Research / Rent vs. buy / Utah / St. George

Rent or buy in St. George?
Renting is $1,676 a month cheaper.

Renting the typical home in St. George costs $1,676 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 248 of 340 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$3,472typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$1,796Zillow, August 2026
Buying breaks even30+ years3.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$119,072$517,705 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$138,880vs. $71,840 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical St. George home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $337 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in St. George is $76,508 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 54% of it; renting would take 28%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the St. George, UT MSA area is $2,172 a month, still $1,300 below the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $2,764
  • Property tax $185
  • Home insurance $92
  • Maintenance $431

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 St. George, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsRenting ahead by $67,662
5 yearsRenting ahead by $83,374
7 yearsRenting ahead by $100,555
10 yearsRenting ahead by $129,355
15 yearsRenting ahead by $186,582
20 yearsRenting ahead by $257,402
30 yearsRenting ahead by $450,308

Rent or buy elsewhere in Utah.

Other large Utah cities in the study.

All cities
Salt LakeRenting $2,261/mo cheaperWest ValleyRenting $1,612/mo cheaperWest JordanRenting $2,071/mo cheaperProvoRenting $1,655/mo cheaper

More on St. George

See the full St. George 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 St. George. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.03% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 0.43% effective rate (Census ACS), the Utah 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.