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Madison County, IL

Rent vs Own in Madison County, Illinois

Owning the median home in Madison County clears the monthly bar: about $1,202/mo versus HUD's $1,218/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 81,716.

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Buying is cheaper in Madison County

Owning runs about $1,202/mo here, under $1,218/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $16/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $75,793, and the 2.3x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 4.4% of median income). The monthly gap above is more about mortgage rate and insurance assumptions than about the purchase price being out of reach.

Decision signal 2

The tax rate is a national headwind

Madison County's 1.92% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 97% pay more. Treat that recurring tax line separately from principal and interest.

Decision signal 3

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Madison County ranks 61 of 102 Illinois counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 41 other Illinois counties on this measure.

Decision signal 4

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Madison County's median home ($173,000) carries $3,319/yr in property tax at 1.92%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,202/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,218/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $16/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 5

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Madison County from $1,215/mo in FY2025 to $1,218/mo in FY2026: it increased by $3/mo (+0.2%). 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.

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
$1,202
Mortgage (P&I) $875
Property Tax $277
Insurance (est.) $50
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,218
Studio$955
1-Bedroom$995
2-Bedroom$1,218
3-Bedroom$1,568
4-Bedroom$1,812

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$75,793
$6,316/mo
Home Price / Income
2.3x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
4.4%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Madison 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.

Madison 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.

Against that holding-cost profile, the monthly ownership stack already undercuts HUD rent here, so the long-run tax bill is an ownership feature more than a reason to keep renting.

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

Cook County
Home: $324,500 Tax: $6,191/yr
DuPage County
Home: $391,400 Tax: $8,007/yr
Will County
Home: $319,600 Tax: $7,173/yr
Lake County
Home: $345,700 Tax: $8,923/yr
Kane County
Home: $327,000 Tax: $7,382/yr
McHenry County
Home: $308,100 Tax: $7,274/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Madison County, Illinois? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Madison County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $16/mo. Change the down payment, rate, or time horizon in the calculator and that gap can flip - owning also builds equity that rent never does.
What is the average rent in Madison County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,218/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $857/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 Madison County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $75,793 household here can afford up to $227,379, which comfortably covers this county's $173,000 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Madison County? ▼
$173,000, 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 1.92% effective rate sits near the high end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
How does Madison County compare to other Illinois counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 102 Illinois counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Madison County lands at spot 61, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/illinois">Illinois state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Madison County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 0.2% 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 →