$ PlainPropertyTax

Yakutat City and Borough, AK

Rent vs Own in Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska

Owning the median home in Yakutat City and Borough clears the monthly bar: about $1,295/mo versus HUD's $1,388/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 116.

🏠
Buying is cheaper in Yakutat City and Borough

Owning runs about $1,295/mo here, under $1,388/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $93/mo difference.

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

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Yakutat City and Borough

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $85,000, and the 2.6x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 1.7% 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 up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Yakutat City and Borough from $1,294/mo in FY2025 to $1,388/mo in FY2026: it increased by $94/mo (+7.3%). 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 3

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Yakutat City and Borough ranks 9 of 28 Alaska counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 19 other Alaska counties on this measure.

Decision signal 4

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Yakutat City and Borough's median home ($219,400) carries $1,463/yr in property tax at 0.67%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,295/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,388/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $93/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

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
$1,295
Mortgage (P&I) $1,109
Property Tax $122
Insurance (est.) $64
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,388
Studio$995
1-Bedroom$1,094
2-Bedroom$1,388
3-Bedroom$1,753
4-Bedroom$2,286

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$85,000
$7,083/mo
Home Price / Income
2.6x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.7%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Most Yakutat City and Borough households that own outright land between $800 and $1,499 a year, at the national middle, so the tax neither argues for renting nor against it and the decision turns on price and mobility instead.

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

Anchorage Municipality
Home: $395,900 Tax: $4,982/yr
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Home: $346,600 Tax: $3,685/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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Yakutat City and Borough? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,388/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,291/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 Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Yakutat City and Borough home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $93/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 Yakutat City and Borough? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $85,000 household here can afford up to $255,000, which comfortably covers this county's $219,400 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Yakutat City and Borough? ▼
$219,400, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.67% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Yakutat City and Borough? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 7.3% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Yakutat City and Borough compare to other Alaska counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 28 Alaska counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Yakutat City and Borough lands at spot 9, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/alaska">Alaska 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 →