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Cumberland County, NC

Rent vs Own in Cumberland County, North Carolina

Owning the median home in Cumberland County clears the monthly bar: about $1,220/mo versus HUD's $1,251/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 71,328.

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Buying is cheaper in Cumberland County

Owning runs about $1,220/mo here, under $1,251/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $31/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Cumberland County ranks 28 of 100 North Carolina counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 72 other North Carolina counties on this measure.

Decision signal 2

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $61,291, for a 3.3x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.0% 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.

Decision signal 3

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Cumberland County from $1,240/mo in FY2025 to $1,251/mo in FY2026: it increased by $11/mo (+0.9%). 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

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Cumberland County's median home ($199,200) carries $1,850/yr in property tax at 0.93%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,220/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,251/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $31/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

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
$1,220
Mortgage (P&I) $1,007
Property Tax $154
Insurance (est.) $58
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,251
Studio$1,090
1-Bedroom$1,113
2-Bedroom$1,251
3-Bedroom$1,667
4-Bedroom$2,068

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$61,291
$5,108/mo
Home Price / Income
3.3x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.0%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Most Cumberland County 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.

Cumberland 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

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
Union County
Home: $417,300 Tax: $2,396/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Cumberland County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,251/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $978/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 it cheaper to rent or buy in Cumberland County, North Carolina? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Cumberland County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $31/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 Cumberland County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $61,291 household here can afford up to $183,873 -- about $15,327 short of this county's $199,200 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 Cumberland County compare to other North Carolina counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 100 North Carolina counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Cumberland County lands at spot 28, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/north-carolina">North Carolina state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
What is the median home price in Cumberland County? ▼
$199,200, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.93% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Cumberland County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 0.9% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

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 →