Rent vs Buy Calculator — Single Page Tool

Primary Inputs

Real-time, auto-updates

Monthly Rent ($)

Average current rent payment.

Annual Rent Growth (%)

Home Purchase Price ($)

Down Payment ($)

Mortgage Rate (annual %) (APR)

Mortgage Term (years)

Property Tax (% of price / year)

Home Insurance (annual $)

HOA Fees (monthly $)

Maintenance (% of price / year)

Annual Home Appreciation (%)

Annual Investment Return on Savings (%)

Annual Inflation (%)

Marginal Tax Rate (%) (for mortgage interest deduction)

Closing Costs (% of price)

Selling Costs (% of sale price)

Annual Years to Analyze

Extra Monthly Payment (towards mortgage)

Optional — reduces interest and term.

Quick Help

All fields update calculations in real-time; use the Recalculate button to force a refresh.
Saved scenarios are stored in your browser and can be exported as CSV.
Charts show cumulative costs and net worth difference over time.

Results & Insights

Cumulative Rent Paid

Total rent paid over analysis period.

Avg annual rent growth

Net Cost of Buying

Includes interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance, HOA, closing/selling costs, opportunity cost of down payment, minus appreciation & tax benefits & equity.

Equity Built (approx)

Break-even Year

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Break-even: year when cumulative net cost to buy ≤ cumulative cost of renting (lower is better).

Recommendation

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Automatically computed using net cost & risk-adjusted returns.

Chart: Cumulative Costs & Net Worth

Amortization Snapshot

Year	Interest Paid	Principal Paid	Remaining Balance