It’s more affordable to buy than to rent in many U.S. markets, according to data compiled by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Of the 100 most populous metro areas, 57 have average three-bedroom rental costs higher than the cost of a 6-percent interest rate loan for a typical low-priced house, the coalition said in a just-released report. That means people renting two-bedroom apartments would be better off buying a low-priced home in 24 of the 100 largest metro areas.

However, when determining if it’s better to buy or rent, credit history is a crucial component to consider. A prospective buyer who is credit worthy of a 6 percent mortgage will pay a third less in monthly payments than someone who qualifies for an 8 percent loan.

And in many cities that can be a difference of hundreds of dollars and push them over the line to where renting actually makes more sense.

These are the top 10 markets where it makes sense to buy rather than rent. The full list of 66 markets is available at MSN.com.

1. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
2. San Antonio, Texas
3. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La.
4. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
5. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
6. Rochester, N.Y.
7. Syracuse, N.Y.
8. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.
9. Jackson, Miss.
10. Austin-Round Rock, Texas

Source: MSN Real Estate, Marilyn Lewis