Rent vs Buy Calculator
Compare how much net worth buying a home builds against renting and investing the difference.
The model runs 120 monthly steps (10 years).
Inputs
Purchase price of the home.
Cash paid up front; the rest is borrowed.
Fees paid at purchase.
Nominal annual interest rate.
Amortisation period.
Charged on the current home value.
Flat annual premium.
Upkeep, charged on the current home value.
Use 0 if there is no HOA.
Annual change in home value.
Agent fees + closing costs when you sell.
Rent for a comparable home today.
Rent rises once a year.
Assumed refunded at the end.
Return on money not tied up in the down payment.
Break-even
Year 5.1
Buying overtakes renting about month 61.
Difference at year 10
$53,150
Buying leaves you ahead by this much.
Monthly cost of owning
$2,886
Year-1 average, all-in
Monthly rent
$2,400
Year-1 average
Upfront cash — buy
$88,000
Down payment + closing costs
Upfront cash — rent
$2,400
Refundable security deposit
Total interest paid
$193,998
Over 10 years
Total rent paid
$330,160
Over 10 years
Derived figures (month 1)
Loan amount
$320,000
Mortgage payment (P&I)
$2,022.62/mo
Property tax
$367.72/mo
Insurance
$150.00/mo
Maintenance
$334.29/mo
Total owning, month 1
$2,874.63/mo
Cost of sale assumed
$24,000 on today's value
Break-even
year 5.1
Net worth over time
Year-by-year comparison
| Year | Home value | Mortgage balance | Home equity | Buy net worth | Rent paid (cumulative) | Rent portfolio | Rent net worth | Difference (buy - rent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $400,000 | $320,000 | $80,000 | $56,000 | $0 | $88,000 | $90,400 | $-34,400 |
| 1 | $414,000 | $316,423 | $97,577 | $72,737 | $28,800 | $99,267 | $101,667 | $-28,930 |
| 2 | $428,490 | $312,607 | $115,883 | $90,174 | $58,464 | $110,630 | $113,030 | $-22,857 |
| 3 | $443,487 | $308,535 | $134,952 | $108,343 | $89,018 | $122,079 | $124,479 | $-16,137 |
| 4 | $459,009 | $304,191 | $154,819 | $127,278 | $120,488 | $133,604 | $136,004 | $-8,726 |
| 5 | $475,075 | $299,555 | $175,519 | $147,015 | $152,903 | $145,190 | $147,590 | $-576 |
| 6 * | $491,702 | $294,609 | $197,093 | $167,591 | $186,290 | $156,827 | $159,227 | $8,364 |
| 7 | $508,912 | $289,332 | $219,580 | $189,045 | $220,679 | $168,498 | $170,898 | $18,147 |
| 8 | $526,724 | $283,701 | $243,022 | $211,419 | $256,099 | $180,187 | $182,587 | $28,832 |
| 9 | $545,159 | $277,694 | $267,465 | $234,756 | $292,582 | $191,878 | $194,278 | $40,478 |
| 10 | $564,240 | $271,284 | $292,956 | $259,102 | $330,160 | $203,551 | $205,951 | $53,150 |
* The year buying first catches up with renting.
Assumptions
- The mortgage payment comes from the standard amortisation formula and stays fixed: a $320,000 loan at 6.5% over 30 years.
- Property tax and maintenance are charged every month on the home's current value, so they rise as the home appreciates.
- Insurance is a flat annual premium divided by 12; HOA dues are a flat monthly amount.
- Home value changes 3.5%/yr, rent rises 3%/yr and the invested portfolio compounds monthly at 6%/yr.
- Buying net worth = home value − remaining mortgage − a 6% cost of sale, i.e. it is reported as if the home were sold at that moment, so principal repayment counts as forced saving.
- Upfront cash: buying = down payment + closing costs; renting = the security deposit, assumed refunded and counted as an asset.
- Each month the difference between the total cost of owning and the rent is invested by the renter — or withdrawn from the portfolio when owning is cheaper, which can push it negative (treated as borrowing at the same rate).
- Mortgage-interest and property-tax deductions, renters insurance, vacancy and inflation are all ignored.
About this tool
This calculator runs a month-by-month model of two households — one buying with a mortgage, one renting while investing the money the buyer put into the down payment, closing costs and monthly cost difference — and reports their net worth side by side, the break-even year, and a year-by-year table you can export as CSV or PNG. Everything is calculated entirely in your browser and nothing you type is ever sent anywhere. It is a simplified model that ignores tax deductions and transaction-specific fees, so treat the output as a rough guide rather than financial advice.
- 100% free — no account needed
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
Is Rent vs Buy Calculator really free?
Yes. Rent vs Buy Calculator is completely free on PureBrowser — every feature, with no account, no trial, and no credit card.
Does Rent vs Buy Calculator upload my data?
No. Rent vs Buy Calculator runs entirely inside your browser, so anything you type, paste, or open stays on your own device.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
Neither. There is no account and nothing to download — open the page and Rent vs Buy Calculator is ready to use on desktop or mobile.
Does Rent vs Buy Calculator work offline?
Once the page has loaded, yes. All of the processing happens locally in your browser, so it keeps working without a connection.
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