Is It Better to Buy a $600,000 Home or Rent for $2,200/Month?
A $600,000 home at $2,200 monthly rent has a price-to-rent ratio of 22.7, clearly favoring renting over buying.
How to use this tool
- Enter the home's price or market value.
- Enter the market monthly rent for a comparable property.
- Read the price-to-rent ratio.
- Compare it to the 15 / 20 thresholds.
- Remember the ratio ignores rates, taxes, and appreciation — use it as a screen.
Compare the financial logic of buying a $600,000 home versus renting for $2,200 per month using the price-to-rent ratio.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good price-to-rent ratio?
- Conventionally, a ratio of 15 or below favors buying, 16-20 is borderline, and above 20 favors renting. These are rough guides; local taxes, mortgage rates, and appreciation expectations matter a great deal.
- Does a low ratio guarantee buying is better?
- No. The ratio ignores interest rates, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, transaction costs, and how long you will stay. A low ratio is a green light to investigate further, not a decision.
- How is it different from the gross rent multiplier?
- They are closely related but inverse in spirit. Gross rent multiplier divides price by annual rent for an investor's yield view; price-to-rent uses the same math framed as a buy-versus-rent consumer signal.