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Vermilion Parish, LA

Rent vs Own in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana

In Vermilion Parish the ownership stack ($922/mo) sits only modestly above HUD's $834/mo 2-bedroom rent, a thin premium, not a blowout. Small assumption changes in the calculator can flip the verdict. Owner-occupied homes: 15,991.

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Renting is cheaper in Vermilion Parish

HUD's 2-bedroom rent is $834/mo - only a thin step below the $922/mo ownership stack. That is a $88/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Vermilion Parish

Primary driver

The tax rate is a national tailwind

Vermilion Parish's 0.36% 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 2

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $55,707, and the 2.9x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 1.1% 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 3

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Vermilion Parish ranks 51 of 64 Louisiana counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 13 other Louisiana counties on this measure.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Vermilion Parish from $903/mo in FY2025 to $834/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $69/mo (-7.6%). 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.

Decision signal 5

Renting wins, but only by a thin premium

At $163,300 for the median home and $589/yr in tax (0.36%), Vermilion Parish's ownership stack (~$922/mo) only narrowly exceeds the $834/mo HUD 2-bedroom rent - a $88/mo premium. That is the band where a rate drop or a larger down payment most often flips the cash-flow verdict.

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
$922
Mortgage (P&I) $826
Property Tax $49
Insurance (est.) $48
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$834
Studio$580
1-Bedroom$761
2-Bedroom$834
3-Bedroom$1,100
4-Bedroom$1,104

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$55,707
$4,642/mo
Home Price / Income
2.9x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.1%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

In Vermilion Parish, 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.

Vermilion Parish 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.

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

Jefferson Parish
Home: $251,400 Tax: $1,312/yr
East Baton Rouge Parish
Home: $248,800 Tax: $1,656/yr
St. Tammany Parish
Home: $284,000 Tax: $2,028/yr
Orleans Parish
Home: $315,700 Tax: $2,606/yr
Lafayette Parish
Home: $242,900 Tax: $1,380/yr
Caddo Parish
Home: $175,700 Tax: $1,085/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom rent is only a thin step cheaper than owning in Vermilion Parish (about $88/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 Vermilion Parish? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $834/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $524/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 Vermilion Parish? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $55,707 household here can afford up to $167,121, which comfortably covers this county's $163,300 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Vermilion Parish? ▼
$163,300, 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 0.36% effective rate sits near the low end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
How does Vermilion Parish compare to other Louisiana counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 64 Louisiana counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Vermilion Parish lands at spot 51, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/louisiana">Louisiana state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Vermilion Parish? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 7.6% 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

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