Rent vs buy in Fort Worth, TX
A 7-year breakeven using this ZIP's actual home-value and rent trends, not national averages. ZIP 76102 (Tarrant County).
Renting wins in Fort Worth over 7 years by about $60,723 — buying only beats it if prices appreciate faster than projected.
7-year cost comparison
$197,871
Net cost over 7 years after equity
Equity built: $92,251
$137,148
Total rent paid over 7 years
No equity, no selling costs
Assumes 20% down, 6.75% rate, 1.0%/yr price growth and 1.1%/yr rent growth (this ZIP's 5-yr trend).
Price-to-rent ratio
14.1x
Mixed — at 14.1× (ZIP market indexes) price-to-rent favors buying; at 16.0× (county median home value × HUD 2-BR fair market rent) it is borderline, leaning renting. Which applies depends on the rent you actually face.
Price-to-income
3.2x
Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)
5-yr price CAGR
1.0%
Annualized home-value growth
Fort Worth — rent vs buy questions
Is Fort Worth, TX a good rental market?
For owning at the median, yes — Fort Worth's price-to-rent ratio of 14.1 is in the favorable range, but modeled investor cash flow is negative, so it is not a claim of strong rental yield.
What is the median home value in Fort Worth?
The typical home value in Fort Worth is about $267,485 (ZIP-level market index, cross-checked against the Census ACS county median updated by FHFA HPI), down 4.2% year-over-year, and up 5.0% over five years.
What is the median rent in Fort Worth?
The typical rent in Fort Worth is about $1,579/mo (ZIP-level market-rent index, cross-checked against HUD Small Area FMR), up 1.7% year-over-year.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fort Worth?
Over a 7-year horizon, renting is cheaper in Fort Worth by about $60,723 — buying only pays off if prices appreciate faster than projected.
Is Fort Worth affordable for homebuyers?
Fort Worth's median home value is 3.2x the local median household income — Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets).
Data: FHFA HPI, Census ACS, HUD FMR, FBI CDE. For research only — verify before deciding.