Renting costs less than owning in KC
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Renting remains cheaper than owning a home in the Kansas City metro, according to a new LendingTree analysis comparing monthly housing costs across the country.
Why it matters: The gap between renting and owning helps explain why homeownership remains financially out of reach for many households, even in relatively affordable metros like KC.
Zoom in: In the KC metro, the median monthly rent in 2024 was $1,315, compared to $1,945 for homes with a mortgage.
By the numbers: KC sits near the middle among the nation's 100 largest metro areas.
- It ranked 35th for the dollar gap between renting and owning and 25th for the percentage difference.
- New York showed the widest percentage gap at 76%, and Las Vegas ranked near the low end, at about 16%.
State of play: Renting is cheaper than owning in all 100 of the largest U.S. metro areas, as home prices and mortgage rates continue to push ownership costs higher than rents nationwide.
Zoom out: Nationally, homeowners with a mortgage pay about 37% more per month than renters.
- The median monthly rent nationwide was nearly $1,500 in 2024.
- Median housing costs for mortgaged homes topped $2,000.
What we're watching: President Trump has proposed a raft of policies meant to lower mortgage rates and boost home-buying demand.
- But making housing more affordable is easier said than done.
What they're saying: "The cost disparity here could be enough to convince someone that they'll never be able to own a home in some areas," Matt Schulz, LendingTree's chief consumer finance analyst, said in the report.
Go deeper: Where people moved to (and from) in 2025