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La Plata County, CO

Rent vs Own in La Plata County, Colorado

Buying the median La Plata County home costs roughly $3,293/mo against a $1,589/mo HUD rent, ownership runs well above the rent benchmark here, so the page focuses on why the stack is so heavy. Owner-occupied homes: 17,292.

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Renting is cheaper in La Plata County

Ownership works out near $3,293/mo while a comparable 2-bedroom rents for $1,589/mo - a wide monthly miss for buyers. That is a $1,704/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in La Plata County

Primary driver

The purchase price is the larger hurdle

Median household income is $86,056, so the 6.9x home-price-to-income ratio is the binding constraint here, even before the 1.8% 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

Ownership sits far above the rent benchmark

The $591,500 median home in La Plata County carries $1,552/yr in tax at 0.26%. Against HUD's $1,589/mo 2-bedroom rent, the ownership stack (~$3,293/mo) is a wide miss - roughly $1,704/mo. Here the useful question is which line item (price, tax, or insurance) dominates the overage, not whether a small assumption change closes it.

Decision signal 3

The tax rate is a national tailwind

La Plata County's 0.26% 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 4

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, La Plata County ranks 55 of 64 Colorado counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 9 other Colorado counties on this measure.

Decision signal 5

HUD held the rent benchmark flat

HUD left its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for La Plata County unchanged at $1,589/mo between FY2025 and FY2026. Flat years are common in non-metro areas, where one rounded FMR figure can cover a wide multi-county area and stay put across several annual releases.

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
$3,293
Mortgage (P&I) $2,991
Property Tax $129
Insurance (est.) $173
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,589
Studio$1,181
1-Bedroom$1,211
2-Bedroom$1,589
3-Bedroom$1,942
4-Bedroom$2,288

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$86,056
$7,171/mo
Home Price / Income
6.9x
Expensive (>5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.8%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Most La Plata 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.

Unusually for La Plata 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.

When the ownership stack already sits far above HUD rent, that annual bill is less a tie-breaker and more confirmation that holding costs stay material long after the loan is gone.

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 La Plata County, Colorado? ▼
Owning the median La Plata County home is a wide miss versus HUD's 2-bedroom rent (about $1,704/mo more) on the standard stack. Treat this as a tenure/equity decision first; the cash-flow comparison alone will not favour buying here.
How much house can you afford in La Plata County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $86,056 household here can afford up to $258,168 -- about $333,332 short of this county's $591,500 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 La Plata County? ▼
$591,500, 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 0.26% effective rate sits near the low end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
What is the average rent in La Plata County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,589/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,107/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 does La Plata County compare to other Colorado counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 64 Colorado counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, La Plata County lands at spot 55, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/colorado">Colorado state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in La Plata County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has held steady 0.0% 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 →