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Rent or buy: which leaves you better off?

Buying isn't always the smarter move, and renting isn't "throwing money away". Tell us about a home you're considering and what you'd pay in rent. We'll add up the real costs of both and show which one leaves you with more money after the years you plan to stay.

We filled in example numbers so you can see how it works. Change them to match your own.

Required. Everything else is optional or already filled in with a typical amount.

Price of the home you're considering

Cash you'd put down

The "down payment": money you pay up front; the bank lends the rest.

What would you pay in rent for a similar place?

$/month

Look at what similar places near you rent for, or use what you pay now. Just the rent: we add renter's insurance.

How long do you expect to stay?

The most important answer here. Buying has big costs up front (fees, moving, repairs), so it usually only pays off if you stay a good while. Be honest with yourself: life changes.

Your credit score, roughly

Many banking apps show it for free. A higher score means a lower mortgage rate.

Our guesses about the future (you can change them)

Nobody knows how prices, rents or investments will change, so we used typical numbers. They are guesses, not predictions. Try other numbers and see how much the answer moves: if it flips easily, the decision is closer than it looks.

Home prices go up by

% a year

Rent goes up by

% a year

Money you invest grows by

% a year

If you rent, you keep the down payment. This is what we assume it earns, before taxes, invested for the long term. It can lose money in a bad year.

Mortgage rate a lender quoted you

Not got one yet? Leave it empty and we'll estimate it.

Yearly property tax

% a year

Homeowner's insurance

$/year

Repairs and upkeep

% of price a year

Roof, boiler, plumbing, paint. Renters don't pay these.

Cost of selling the home later

% of sale price

Agent fees and closing costs when you sell.

Monthly HOA or condo fees

$/month

Your answer

Fill in the boxes to see your answer

1. What you'd pay each month

Owning

Loan payment, property tax, insurance and repairs

Does all of this get lost?

Renting

Rent plus renter's insurance. It rises over time.

Owning costs

2. How much money you'd have after

If you buy

What you'd walk away with if you sold the home then and paid off the loan

How is this worked out?

If you rent

What the money you kept (down payment and savings) would have grown to

How is this worked out?

Difference

3. What would change the answer

Stay	Buy	Rent	Ahead

Money you'd have after each length of stay. ★ is your stay. "Buy +$20k" means buying leaves you $20,000 ahead.

4. Before you decide, ask yourself

Will I really stay that long? Buying is a long-term bet. If a job move, a new baby or a breakup might come sooner, the "stay" number matters more than anything else here.
Would I still have savings after the down payment and fees? Keep money aside for emergencies and for repairs, which can come without warning.
Is the monthly cost comfortable, not just possible? The home affordability calculator checks it against your income.
What else matters to me? Freedom to move, being able to renovate, a stable payment and a yard are worth something that numbers can't count.

Where does the mortgage rate come from?

One money story a day, explained like this

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This is an estimate to help you think it through, not financial advice. It uses simple assumptions about home prices, rents, savings returns and costs that nobody can predict, and it leaves out tax effects such as the mortgage interest deduction and capital gains. Your real costs depend on the home, the lender and your full situation.