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Winona County, MN

Rent vs Own in Winona County, Minnesota

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Winona County at $1,066/mo while the ownership stack lands near $1,441/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 14,073.

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Renting is cheaper in Winona County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,066/mo, meaningfully below the $1,441/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $375/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Winona County from $949/mo in FY2025 to $1,066/mo in FY2026: it increased by $117/mo (+12.3%). 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.

Decision signal 2

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Winona County lists a $235,400 median home with $2,180/yr property tax (0.93%). HUD's $1,066/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$1,441/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $375/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 $70,744, for a 3.3x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.1% 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

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Winona County ranks 53 of 87 Minnesota counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 34 other Minnesota 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
$1,441
Mortgage (P&I) $1,190
Property Tax $182
Insurance (est.) $69
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,066
Studio$791
1-Bedroom$868
2-Bedroom$1,066
3-Bedroom$1,336
4-Bedroom$1,543

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$70,744
$5,895/mo
Home Price / Income
3.3x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.1%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

A $2,000 to $2,999 yearly bill greets most paid-off owners in Winona County, above what the majority of American counties charge and heavy enough that a fixed retirement income feels it directly.

Winona 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.

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

Hennepin County
Home: $392,900 Tax: $4,480/yr
Ramsey County
Home: $326,600 Tax: $3,966/yr
Dakota County
Home: $381,000 Tax: $3,749/yr
Anoka County
Home: $346,500 Tax: $3,271/yr
Washington County
Home: $422,000 Tax: $4,164/yr
St. Louis County
Home: $221,400 Tax: $2,271/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Winona County, Minnesota? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Winona County by roughly $375/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 Winona County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,066/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $752/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 rent going up or down in Winona County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 12.3% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How much house can you afford in Winona County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $70,744 household here can afford up to $212,232 -- about $23,168 short of this county's $235,400 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 Winona County? ▼
$235,400, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.93% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
How does Winona County compare to other Minnesota counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 87 Minnesota counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Winona County lands at spot 53, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/minnesota">Minnesota 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 →