Rental numbers for ZIP 34981 (Fort Pierce, FL)
Negative cash flow at any interest rate with 25% down: the rent does not cover operating costs and principal.
- Gross yield
- 5.4%
- rent x 12 / price
- Est. cap rate
- 2.1%
- NOI / price
- Cash flow
- -$1,330/mo
- at 7.78%, 25% down
- Typical price
- $368,000
- Zillow ZHVI, Aug 2026
- HUD Fair Market Rent
- $1,660/mo
- HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, FY2026
The pro forma
Typical home, default assumptions
| Operator | Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent | $19,920 | ||
| Vacancy | $996 | ||
| Management | $1,514 | ||
| Property tax | $2,578 | ||
| Insurance | $3,335 | ||
| Maintenance | $3,677 | ||
| Net operating income | $7,820 | ||
| Loan payments | $23,778 | ||
| Cash flow | -$15,958 |
| Operator | Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | $367,718 | ||
| Down payment (25%) | $91,930 | ||
| Loan | $275,789 | ||
| Rate | 7.78% | ||
| Monthly payment | $1,982 | ||
| Cash in | $102,961 | ||
| Cash-on-cash return | -15.5% | ||
| DSCR | 0.33 | ||
| Break-even rate | none |
Assumptions
Change them in the calculator- Down payment25%
- A common minimum for investment-property and DSCR loans.
- Interest rate7.78%
- Freddie Mac 30-year 7.03% (week of 2026-09-24) + 0.75 point investor premium.
- Loan term30 years
- Fixed, fully amortising.
- Closing costs3% of price
- Added to cash invested.
- Insurance$3,335 a year
- NAIC 2023 average homeowners (HO-3) premium for Florida, $2,779, x 1.2 for a landlord policy.
- Maintenance1% of price a year
- The 1% rule of thumb; older homes run higher.
- Vacancy5% of rent
- About 18 days empty a year.
- Management8% of collected rent
- A typical full-service fee; zero if you self-manage.
Trends
Five years to August 2026
- Price, 12 months
- +0.8%
- Rent, 12 months
- n/a
- no Zillow rent series here
- Rent minus price growth
- n/a
- positive means yields are improving
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Aug 2021 | $289,282 |
| Aug 2022 | $370,219 |
| Aug 2023 | $369,828 |
| Aug 2024 | $381,217 |
| Aug 2025 | $364,904 |
| Aug 2026 | $367,718 |
Rent references
Two sources, never blended
| Source | Studio | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, FY2026 | $1,370 | $1,390 | $1,660 | $2,290 | $2,440 |
| Zillow observed rent, Aug 2026 | not published for this ZIP | ||||
HUD's Fair Market Rent is the 40th percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) for a standard unit, and it is what Section 8 vouchers pay against. Zillow's index tracks asking rents on listed homes. The two measure different things, so they are shown side by side and never averaged. HUD area: Port St. Lucie, FL MSA.
Property tax
- Effective rate
- 0.70%
- ZIP area, ACS
- At the typical price
- $2,578/yr
Median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value, Census ACS 2020 to 2024. St. Lucie County: 0.93%. Actual bills depend on the assessment, exemptions and any non-homestead rate.
Supply
- Permits per 1,000 households
- 24.1
- St. Lucie County, last 12 months
- National percentile
- 94th
- among US counties
3,316 new housing units permitted in 2025-09 to 2026-08, Census Building Permits Survey. A high figure means more new supply competing for tenants.
Nearby ZIP codes
| ZIP | Distance | Typical price | Rent | Gross yield | Cash flow /mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34947Fort Pierce | 3.9 mi | $281,000 | $2,133 | 9.1% | -$302 |
| 34982Fort Pierce | 3.9 mi | $256,000 | $1,900 | 8.9% | -$384 |
| 34950Fort Pierce | 4.3 mi | $192,000 | $1,691 | 10.6% | -$91 |
| 34986Port Saint Lucie | 4.9 mi | $372,000 | $2,242 | 7.2% | -$963 |
| 34983Port Saint Lucie | 4.9 mi | $361,000 | $2,396 | 8.0% | -$691 |
| 34949Fort Pierce | 6.3 mi | $410,000 | $2,761 | 8.1% | -$773 |
| 34946Fort Pierce | 7.6 mi | $251,000 | $1,470* | 7.0% | -$749 |
| 34952Port Saint Lucie | 8.0 mi | $321,000 | $2,052 | 7.7% | -$735 |
* HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom (no Zillow rent index for that ZIP).
Every ZIP in St. Lucie CountyPort St. Lucie, FL metroFlorida
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Open the calculator for 34981Questions
- Is 34981 good for rental property?
- On the typical home here, priced at $368,000 and renting for $1,660 a month (HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, FY2026), the gross yield is 5.4% and the estimated cap rate is 2.1%. At a 7.78% investor rate with 25% down, estimated cash flow is -$1,330 a month. The median gross yield across the 8,418 ZIP codes with full Zillow data is 5.6%. These are figures for a typical property, not a judgement on any particular one.
- What is the typical rent in 34981?
- Zillow does not publish a rent index for 34981. HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom here is $1,660, the 40th percentile of gross rents and the basis for Section 8 payment standards.
- What is the property tax rate in 34981?
- The effective property tax rate is about 0.70% of value (median taxes paid divided by median home value, Census ACS 2020 to 2024). On the typical $368,000 home that is about $2,578 a year. Your bill depends on the assessment and local exemptions.
- What interest rate makes a rental in 34981 break even?
- With the default assumptions, no interest rate brings cash flow to zero: rent does not cover operating costs plus principal on a 30-year loan with 25% down.
- How fast are prices and rents changing in 34981?
- Over the 12 months to August 2026, the typical home value changed +0.8%.
Sources and method
- Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), mid tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted
Zillow Research. Read: 2026-08.
Typical home value by ZIP, county, metro and state, and the price trend.
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2026
US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read: FY2026.
Rent by bedroom count for every ZIP. The rent used on tier B pages, and a reference on all pages. It is the 40th percentile gross rent, so it runs below market.
- American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (B25103 median real estate taxes paid, B25077 median home value, B11001 households)
US Census Bureau. Read: 2020 to 2024.
Effective property tax rate (median taxes paid divided by median value) by ZIP code tabulation area, county and state; households for the permits ratio.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 30-year fixed (FRED series MORTGAGE30US)
Freddie Mac via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Read: 2026-09-24.
The weekly 30-year rate. The site adds a disclosed investor premium to it for the loan payment.
- Building Permits Survey, county monthly files
US Census Bureau. Read: 2025-09 to 2026-08.
New housing units permitted in the last 12 months per 1,000 households, a supply-pressure signal.
- NAIC Homeowners Insurance Report, data for 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Read: 2023.
Average HO-3 homeowners premium by state, multiplied by 1.2 as a landlord-policy assumption.
Data: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI), HUD, US Census Bureau, Freddie Mac. Every formula is on the methodology page.
Estimates from public data for a typical property. Not investment, tax or legal advice. Your property, financing and costs will differ.