Research / Rent vs. buy / Georgia / Augusta

Rent or buy in Augusta?
Renting is $108 a month cheaper.

Renting the typical home in Augusta costs $108 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 4.

Updated November 12, 2026 · Zillow data for September 2026 · 7.11% mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, November 12, 2026) · Rank 17 of 339 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$1,452typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$1,344Zillow, September 2026
Buying breaks evenYear 43.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$43,163$187,663 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$58,076vs. $53,760 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical Augusta home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $120 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in Augusta is $55,485 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 31% of it; renting would take 29%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC HUD Metro FMR Area area is $1,672 a month, $220 above the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $1,010
  • Property tax $133
  • Home insurance $152
  • Maintenance $156

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 Augusta, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsRenting ahead by $4,355
5 yearsBuying ahead by $6,704
7 yearsBuying ahead by $20,341
10 yearsBuying ahead by $46,550
15 yearsBuying ahead by $109,876
20 yearsBuying ahead by $206,758
30 yearsBuying ahead by $562,536

Rent or buy elsewhere in Georgia.

Other large Georgia cities in the study.

All cities
AtlantaRenting $879/mo cheaperColumbusRenting $40/mo cheaperMaconRenting $156/mo cheaperSavannahRenting $640/mo cheaperAthensRenting $720/mo cheaperSandy SpringsRenting $3,242/mo cheaper

More on Augusta

See the full Augusta 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 Augusta. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.11% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 0.85% effective rate (Census ACS), the Georgia 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.