Rent vs Buy Calculator
The Rent vs Buy Calculator compares the full long-term cost of renting versus buying a home so you can see which one actually leaves you better off. It is built for anyone weighing "should I rent or buy a house?" — whether you are saving for a first home, relocating, or deciding how long to stay put.
Instead of comparing monthly payments alone, it factors in the whole picture: mortgage principal and interest, property tax, insurance, HOA fees, maintenance, home appreciation, and the opportunity cost of investing your down payment elsewhere. The result is a clear breakeven year, a net wealth comparison, and an interactive chart you can read at a glance.
How to Use the Rent vs Buy Calculator
Enter buying details
In the Buying section, set your Home Price, Down Payment percentage, Mortgage Rate, and choose a Loan Term of 15, 20, 25, or 30 years. Drag the sliders for quick changes or type exact values.
Open Advanced Options
Click Advanced Options to fine-tune Property Tax, Home Insurance, HOA fees, Maintenance, expected Home Appreciation, and Closing Costs to match your local market.
Enter renting details
In the Renting section, enter your Monthly Rent, the Annual Rent Increase rate, and Renter's Insurance cost.
Set investment and analysis
Enter the Investment Return rate — what you could earn by investing your down payment instead of buying — then set the Analysis Period slider anywhere from 1 to 30 years.
Review the verdict
Results update instantly. Read the verdict card, compare monthly cost, total cost, and net wealth, find your breakeven year, and expand the Year-by-Year Breakdown for the full picture.
Features
Side-by-Side Comparison
See buying and renting next to each other — monthly cost, total cost, and net wealth — for a fair apples-to-apples view.
Full Mortgage Math
Calculates monthly principal and interest from your home price, down payment, mortgage rate, and 15-, 20-, 25-, or 30-year loan term.
Advanced Cost Options
Add property tax, home insurance, HOA fees, maintenance, home appreciation, and closing costs — tax and maintenance scale with the home's value over time.
Annual Rent Increase
Projects rising rent year over year using your expected annual increase rate, plus renter's insurance.
Opportunity Cost
Models what you could earn by investing your down payment and any monthly savings instead of buying, using your chosen investment return rate.
Breakeven Year
Pinpoints the year buying becomes the cheaper choice — so you know how long you need to stay before owning pays off.
Net Wealth Comparison
Weighs your home equity against a renter's investment portfolio to show which path builds more wealth.
Interactive Chart
A line chart plots net buying versus net renting cost over time, with the crossover point making the breakeven easy to spot.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
An expandable table lists cumulative costs, home equity, investment value, and net positions for every year, highlighting the years buying wins.
Multi-Currency Support
Switch currencies with the built-in picker and every input, slider range, and result reformats and rescales automatically.
Real-Time Calculation
Every change recalculates instantly — no Calculate button. Adjust any slider or value and the verdict, chart, and table update at once.
Stays in Your Browser
All math runs locally in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored after you close the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a rent vs buy calculator work?
It models both paths year by year. For buying it adds up your mortgage, property tax, insurance, HOA, and maintenance, then subtracts the home equity you build. For renting it totals your rent and renter's insurance, then subtracts the investment value a renter could grow from the down payment they didn't spend. Comparing those net positions over your analysis period reveals which option costs less.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a house?
It depends on your numbers and, above all, how long you stay. Buying usually wins once you pass the breakeven year, because mortgage paydown and appreciation build equity. If you expect to move before that point, renting and investing the difference is often the cheaper choice. Enter your own figures to see the verdict for your situation.
What is the breakeven point for buying vs renting, and how is it calculated?
The breakeven point is the year when the net cost of buying (total costs paid minus home equity) drops below the net cost of renting (total rent paid minus the renter's investment value). It accounts for home appreciation, mortgage paydown, and investment returns on the renter's saved capital. Before that year renting is cheaper; after it, buying is.
What costs are included in the comparison?
For buying: mortgage principal and interest, property tax, home insurance, HOA fees, maintenance, closing costs, and the down payment. For renting: monthly rent with annual increases, plus renter's insurance. It also models the opportunity cost of investing the down payment and any monthly savings, so the comparison is fair to both options.
What does "Net Wealth" mean in the results?
For buying, net wealth is your home equity — the home's current value minus the remaining mortgage balance. For renting, it is your investment portfolio value, built from investing the down payment plus any monthly savings versus buying. Comparing the two shows which path leaves you wealthier at the end of your analysis period.
What investment return rate should I use?
A common benchmark is around 7% per year, roughly the long-run historical average of the stock market after inflation. Use a lower rate (4–5%) for a conservative estimate, or a higher one (8–10%) if you accept more risk. This rate represents what you could earn by investing your down payment instead of buying.
Is my data stored or sent anywhere?
No. Every calculation happens entirely in your browser. None of your inputs are uploaded to any server, and nothing is saved once you leave the page.
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