Should you buy a home or rent and invest the difference in the stock market? See your total net financial wealth over a 5 to 10 year timeline accounting for home appreciation, property taxes, rent inflation, and compound investment returns.
* Renter invests the down payment ($90,000) plus any monthly cash flow savings into stocks at 7.0% annual return.
Fast calculator execution with private inputs, clear estimates, and responsive layouts across desktop and mobile.
Salary, tax, savings, and career planning values are processed locally wherever possible. No account or saved calculation history is required.
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Works across modern desktop and mobile browsers so salary, tax, and savings calculations remain usable on any screen size.
This tool compares the projected cost of renting with the projected cost of owning over a selected period. It can include rent growth, mortgage interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance, selling costs, and the opportunity cost of a down payment.
Prospective buyers, renters considering a move, and households comparing a purchase with investing their available cash can use it as a planning estimate.
Example Input
$2,400 monthly rent versus a $400,000 home with 20% down, 6.5% rate, taxes, insurance, and maintenance assumptions.
Sample Output
Shows the projected cash outlay, home equity, and opportunity cost under the selected five-year assumptions.
Example Input
Compare renting and owning for 10 years with an assumed 3% annual home appreciation rate.
Sample Output
Illustrates how the holding period and appreciation assumption change the projected difference; it is not a guarantee of future market value.
Model different holding periods, down payments, mortgage rates, and expected rent changes. Use the result with our mortgage affordability calculator to separate affordability from long-term cost.
Use realistic local rent, property tax, insurance, maintenance, selling-cost, and investment-return assumptions. Run conservative, middle, and optimistic scenarios rather than relying on one forecast.
Ignoring maintenance, transaction costs, taxes, or the value of invested cash can make ownership look cheaper than it is. A short expected holding period can also make buying costs harder to recover.
No. The result depends on price, rent, financing, taxes, maintenance, investment returns, and how long you stay. Compare multiple scenarios before deciding.
It is the projected time at which the modeled financial position of owning catches up with renting. It is sensitive to assumptions and is not a market prediction.
Yes. If a down payment and closing costs could otherwise remain invested, include an assumed return to make the comparison more complete.
The tool keeps the assumptions visible and runs locally in your browser so you can compare scenarios without submitting personal contact details.
Follow this 3-step planning sequence to compare the current calculator with the next useful financial or career check.
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