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Haines Borough, AK

Rent vs Own in Haines Borough, Alaska

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Haines Borough at $1,321/mo while the ownership stack lands near $1,772/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 707.

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Renting is cheaper in Haines Borough

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,321/mo, meaningfully below the $1,772/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $451/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Haines Borough

Primary driver

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Haines Borough from $1,467/mo in FY2025 to $1,321/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $146/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 2

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Haines Borough lists a $293,300 median home with $2,445/yr property tax (0.83%). HUD's $1,321/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$1,772/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $451/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 3

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $86,927, for a 3.4x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 2.8% 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

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Haines Borough ranks 17 of 28 Alaska counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 11 other Alaska 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
$1,772
Mortgage (P&I) $1,483
Property Tax $204
Insurance (est.) $86
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,321
Studio$945
1-Bedroom$1,033
2-Bedroom$1,321
3-Bedroom$1,771
4-Bedroom$2,088

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$86,927
$7,244/mo
Home Price / Income
3.4x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
2.8%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Haines Borough 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.

Haines Borough 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

Anchorage Municipality
Home: $395,900 Tax: $4,982/yr
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Home: $346,600 Tax: $3,685/yr
Fairbanks North Star Borough
Home: $298,200 Tax: $3,550/yr
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Home: $323,200 Tax: $2,049/yr
Juneau City and Borough
Home: $449,300 Tax: $4,251/yr
Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Home: $393,300 Tax: $2,619/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Haines Borough, Alaska? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Haines Borough by roughly $451/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 Haines Borough? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,321/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,143/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 Haines Borough? ▼
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 much house can you afford in Haines Borough? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $86,927 household here can afford up to $260,781 -- about $32,519 short of this county's $293,300 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 Haines Borough? ▼
$293,300, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.83% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
How does Haines Borough compare to other Alaska counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 28 Alaska counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Haines Borough lands at spot 17, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/alaska">Alaska 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 →