Loading…
Compares renting vs buying from rent, price, down payment, rate and horizon. Use when deciding to buy or rent; differs from home-affordability by side-by-side costs vs max budget. Returns cheaper option and break-even year. 100% client-side.
Rent vs Buy Calculator is loading — interactive editor will appear here. Use examples below to try instantly once loaded.
Press ? for keyboard shortcuts
Compares the net cost of buying a home versus renting a comparable property over a time horizon. It models the down payment, mortgage payments, property tax, maintenance, home appreciation, and the return the down payment could earn if invested instead.
Whether buying or renting is cheaper depends on how long you stay, prices, rates, and growth projections. A side-by-side net cost shows the real difference instead of the emotional one.
This tool is part of the DevStackIO platform — a collection of free online developer tools from DevStackIO. Browse more free developer resources on DevStackIO.
Renters considering a first purchase, movers deciding whether to sell and rent, and anyone comparing housing options over a known time horizon.
Enter the home price and the rent of a comparable place
Enter your planned down payment percent and mortgage rate
Set the number of years you plan to stay
Adjust appreciation and investment-return assumptions
Read the verdict and the net cost of each path
Vary the horizon to find how long you must stay for buying to win
$400,000 home vs. $2,000 rent, 20% down, 6.5% rate, 5 years$300,000 home vs. $1,500 rent, 10% down, 7% rate, 3 yearsA longer horizon usually flips the verdict — buying typically needs 5+ years to beat rentingHigher appreciation assumptions strongly favor buying; conservative ones favor rentingDoes this tool support multiple currencies?
Yes, select your currency from the dropdown. All calculations run locally in your browser.
Why does renting invest the down payment?
Money not tied up in a home is assumed to earn the investment return instead.
Are closing and moving costs included?
No, this simplified version omits them.
What if my horizon is very short?
Short horizons usually favor renting because buying costs are spread thinly.
Is this financial advice?
No, it is a comparison estimate with stated assumptions.
How long should I stay before buying pays off?
Roughly 5+ years for most markets, but the exact number depends on prices, rates, and appreciation.
Does buying always build more wealth?
Not necessarily — the math depends on how long you stay and how prices and rents grow.
Authoritative specifications, standards, and in-depth reading for Rent vs Buy Calculator.
What the down payment could earn if not used for a home
Verdict
Renting wins
More expensive than renting by $51,885.80 over 5 years.
Net cost of buying
$77,202.53
Net cost of renting
$25,316.73
Monthly mortgage
$2,022.62
Simplified comparison over the horizon. Assumes 1% property tax + 1% maintenance, 3% annual rent growth, and 30-year mortgage. Closing costs and moving costs are not included.
Not financial advice
The results from this calculator are provided for general informational and educational purposes only. They are estimates based on the assumptions you enter and do not constitute financial, tax, legal, or investment advice, nor a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any financial product. Tax codes, rates, and regulations change frequently and vary by country, state, and local jurisdiction — and may differ based on your individual circumstances, employer plan rules, and provider policies. Always verify the figures with current official sources and consult a qualified financial, tax, or legal professional before making any financial decision. All calculations run privately in your browser; nothing you enter is sent to our servers.
Plans home-loan payoff from balance, rate, term and extra payments. Use when weighing extra payments or refinance; differs from loan-emi-calculator by escrow, taxes and payoff focus. Returns payoff date, interest saved and schedule. 100% client-side.
Computes DTI from gross monthly income and debt payments. Use when checking loan eligibility; differs from home-affordability by ratio check vs max house budget. Returns DTI %, front/back-end split and risk band. 100% client-side.
Estimates affordable home price from income, debts, down payment and rate. Use before house hunting; differs from mortgage-payoff by max budget vs existing-loan payoff. Returns affordable price, monthly payment and DTI check. 100% client-side.
Projects lump-sum growth from principal, rate, years and compounding frequency. Use when forecasting a one-time deposit; differs from sip-calculator by single deposit vs monthly contributions. Returns maturity value, interest and schedule. 100% client-side.
Projects SIP wealth from monthly amount, expected return, years and timing. Use when planning recurring fund contributions; differs from compound-interest-calculator by monthly deposits vs lump sum. Returns maturity value, invested total and chart. 100% client-side.
Computes EMI from principal, rate and tenure with full amortization. Use for any generic loan estimate; differs from auto-loan by generic terms vs vehicle fees and down payment. Returns EMI, total interest and schedule. 100% client-side.
Measures smoothed annual growth from start value, end value and years. Use when comparing investments over time; differs from roi-calculator by annualized rate vs total return. Returns CAGR %, total growth and yearly table. 100% client-side.
Measures total return from amount invested and amount returned. Use for single-holding profit checks; differs from cagr-calculator by overall % vs annualized rate. Returns ROI %, net gain and cost breakdown. 100% client-side.