Tami Price is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Broker Owner of Tami Price Properties, helping military families across San Antonio and Joint Base San Antonio.
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Rent is a monthly line item that ends with no ownership; a mortgage builds equity but carries closing costs, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. For a military household the question is often also a timeline question: a two-year assignment may point one way, a ten-year plan another. This page shows the San Antonio rent numbers, the typical home-price comparison, and a calculator that runs your own scenario entirely in your browser.
Rent figures as of September 2026 and home-price figures as of August 2026, cited below.
The table totals rent paid, before utilities, renter’s insurance, and any parking or amenity fees, and before rent increases, which most leases include annually. Even without growth, the totals accumulate quickly, and that is the honest case for comparing ownership on a longer timeline.
| Monthly rent | 1 year | 5 years | 10 years | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,200 / month | $14,400 | $72,000 | $144,000 | Near the Apartment List citywide median 2BR rent of $1,182 for September 2026. |
| $1,400 / month | $16,800 | $84,000 | $168,000 | Mid-range 2BR apartment rent across published 2026 sources. |
| $1,600 / month | $19,200 | $96,000 | $192,000 | Upper end of published 2BR averages; typical for some single-family rentals. |
Assumes rent stays flat for the period shown. Real-world rents typically rise with each lease renewal, which makes the cumulative totals higher. Sources: Apartment List San Antonio rent report, September 2026; Rent.com and Zillow rental market trends, 2026.
The median San Antonio home price was near $300,000 in August 2026, based on MLS-derived data reported by HAR.com. The table compares that price to the typical 2BR rent levels from the section above. One way to read it: a 20 percent down payment on the median-price home is about $60,000, which is roughly the same as four years of $1,250-a-month rent. The decision still comes down to timeline, payment comfort, and what happens at the end of the tour.
| Scenario | Monthly rent | Typical home price | How it lines up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical 2BR apartment rent | $1,200 | $300,000 | Apartment List median 2BR rent vs. SAAR MLS median home price near $300,000 (HAR.com, August 2026). |
| Mid-range 2BR apartment rent | $1,400 | $300,000 | Roughly 18 years of rent at $1,400 would equal the $300,000 median price. |
| Upper 2BR rent / single-family rental | $1,600 | $300,000 | Roughly 15.6 years of rent at $1,600 equals a $300,000 purchase. |
Home price source: HAR.com San Antonio price trends, median near $300,000 for August 2026. Rent sources as in the prior section. Median home price is a market-wide figure; homes in your target area and price band will differ.
Runs entirely in your browser. It compares cumulative rent paid over your chosen horizon against the estimated cost of buying over the same period: out-of-pocket costs minus the equity a typical amortizing mortgage builds and any estimated appreciation. It is a planning estimate, not a financial plan: it does not model maintenance, vacancy, tax-deduction effects, inflation, or opportunity cost of the down payment beyond what you enter.
Rent paid over horizon
$89,193
Estimated cost of buying
$67,530
Estimated equity after
$77,205
Buying cost = down payment plus estimated closing costs (2.5% of price) plus principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and HOA paid over the horizon, minus equity at the end. Equity = estimated future value (price grown at 2% a year unless you adjust your inputs) minus the remaining mortgage balance. This is an estimate for planning, not an offer of credit. Rates, payments, and loan terms come from the lender, not this calculator; a lender's pre-approval or Loan Estimate is authoritative for the specific figures on your loan.
Tami Price is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Broker Owner of Tami Price Properties who has guided hundreds of military moves around Joint Base San Antonio. She builds the rent-versus-buy comparison around the actual tour length, the PCS report date, and the payment your budget supports, and she does it with the current market data, not a generic rule of thumb.
Talk with Tami about your move Tami Price is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Broker Owner of Tami Price Properties, helping military families across San Antonio and Joint Base San Antonio.
More about Tami