Rent vs. Buy

Here's how much money homeowners save over renters in Dallas

It pays to own instead of rent.

Photo courtesy of AmCap

We already know how many years it takes to save up a down payment for a home in Dallas, but getting that money together equals even bigger savings down the road than previously thought.

A recent study by real estate site Zillow ran the numbers in 36 of the largest U.S. metros and compared how much Americans spend on rent compared to mortgage payments, and the news for Texas homeowners is especially good. In Dallas-Fort Worth, homeowners spend 11.6 percent less on their monthly housing than renters do, representing one of the biggest gaps in the country.

According to Zillow, the median monthly mortgage bill (minus taxes and insurance) in Dallas-Fort Worth is only $965.74, which translates to a homeowner spending only 16.4 percent of their income on their home. Renters, however, shell out 28 percent of their income on rent.

In Houston, homeowners spend 14.8 percent of their income on an average mortgage payment of $814.05, compared to the residents who spend 28.7 percent of their earnings on rent — a difference of 13.9 percent.

There's a 12.3 percent difference in San Antonio, where homeowners spend 15.7 percent of their income on an average mortgage of $766.37, compared to renters who sign away 28 percent of their income each month.

Austin, however, has the smallest gap at 7.4 percent, with homeowners spending 19.2 percent of their income on a $1,230.13 mortgage, while renters pay 26.6 percent of their income.

The country's biggest discrepancies can be found in New Orleans and Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which tied at a 16.9 percent gap. In the Miami area, homeowners spend 23.8 percent of their earnings on a $1,122.56 mortgage bill, while renters spend 40.7 percent of their income on rent. In New Orleans, paying the mortgage sets homeowners back only 15.8 percent of their income, compared to 32.7 percent of a renters.

Meanwhile, San Jose and San Francisco in California have gaps going in the opposite direction. Homeowners in San Jose spend 45.8 percent of their income on their $4,766.46 mortgage, while renters spend 34.2 percent — an 11.6 percent gap. And homeowners in San Francisco spend 41.6 percent of their income on a $3,741.22 mortgage bill, while renters spend 38.3 percent, for a difference of 3.3 percent.

Now, the original intent of this Zillow study was to see what level of education is typically needed to afford owning a home in each market, but we found the mortgage and rent numbers way more interesting. But if you're still wondering, a high school diploma or GED is all that's needed in each Texas city.

reports rent zillow

rent report

Here's how much rent prices have dropped in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2025

Photo by TOM on Unsplash

Rent prices are on the decline in most DFW cities.

Rent prices are falling statewide, and prices in certain Dallas-Fort Worth cities have declined by nearly 8 percent since last year, according to a new national rent report from Zumper.

The Zumper National Rent Report tracked year-over-year and month-over-month rent price changes in 100 U.S. cities for both one- and two-bedroom units using the most recent data available from May 2026.

Plano had the fourth-steepest rent decrease in Texas, with prices for one-bedroom units dipping 7.5 percent year-over-year to $1,360. Two-bedroom rent has dropped 5.5. percent from last year to $1,900.

In Dallas, one-bedroom rent prices fell 5.6 percent to $1,350, and two-bedroom rent is down 6.4 percent since last year to $1,900.

Arlington was the only major Texas city where rent prices increased from May 2025 to May 2026. One-bedroom rent increased nearly 3 percent to $1,090, and two-bedroom rent increased 2.1 percent to $1,480.

The cost for a single-bedroom apartment in Irving is $1,280, or the same price as it was a year ago, the report found. Two-bedroom units are 3 percent cheaper than they were last year, at $1,610.

In Fort Worth, respective rent costs for one- and two-bedroom units come out to $1,240 and $1,560.

Rent prices elsewhere in Texas
San Antonio saw the steepest drop in rent prices statewide, with one-bedroom rents falling by 10.4 percent to $950. Two-bedroom units have declined 6 percent year-over-year to $1,250.

These are the rent prices for other Texas cities in May 2026:

Austin: $1,420 for one-bedroom units; $1,860 for two-bedroom units
El Paso: $810 for one bedroom; $1,130 for two bedrooms
Houston: $1,130 for one bedroom; $1,430 for two bedroom

The report also revealed that four of the 10 U.S. metros offering the most concessions are located in Texas. Austin leads nationally with more than a third of rental units "dangling incentives to fill space," followed by San Antonio, Houston, then Dallas. A separate rent report from real estate data firm CoStar found Dallas-Fort Worth had the fifth highest apartment vacancy rate in the U.S. in March, meaning residents may be able to save on their rent depending on the financial incentives offered by landlords.

Additionally, these same markets offering generous rent concessions are also among the 10 U.S. metros with the largest population growth, which Zumper says signals ongoing tension between tenants and their landlords regarding prices.

"So while Texas absorbed a significant share of the 2023-2025 supply wave, inventory still has to lease up before landlords regain pricing power, and the steady inflow of new residents says the demand is there," the report said. "It’s just a question of when supply stops outrunning it."

From 2023 to 2024, Texas gained nearly 73,000 net new renters, making it the No. 1 magnet for renters nationwide.

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