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Lee County, FL

Rent vs Own in Lee County, Florida

In Lee County the ownership stack ($2,175/mo) sits only modestly above HUD's $1,961/mo 2-bedroom rent, a thin premium, not a blowout. Small assumption changes in the calculator can flip the verdict. Owner-occupied homes: 243,654.

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Renting is cheaper in Lee County

HUD's 2-bedroom rent is $1,961/mo - only a thin step below the $2,175/mo ownership stack. That is a $214/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $76,107, for a 4.8x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.8% 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 2

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Lee County from $1,843/mo in FY2025 to $1,961/mo in FY2026: it increased by $118/mo (+6.4%). 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 3

Renting wins, but only by a thin premium

At $362,200 for the median home and $2,858/yr in tax (0.79%), Lee County's ownership stack (~$2,175/mo) only narrowly exceeds the $1,961/mo HUD 2-bedroom rent - a $214/mo premium. That is the band where a rate drop or a larger down payment most often flips the cash-flow verdict.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Lee County ranks 38 of 67 Florida counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 29 other Florida 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
$2,175
Mortgage (P&I) $1,831
Property Tax $238
Insurance (est.) $106
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,961
Studio$1,629
1-Bedroom$1,638
2-Bedroom$1,961
3-Bedroom$2,560
4-Bedroom$2,836

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$76,107
$6,342/mo
Home Price / Income
4.8x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.8%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Lee County 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.

Unusually for Lee 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.

Layered on a thin rent-vs-own premium, that annual bill is often the swing factor: a paid-off owner still faces a real yearly charge even when the mortgage payment itself would have looked competitive.

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

Miami-Dade County
Home: $463,000 Tax: $3,744/yr
Broward County
Home: $414,600 Tax: $3,890/yr
Palm Beach County
Home: $447,300 Tax: $3,858/yr
Hillsborough County
Home: $371,500 Tax: $3,010/yr
Orange County
Home: $390,100 Tax: $2,967/yr
Pinellas County
Home: $355,100 Tax: $2,474/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Lee County, Florida? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom rent is only a thin step cheaper than owning in Lee County (about $214/mo) on the standard 20%-down / 6.5% assumptions. A larger down payment or a rate drop often closes it; equity is still the ownership-only bonus.
What is the average rent in Lee County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,961/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,207/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 much house can you afford in Lee County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $76,107 household here can afford up to $228,321 -- about $133,879 short of this county's $362,200 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 Lee County? ▼
$362,200, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.79% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Lee County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 6.4% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Lee County compare to other Florida counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 67 Florida counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Lee County lands at spot 38, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/florida">Florida 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 →