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Gilpin County, CO

Rent vs Own in Gilpin County, Colorado

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Gilpin County at $2,089/mo while the ownership stack lands near $3,179/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 2,732.

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Renting is cheaper in Gilpin County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $2,089/mo, meaningfully below the $3,179/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $1,090/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

The purchase price is the larger hurdle

Median household income is $95,361, so the 6.0x home-price-to-income ratio is the binding constraint here, even before the 1.4% 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

The tax rate is a national tailwind

Gilpin County's 0.23% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 99% pay a higher rate. That low tax line is one reason owning can compete here.

Decision signal 3

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Gilpin County lists a $573,900 median home with $1,310/yr property tax (0.23%). HUD's $2,089/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$3,179/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $1,090/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Gilpin County from $2,140/mo in FY2025 to $2,089/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $51/mo (-2.4%). 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 5

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Gilpin County ranks 30 of 64 Colorado counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 34 other Colorado 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
$3,179
Mortgage (P&I) $2,902
Property Tax $109
Insurance (est.) $167
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$2,089
Studio$1,643
1-Bedroom$1,754
2-Bedroom$2,089
3-Bedroom$2,734
4-Bedroom$3,049

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$95,361
$7,947/mo
Home Price / Income
6.0x
Expensive (>5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.4%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Most Gilpin 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.

Gilpin 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

El Paso County
Home: $461,000 Tax: $1,874/yr
Jefferson County
Home: $637,600 Tax: $3,082/yr
Arapahoe County
Home: $561,200 Tax: $2,938/yr
Denver County
Home: $616,000 Tax: $2,751/yr
Adams County
Home: $484,200 Tax: $2,962/yr
Douglas County
Home: $713,600 Tax: $3,947/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Gilpin County, Colorado? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Gilpin County by roughly $1,090/mo under default loan assumptions. Closing a gap this size usually needs a meaningfully lower price or rate, not a cosmetic tweak.
How much house can you afford in Gilpin County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $95,361 household here can afford up to $286,083 -- about $287,817 short of this county's $573,900 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 average rent in Gilpin County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $2,089/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,406/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
What is the median home price in Gilpin County? ▼
$573,900, 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 0.23% effective rate sits near the low end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
Is rent going up or down in Gilpin County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 2.4% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Gilpin County compare to other Colorado counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 64 Colorado counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Gilpin County lands at spot 30, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/colorado">Colorado 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

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