Housing calculator

Rent vs Buy Calculator

Compare renting versus buying over time using rent, mortgage terms, taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance, appreciation, selling costs, and equity recovered at sale.

Net cost comparison Equity included Large chart

Calculator

Compare renting and buying side by side

Inputs are grouped in the order most people think through the decision: rent, purchase, ownership costs, and exit assumptions.

Inputs

Set your rent assumptions, purchase assumptions, and ownership costs.

Step 1

Rent assumptions

Monthly Rent

Annual Rent Increase

Step 2

Home purchase

Home Price

Down Payment

Mortgage Rate

Loan Term

Buy Closing Costs

PMI Rate

Step 3

Ongoing ownership costs

Property Tax

Home Insurance

HOA

Maintenance

Typical assumptions can quickly fill in tax, insurance, maintenance, appreciation, PMI, and selling costs.

Step 4

Timeline and exit assumptions

Time Horizon

Home Appreciation

Selling Costs

Quick note

This is a planning model, not a guarantee. It compares cumulative rent to the estimated net cost of owning and then selling the home at the end of the selected timeline.

Results

Rent vs buy outcome

Buy Wins

Difference $0

Winner Buying

Rent Cost $0

Net Buy Cost $0

Quick read

Adjust the inputs to compare the projected cost of renting and buying over time.

Monthly Mortgage P&I $0

First-Year Owner Cost $0

Equity at Sale $0

Break-Even Year Not reached

Live chart below Auto-updating

Your full comparison chart appears below the calculator

As you change the inputs, the chart below updates to show cumulative rent cost versus projected net buy cost over time, making the crossover point easier to spot.

Shows Rent vs buy trend

Helpful for Seeing break-even timing

Visual comparison

Cumulative cost over time

This chart compares projected cumulative rent cost against projected net buy cost over your selected time horizon.

Rent Buy

$0 $0