Research / Rent vs. buy / North Carolina / Durham

Rent or buy in Durham?
Renting is $1,170 a month cheaper.

Renting the typical home in Durham costs $1,170 less a month than owning it. Even counting equity and price growth, buying does not come out ahead of renting and investing the difference within 30 years under our baseline assumptions.

Updated September 26, 2026 · Zillow data for August 2026 · 7.03% mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, September 24, 2026) · Rank 187 of 340 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$2,829typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$1,659Zillow, August 2026
Buying breaks even30+ years3.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$89,616$389,634 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$113,153vs. $66,360 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical Durham home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $254 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in Durham is $81,619 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 42% of it; renting would take 24%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area area is $2,161 a month, still $668 below the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $2,080
  • Property tax $270
  • Home insurance $154
  • Maintenance $325

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 Durham, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsRenting ahead by $47,292
5 yearsRenting ahead by $56,107
7 yearsRenting ahead by $65,471
10 yearsRenting ahead by $80,577
15 yearsRenting ahead by $108,603
20 yearsRenting ahead by $140,012
30 yearsRenting ahead by $209,333

Rent or buy elsewhere in North Carolina.

Other large North Carolina cities in the study.

All cities
CharlotteRenting $1,071/mo cheaperRaleighRenting $1,485/mo cheaperGreensboroRenting $592/mo cheaperWinston-SalemRenting $461/mo cheaperFayettevilleRenting $360/mo cheaperCaryRenting $2,573/mo cheaperWilmingtonRenting $1,267/mo cheaperHigh PointRenting $525/mo cheaper

More on Durham

See the full Durham 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 Durham. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.03% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 0.83% effective rate (Census ACS), the North Carolina 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.