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Franklin County, ME

Rent vs Own in Franklin County, Maine

Owning the median home in Franklin County clears the monthly bar: about $1,210/mo versus HUD's $1,322/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 9,666.

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Buying is cheaper in Franklin County

Owning runs about $1,210/mo here, under $1,322/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $112/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Franklin County from $1,116/mo in FY2025 to $1,322/mo in FY2026: it increased by $206/mo (+18.5%). 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.

Decision signal 2

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Franklin County ranks 5 of 16 Maine counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 11 other Maine counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $58,675, for a 3.3x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.5% 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

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Franklin County's median home ($194,700) carries $2,027/yr in property tax at 1.04%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,210/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,322/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $112/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
$1,210
Mortgage (P&I) $985
Property Tax $169
Insurance (est.) $57
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,322
Studio$911
1-Bedroom$1,008
2-Bedroom$1,322
3-Bedroom$1,750
4-Bedroom$1,757

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$58,675
$4,890/mo
Home Price / Income
3.3x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.5%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

A $2,000 to $2,999 yearly bill greets most paid-off owners in Franklin County, above what the majority of American counties charge and heavy enough that a fixed retirement income feels it directly.

Franklin 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

Cumberland County
Home: $451,200 Tax: $4,707/yr
York County
Home: $395,700 Tax: $3,787/yr
Penobscot County
Home: $214,100 Tax: $2,481/yr
Kennebec County
Home: $238,200 Tax: $2,605/yr
Androscoggin County
Home: $252,800 Tax: $2,940/yr
Aroostook County
Home: $149,700 Tax: $1,672/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Franklin County, Maine? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Franklin County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $112/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.
What is the average rent in Franklin County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,322/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $846/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 Franklin County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 18.5% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How much house can you afford in Franklin County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $58,675 household here can afford up to $176,025 -- about $18,675 short of this county's $194,700 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 Franklin County compare to other Maine counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 16 Maine counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Franklin County lands at spot 5, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/maine">Maine state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
What is the median home price in Franklin County? ▼
$194,700, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.04% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.

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 →