01 — The basics
02 — Refine the numbers
(pre-filled with reasonable defaults)
National average assumptions are provided as a starting point. Adjust values to reflect your local market and circumstances.
03 — Your timeline & situation
How certain are you that you'll stay that long?
How stable is your income right now?
How do you feel about home maintenance and surprise repairs?
Results
Fill in the basics above to see your comparison.
Chart data updates as you change your inputs; see the summary statistics above for the same figures in text form.
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Get a PDF summary of your numbers — useful for comparing with a partner, a lender, or your own notes later.
Frequently asked
Is it better to rent or buy right now?
It depends far more on your timeline and certainty about staying than on the headlines. This calculator weighs both — run your own numbers above rather than relying on a general answer.
What is the break-even point for buying a house?
It's the year your equity plus appreciation, minus selling costs, overtakes what you'd have if you'd invested your down payment and any monthly savings instead. Transaction costs (closing and selling) are why buying usually takes a few years to pay off.
Does this calculator account for investing the money I'd save by renting?
Yes. If renting costs less per month than owning would, that difference is treated as if it were invested at the return rate you set under "Refine the numbers," and compounded over your timeline.
What if I'm not sure how long I'll stay?
Set your best guess and check the break-even year against it. If you're likely to move well before your break-even year, that's a meaningful signal even if the raw dollar comparison looks close.
What costs do people forget to include?
Maintenance, closing costs, PMI, and selling costs are the most commonly overlooked. This calculator includes all of them by default — adjust any of them under "Refine the numbers."
Is renting really throwing money away?
Not automatically. Renting buys you flexibility, sidesteps maintenance and transaction costs, and frees up the cash a down payment would otherwise tie up — money that can be invested elsewhere instead. Whether that beats buying financially depends on your timeline and local market, which is exactly what the numbers above are built to show for your situation.