Research / Rent vs. buy / Florida / Orlando

Rent or buy in Orlando?
Renting is $913 a month cheaper.

Renting the typical home in Orlando costs $913 less a month than owning it. Counting equity, price growth and what a renter could earn by investing the difference, buying comes out ahead in year 22.

Updated November 12, 2026 · Zillow data for September 2026 · 7.11% mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, November 12, 2026) · Rank 122 of 339 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$2,802typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$1,889Zillow, September 2026
Buying breaks evenYear 223.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$85,738$372,775 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$112,065vs. $75,560 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical Orlando home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $239 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in Orlando is $72,336 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 46% of it; renting would take 31%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA area is $2,445 a month, still $357 below the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $2,006
  • Property tax $253
  • Home insurance $232
  • Maintenance $311

How long you would need to stay.

Net worth of a buyer compared with a renter who invests the down payment, closing costs and any monthly savings at 6% a year. Home values and rents grow 3.5% a year; selling costs 6%.

Change the assumptions

Buying vs. renting in Orlando, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsRenting ahead by $36,980
5 yearsRenting ahead by $38,501
7 yearsRenting ahead by $39,230
10 yearsRenting ahead by $38,421
15 yearsRenting ahead by $29,993
20 yearsRenting ahead by $8,325
30 yearsBuying ahead by $106,565

Rent or buy elsewhere in Florida.

Other large Florida cities in the study.

All cities
JacksonvilleRenting $589/mo cheaperMiamiRenting $1,325/mo cheaperTampaRenting $879/mo cheaperSt. PetersburgRenting $574/mo cheaperPort St. LucieRenting $574/mo cheaperHialeahRenting $857/mo cheaperCape CoralRenting $596/mo cheaperTallahasseeRenting $778/mo cheaper

More on Orlando

See the full Orlando rental market profile with Census medians, or check how a typical rental performs for an investor in our cash-flow ranking.

How we calculated this

Price is the Zillow Home Value Index and rent the Zillow Observed Rent Index for Orlando. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.11% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 0.82% effective rate (Census ACS), the Florida average homeowners premium (NAIC 2023) and 1% yearly maintenance. It leaves out income-tax effects, HOA dues and utilities. The typical rental may be smaller than the typical home for sale. Full methodology. This is a citywide estimate, not advice about a specific home.