Research / Rent vs. buy / Ohio / Dayton

Rent or buy in Dayton?
Owning is $100 a month cheaper.

Owning the typical home in Dayton costs $100 less a month than renting it. Counting equity, price growth and what a renter could earn by investing the difference, buying comes out ahead in year 3.

Updated November 12, 2026 · Zillow data for September 2026 · 7.11% mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, November 12, 2026) · Rank 7 of 339 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$1,141typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$1,241Zillow, September 2026
Buying breaks evenYear 33.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$31,726$137,939 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$45,658vs. $49,640 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical Dayton home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $89 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in Dayton is $45,247 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 30% of it; renting would take 33%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH MSA area is $1,623 a month, $482 above the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $742
  • Property tax $191
  • Home insurance $93
  • Maintenance $115

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 Dayton, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsBuying ahead by $3,997
5 yearsBuying ahead by $18,094
7 yearsBuying ahead by $35,186
10 yearsBuying ahead by $67,474
15 yearsBuying ahead by $143,843
20 yearsBuying ahead by $258,448
30 yearsBuying ahead by $670,338

Rent or buy elsewhere in Ohio.

Other large Ohio cities in the study.

All cities
ColumbusRenting $401/mo cheaperClevelandOwning $380/mo cheaperCincinnatiRenting $469/mo cheaperToledoOwning $62/mo cheaperAkronOwning $35/mo cheaper

More on Dayton

See the full Dayton 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 Dayton. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.11% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 1.66% effective rate (Census ACS), the Ohio 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.