Hidalgo County, TX
Rent vs Own in Hidalgo County, Texas
Owning the median home in Hidalgo County works out cheaper than renting: about $943/mo against HUD's $1,060/mo for a 2-bedroom. Here is the arithmetic behind that. Owner-occupied homes: 182,271.
Owning runs about $943/mo here, under $1,060/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $117/mo difference.
Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.
What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Hidalgo County
Primary driver
The tax rate is a national headwind
Hidalgo County's 1.62% 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 2
Income supports the median purchase price
Median household income is $54,338, putting the home-price-to-income ratio at 2.6x. Property taxes consume 4.2% of median income; use those two burdens separately rather than treating the mortgage payment as the whole ownership cost.
Decision signal 3
HUD moved the rent benchmark up
HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Hidalgo County from $992/mo in FY2025 to $1,060/mo in FY2026: it increased by $68/mo (+6.9%). 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
The monthly comparison favours owning
The median home value in Hidalgo County, Texas is $140,900 with a median annual property tax of $2,279, an effective rate of 1.62%. At 20% down on a 6.5% 30-year mortgage, the all-in monthly ownership cost comes to $943, under the $1,060/mo HUD prices a 2-bedroom rental at. Owning is about $117/mo cheaper before maintenance, HOA fees, or closing costs.
Decision signal 5
The county sits near the state middle
Using the assumptions above, Hidalgo County ranks 106 of 250 Texas counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 144 other Texas 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
Adjust Your Scenario
Affordability Context
Who actually pays it here
Even with the loan gone, the largest group of owners here still owes $3,000 or more every year. That is a permanent monthly obligation of a few hundred dollars, and it is why "paid off" understates the real cost of holding property in this county.
As across most of the country, six-figure earners between $100,000 and $200,000 account for more of these write-offs than any other group.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025