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Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK

Rent vs Own in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Matanuska-Susitna Borough at $1,376/mo while the ownership stack lands near $2,161/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 30,792.

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Renting is cheaper in Matanuska-Susitna Borough

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,376/mo, meaningfully below the $2,161/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $785/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Primary driver

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Matanuska-Susitna Borough ranks 27 of 28 Alaska counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 1 other Alaska counties on this measure.

Decision signal 2

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Matanuska-Susitna Borough lists a $346,600 median home with $3,685/yr property tax (1.06%). HUD's $1,376/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$2,161/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $785/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 $94,031, for a 3.7x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.9% 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

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Matanuska-Susitna Borough from $1,384/mo in FY2025 to $1,376/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $8/mo (-0.6%). 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.

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
$2,161
Mortgage (P&I) $1,753
Property Tax $307
Insurance (est.) $101
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,376
Studio$1,015
1-Bedroom$1,049
2-Bedroom$1,376
3-Bedroom$1,914
4-Bedroom$2,308

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$94,031
$7,836/mo
Home Price / Income
3.7x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.9%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Matanuska-Susitna 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.

Matanuska-Susitna 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
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
Bethel Census Area
Home: $168,100 Tax: $199/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Matanuska-Susitna Borough by roughly $785/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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,376/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,293/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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough compare to other Alaska counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 28 Alaska counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Matanuska-Susitna Borough lands at spot 27, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/alaska">Alaska state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
How much house can you afford in Matanuska-Susitna Borough? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $94,031 household here can afford up to $282,093 -- about $64,507 short of this county's $346,600 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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough? ▼
$346,600, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.06% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Matanuska-Susitna Borough? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 0.6% 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 →