Long-Term Rentals · Market playbook

Buying Rental Properties in Salt Lake City, UT

Buying rentals in Salt Lake City is a 3.38% gross yield play at a $580k median entry — $1,632/mo rent gross before expenses. The math has to clear before the property does.

DATA · Zillow Research (via scrape.do) · AS OF APRIL 2026

Tough 54/100

Salt Lake City fights the math for straight rentals — pivot to BRRRR (recycle capital) or flip-and-sell if the numbers don't pencil.

TL;DR — data signals

→ Gross yield 3.38% — below national baseline
→ Rent $1,632/mo vs. national $1,930 — rent-weak
→ Cash flow expectation at 25% down / 7.5%: flat to slightly negative
→ Appreciation: flat — neutral

Long-term rentals in Salt Lake City sit at the intersection of two numbers: typical home value $580,126 and median rent $1,632/mo. That's a 3.38% gross yield — below the national 4-5% baseline. Rentals here pay you back through appreciation, not cash flow. Underwrite with that in mind.

Run the cash-flow math. Assume 20-25% down on a 30-year conventional rental loan at 7.5%, plus taxes + insurance + 8% property management + 8% vacancy/maintenance reserve + 8% capex reserve. At those inputs Salt Lake City rentals will likely cash flow flat-to-slightly-negative on standard 25% down financing. The math requires either more cash down (35-50%) or an explicit appreciation thesis.

Rent demand context: Salt Lake City rents ($1,632) run 15% below the national median ($1,930). Rent is the constraint — operational discipline matters more than acquisition skill here.

Appreciation thesis: Salt Lake City home values are +1.4% YoY. Flat appreciation. Returns come from cash flow + pay-down + tax benefits, not price growth. Underwrite to that reality.

Net: Salt Lake City is a difficult straight-rental market right now — neither yield nor appreciation favor the holder. Wait or buy with significant equity.

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Salt Lake City at a glance