Calculator
Rent vs. Buy
A side-by-side estimate of the real net cost of renting vs. buying over however long you plan to stay — including what your down payment could have earned if it were invested instead.
If you buy
If you rent instead
What this does (and doesn't) account for
Buying's net cost includes your down payment, closing costs, every monthly payment (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance), and selling costs at the end — offset by the equity and appreciation you've built up. Renting's net cost is your total rent paid, offset by what your down payment (and any month where renting was cheaper than buying) could have earned if invested instead.
The number of years you plan to stay matters enormously — buying generally looks worse over short holding periods, because closing and selling costs are spread over less time, and better over long ones, as equity and appreciation accumulate.
This is a simplified estimate for general information, not personalized financial advice — it doesn't account for tax deductions, PMI, rent control, or changes in your own life circumstances. Longer holding periods carry more uncertainty in every input here (rates, appreciation, returns), so treat the output as a rough direction, not a precise forecast.