Rent vs Buy Calculator

Renting versus buying is rarely as simple as "rent is throwing money away" — buying carries closing costs, interest, maintenance and the risk of prices falling, while renting avoids upfront costs but builds no equity. This calculator runs both scenarios side by side over however many years you plan to stay, factoring in your down payment, mortgage terms, expected home appreciation, and how quickly rent typically rises in your area. The result shows the true all-in cost of each path after accounting for the equity you would build by buying, which is often very different from what a simple monthly-payment comparison suggests. It is especially useful if you are unsure how long you will stay in one place, since the break-even point between renting and buying usually depends heavily on that timeline.