Tools · Housing · All Access

Rent vs buy calculator

All-in own vs rent, with the down payment still earning if you lease. Type your lock and your stay. Default 6.71% is the Freddie Mac PMMS 30-year average the week of September 3, 2026 — an example, not today’s quote. Primer: how much house. Sequence: 12-step playbook.

Quick answer: This calculator compares owning and renting over a stay you type, including the down payment's opportunity cost, selling costs, appreciation, and rent inflation. Those rates are assumptions you can change. The calculator on this page is the All Access tool already described in the page wall.

House

Home price Down payment $ Rate % (example 6.71 PMMS, not your lock) Term (years) Property tax $/yr Insurance $/yr HOA $/mo Maintenance % of price / yr PMI $/mo

Rent + stay

Monthly rent (today) Years you will stay Buy closing costs % of price Selling costs % of future price Home appreciation % / yr (example) Rent inflation % / yr (example) After-tax opportunity % / yr (example)

Appreciation, rent inflation, and opportunity are user-typed. Do not treat them as a live feed.

After the stay

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Buyer net worth = future sale − remaining loan − selling costs + leftover vs rent invested. Renter net worth = (down + closing) grown at opportunity + the monthly all-in minus rent gap invested. Maintenance is a cash cost, not equity. IRC 121 $250k/$500k needs 2 of 5 years — Pub. 523. Paid sequence: rent vs buy playbook. Affordability: DTI · PITI.

What this means for you

What this means for you: a cheaper monthly owner check can still lose if you sell soon and pay selling costs. Appreciation and rent inflation are the rates you typed, not a forecast. Taxes, repairs, and a move are only in the model if a field asks for them.

How to use this calculator

Open the Rent vs buy calculator and keep the sample numbers or replace them with your own. The result updates as you type.
Read the headline figure first, then the breakdown or chart under it.
Use Copy share link if you want those inputs in the URL. The page is an educational estimate, not a filing, approval, or recommendation.

FAQ

Does a lower owner payment mean buying wins?

Not by itself. The comparison also charges the down payment an opportunity cost and subtracts selling costs when you leave.

Are the appreciation and rent-inflation rates predictions?

No. They are the numbers you type. Change them and the result moves.

Is this a mortgage approval?

No. Price the monthly housing check on the PITI calculator and the ratio on the DTI calculator.

Educational, not financial advice. Page updated October 24, 2026 — no tax, limit, or rate figure was changed in this review.

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Tip / Support

This rent vs buy calculator is free. A voluntary tip supports this classroom — not a paywall, not tax software, not ads.

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Optional classroom tip

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