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Union County, TN

Rent vs Own in Union County, Tennessee

Owning the median home in Union County clears the monthly bar: about $1,154/mo versus HUD's $1,471/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 6,360.

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Buying is cheaper in Union County

Owning runs about $1,154/mo here, under $1,471/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $317/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Buying compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Union County ranks 5 of 95 Tennessee counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 90 other Tennessee counties on this measure.

Decision signal 2

The tax rate is a national tailwind

Union County's 0.37% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 95% pay a higher rate. That low tax line is one reason owning can compete here.

Decision signal 3

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $62,727, for a 3.3x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 1.2% 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

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Union County's median home ($204,000) carries $752/yr in property tax at 0.37%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,154/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,471/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $317/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 5

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Union County from $1,548/mo in FY2025 to $1,471/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $77/mo (-5.0%). 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
$1,154
Mortgage (P&I) $1,032
Property Tax $63
Insurance (est.) $60
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,471
Studio$1,177
1-Bedroom$1,184
2-Bedroom$1,471
3-Bedroom$1,864
4-Bedroom$2,172

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$62,727
$5,227/mo
Home Price / Income
3.3x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.2%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

In Union County, once the mortgage ends staying put is close to free: the largest cluster of debt-free households faces a yearly charge under $800, so insurance and upkeep, not the tax office, set what the home costs to keep.

Unusually for Union 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

Shelby County
Home: $249,100 Tax: $2,429/yr
Davidson County
Home: $417,400 Tax: $2,506/yr
Knox County
Home: $320,900 Tax: $1,367/yr
Hamilton County
Home: $312,800 Tax: $1,925/yr
Rutherford County
Home: $382,600 Tax: $1,839/yr
Williamson County
Home: $751,900 Tax: $3,004/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Union County, Tennessee? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Union County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $317/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 Union County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,471/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $995/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 Union County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $62,727 household here can afford up to $188,181 -- about $15,819 short of this county's $204,000 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
How does Union County compare to other Tennessee counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 95 Tennessee counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Union County lands at spot 5, putting it in the more buy-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/tennessee">Tennessee state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
What is the median home price in Union County? ▼
$204,000, 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 0.37% effective rate sits near the low end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
Is rent going up or down in Union County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 5.0% 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 →