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Potter County, TX

Rent vs Own in Potter County, Texas

Owning the median home in Potter County clears the monthly bar: about $967/mo versus HUD's $1,106/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 24,395.

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Buying is cheaper in Potter County

Owning runs about $967/mo here, under $1,106/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $139/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $53,249, and the 2.8x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 4.0% 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

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Potter County from $1,158/mo in FY2025 to $1,106/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $52/mo (-4.5%). 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.

Decision signal 3

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Potter County's median home ($147,300) carries $2,145/yr in property tax at 1.46%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $967/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,106/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $139/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Potter County ranks 99 of 250 Texas counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 151 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

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$967
Mortgage (P&I) $745
Property Tax $179
Insurance (est.) $43
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,106
Studio$778
1-Bedroom$903
2-Bedroom$1,106
3-Bedroom$1,503
4-Bedroom$1,742

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$53,249
$4,437/mo
Home Price / Income
2.8x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
4.0%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

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

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

Harris County
Home: $276,600 Tax: $4,489/yr
Dallas County
Home: $303,000 Tax: $4,798/yr
Tarrant County
Home: $323,900 Tax: $5,334/yr
Bexar County
Home: $262,200 Tax: $4,535/yr
Travis County
Home: $523,000 Tax: $7,727/yr
Collin County
Home: $475,600 Tax: $7,521/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Potter County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,106/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $964/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Potter County, Texas? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Potter County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $139/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.
How much house can you afford in Potter County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $53,249 household here can afford up to $159,747, which comfortably covers this county's $147,300 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Potter County? ▼
$147,300, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.46% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Potter County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 4.5% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Potter County compare to other Texas counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 250 Texas counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Potter County lands at spot 99, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/texas">Texas 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 →