CalculatingWealth
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Rent vs Buy Calculator

Decide whether renting or buying wins financially over your time horizon.

Calculator

$
$
$
%
yrs
%/yr
%/yr
Buying wins by
$117,470.80
Net cost of buying
$84,818.21
Net cost of renting
$202,289.00
Home value (end)
$467,352.07
Equity built
$192,486.68
Total interest paid
$132,270.27

Includes a 1.5%/yr proxy for taxes, insurance and maintenance. Stay length is the biggest lever.

What's next?

Refine your numbers, compare options, or explore the next step in your plan.

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Mortgage Payment CalculatorAffordability CalculatorInvestment Calculator

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Your planning path

A guided sequence so each tool builds on the last.

0/4 steps
  1. Step 1
    Mortgage payment
    Lock in your monthly cost.
    Open
  2. Step 2
    Refinance check
    See if a lower rate saves you thousands.
    Open
  3. Step 3
    Invest the difference
    Turn savings into long-term growth.
    Open
  4. Step 4
    Retirement target
    Project when you can stop working.
    Open
Educational resources

Helpful financial resources

Tools that may support the planning behind your rent vs buy calculator — picked for context, not promotion.

  • High-Yield Savings AccountPartnerAn interest-bearing account for short-term savings.Useful when building an emergency fund or holding cash you'll need within 1–3 years.
  • Budgeting WorkspacePartnerCategorises income and expenses across accounts.Helpful for users who want a clearer monthly cash-flow picture.

Some resources are partner links that may support the platform at no extra cost to you. All recommendations are educational in nature. Learn how we choose them.

Track this over time
Get a quiet nudge to revisit and compare updated numbers.

Payoff timeline — principal vs interest

Hover the chart to see your remaining balance and cumulative principal vs interest in any year.

Years to payoff
7
Total interest
$75,195
Total principal
$304,000
Smart for mortgages

Your complete mortgage toolkit

Based on your activity, these tools and guides pair perfectly with what you're calculating.

Affordability Calculator
How much house you can really afford based on income, debts and down payment.
Refinance Calculator
See break-even months and lifetime savings from refinancing your mortgage.
Extra Payment Payoff
Calculate exactly how much faster — and cheaper — extra principal makes your loan.
Biweekly Payment Calculator
See how biweekly mortgage payments cut years off your loan.

Mortgage strategy reading

Recommended next steps

Tools that pair naturally with this calculation.

Mortgage Payment Calculator
Monthly payment with taxes, insurance, HOA and PMI — the true cost of homeownership.
Affordability Calculator
How much house you can really afford based on income, debts and down payment.
Investment Calculator
Project portfolio growth with contributions, returns and time.

Compare scenarios

See how different terms, rates, or contributions change the outcome — side by side.

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View Full Amortization Schedule

Charts, monthly payoff timeline, extra-payment scenarios, 15 vs 30-year compare, CSV & PDF export.

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How it works

The rent vs buy calculator uses a standard formula refined for clarity and precision. Results update live as you change any input — try different scenarios to see how sensitive the answer is to each assumption.

Tips for accurate results

  • Use realistic, current values — don't round aggressively for inputs that matter.
  • Compare a few scenarios to see how sensitive the result is to your assumptions.
  • Save your results so you can track changes over time as your situation evolves.

Frequently asked questions

View Full Amortization Schedule