• Sign Up
  • Log In
Team Price Real Estate
(512) 213-0213realestate@teamprice.com
  • Search
    • Search Properties
    • Featured Properties
    • Explore Local Guide
    • Browse Properties by Area
    • Browse Properties by City
    • Browse Properties by Zip
    • Browse Properties by Subdivision
    • Browse Properties by School District
  • Buying
    • Home Buyer's Guide
    • Real Estate Forms
    • Mortgage Calculator
    • First Time Home Buying
    • Assuming a FHA home loan
    • Assuming a VA Home Loan
  • Selling
    • Home Seller's Guide
    • Marketing Plan
    • Home Valuation
  • Market Update
    • Data & Analysis
    • Monday Touch Point
    • Daily Update
    • Weekly Update
  • Insight & Statistics
  • Articles
  • About
    • Agents
    • Testimonials
    • About Us
    • Our Guarantee
    • Join Our Team
    • Code Of Ethics
    • EULA
    • Glossary
    • Get your License
  • Contact
  • (512) 213-0213
  • realestate@teamprice.com
    Copy Email
  • Team Price Real Estate
    7320 N Mo-Pac
    Austin, TX 78731
    (512) 213-0213
    dan@teamprice.com

Search

  • Search Properties
  • By City
  • By Subdivision
  • By Zip

Explore

  • Featured Properties
  • Property Search
  • Areas

About

  • Home
  • About
  • Agents
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us

Resources

  • Market Update
  • Tenant Pre-Screening
  • Real Estate Forms
  • Real Estate Glossary

Company

  • Guarantee
  • Work with Us
  • Interview Questions
  • Join Our Team
Team Price Real Estate - Footer Logo
  • Texas Real Estate Commission Information About Brokerage Services
  • Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Accessibility
  • Fair Housing
©2026 Team Price Real Estate. All rights reserved.
Website built by CloseHack.
Central Texas Multiple Listing Service

Central Texas MLS | Four Rivers Association of REALTORS® All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the Multiple Listing Service. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Team Price Real Estate may be marked with the Internet Data Exchange logo and detailed information about those properties will include the name of the listing broker(s) when required by the MLS. Copyright ©2022 All rights reserved.

North Texas Real Estate Information Systems

© 2023 North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) nor Team Price Real Estate shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. The database information herein is provided from and copyrighted by the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. NTREIS data may not be reproduced or redistributed and is only for people viewing this site. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. The advertisements herein are merely indications to bid and are not offers to sell which may be accepted. All properties are subject to prior sale or withdrawal. All rights are reserved by copyright

Austin Board of Realtors

The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Based on information from the Austin Board of REALTORS®. Neither the Board nor ACTRIS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. All data is provided "AS IS" and with all faults. Data maintained by the Board or ACTRIS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.

  • MLSGrid IDX Data Notice
  • DMCA Notice
LERA MLS

Information provided Courtesy of LERA MLS - Local Expertise Regional Access. IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information is believed to be accurate but not guaranteed. Provided courtesy of the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Copyright 2025 LERA MLS, All Rights Reserved.

Greater McAllen Association of Realtors

IDX information is provided exclusively for personal, non-commercial use, and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Austin Housing Market Update: Is It Cheaper to Rent or Buy? March 2026 Data Answers the Question

Austin Housing Market Update: Is It Cheaper to Rent or Buy? March 2026 Data Answers the Question

Published Yesterday | Posted by Dan Price

Renting vs. Buying in Austin: PITI Costs $1,257 More Per Month Than Rent — And Rent Has Never Been More Affordable

Team Price Real Estate | March 9, 2026

There are two stories in the Austin real estate market right now that point in opposite directions, and understanding both of them is essential for anyone trying to decide whether to rent or buy in 2026. The first story is that renting in Austin has never been more affordable relative to income in the past 26 years. As of March 2026, the median Austin-area rent of $2,000 per month consumes just 21.54% of the median household income — a new 26-year low that reflects both strong income growth and a meaningful decline in rents since the 2022 peak. The second story is that buying remains historically expensive. The median PITI — principal, interest, taxes, and insurance — on a median-priced Austin home currently sits at $3,257 per month, creating a $1,257 monthly gap between the cost of ownership and the cost of renting. In 0 out of 30 cities and 0 out of 75 zip codes analyzed does buying come out cheaper than renting on a monthly cash-flow basis.

How PITI Is Calculated — and Why It Matters

Before diving into the data, it is important to understand what PITI actually measures. This analysis calculates the median PITI using the median sold price for the area, the average mortgage rate for the current month, the average property tax rate for each specific city or zip code, and property insurance estimated at 0.68% of the home's value annually — all based on a 20% down payment. This methodology produces a realistic monthly ownership cost that goes beyond just a mortgage payment. It captures the full cash-flow obligation a buyer faces each month, which is the only honest basis for comparing ownership to renting.

The PITI-to-Rent ratio divides the monthly PITI figure by the median rent for the same market. A ratio of 1.0 means owning and renting cost the same. A ratio above 1.0 means owning is more expensive. The current metro-wide ratio of 1.63 means that buying costs 63% more per month than renting on a cash-flow basis — compared to a 25-year average ratio of 1.17 and a 25-year median of 1.13. It is important to note that the March 2026 ratio of 1.63 reflects only the first nine days of the month. Because higher-priced homes tend to close in the first half of any given month, early-month data typically skews toward higher median prices and therefore higher PITI figures. As more transactions are recorded through the remainder of March, the ratio is expected to moderate — consistent with the pattern seen in prior months where January and February 2026 came in at 1.47.

  • Austin real estate
  • Austin housing market
  • renting vs buying Austin
  • Austin home prices
  • Austin real estate market
  • Austin housing trends
  • austin real estate 2026
  • Austin real estate report
  • Austin housing market update
  • austin real estate forecast
  • Austin property market
  • PITI Austin
  • Rent vs buy Austin
  • Austin housing affordability
  • Austin real estate trends

Related Articles

Keep reading other bits of knowledge from our team.

    Request Info

    Have a question about this article or want to learn more?