1,613/yr
Hinds County
Home: $159,900 Tax: $1,403/yr
Harrison County
Home: $212,200 Tax: $1,370/yr
Rankin County
Home: $237,400 Tax: $1,428/yr
Jackson County
Home: $193,100 Tax: $1,366/yr
Madison County
Home: $311,100 Tax: $2,108/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Clarke County, Mississippi? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Clarke County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $180/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 Clarke County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $46,108 household here can afford up to $138,324, which comfortably covers this county's $118,100 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Clarke County? ▼
$118,100, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.56% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
What is the average rent in Clarke County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $867/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $400/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 Clarke County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 10.0% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Clarke County compare to other Mississippi counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 81 Mississippi counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Clarke County lands at spot 38, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/mississippi">Mississippi 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 →