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Denton County, TX

Rent vs Own in Denton County, Texas

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Denton County at $1,931/mo while the ownership stack lands near $2,926/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 235,923.

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Renting is cheaper in Denton County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,931/mo, meaningfully below the $2,926/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $995/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Denton County ranks 231 of 250 Texas counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 19 other Texas counties on this measure.

Decision signal 2

The tax rate is a national headwind

Denton County's 1.61% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 92% pay more. Treat that recurring tax line separately from principal and interest.

Decision signal 3

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $111,498, for a 3.9x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 6.3% 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 4

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Denton County lists a $437,200 median home with $7,055/yr property tax (1.61%). HUD's $1,931/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$2,926/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $995/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 5

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Denton County from $1,884/mo in FY2025 to $1,931/mo in FY2026: it increased by $47/mo (+2.5%). 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.

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
$2,926
Mortgage (P&I) $2,211
Property Tax $588
Insurance (est.) $128
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,931
Studio$1,582
1-Bedroom$1,648
2-Bedroom$1,931
3-Bedroom$2,431
4-Bedroom$3,091

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$111,498
$9,292/mo
Home Price / Income
3.9x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
6.3%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Denton 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.

Unusually for Denton County, returns above $200,000 form the single largest block claiming it, a concentration only a minority of US counties show and a marker of high property values.

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

Harris County
Home: $276,600 Tax: $4,489/yr
Dallas County
Home: $303,000 Tax: $4,798/yr
Tarrant County
Home: $323,900 Tax: $5,334/yr
Bexar County
Home: $262,200 Tax: $4,535/yr
Travis County
Home: $523,000 Tax: $7,727/yr
Collin County
Home: $475,600 Tax: $7,521/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Denton County, Texas? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Denton County by roughly $995/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 Denton County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,931/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,509/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 Denton County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $111,498 household here can afford up to $334,494 -- about $102,706 short of this county's $437,200 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 Denton County? ▼
$437,200, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. What stands out more than the price itself is the tax load on it: this county's 1.61% effective rate sits near the high end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
How does Denton County compare to other Texas counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 250 Texas counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Denton County lands at spot 231, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/texas">Texas state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Denton County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 2.5% 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 →