Free tool
Rent vs buy calculator
Updated November 6, 2026. Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Enter rent, home price, down payment, rate, term, and monthly ownership add-ons. You'll see a principal+interest sketch, a total ownership monthly sketch vs rent, a multi-year cash gap, and one calm sentence you can adapt. This is arithmetic only—not a mortgage approval, not tax advice, and not financial advice.
How to use the number
- Re-run with real quotes and a realistic stay length; a 2-year stay and a 10-year stay rarely tell the same story.
- If the ownership monthly sketch is close to rent, stress-test repairs, HOA special assessments, and a job move.
- For loan payment math alone, see the free mortgage payment calculator. For debt capacity, see the debt-to-income calculator.
- When the hard part is the landlord, lender, or partner conversation, use a script.
What to say when cash or housing is the bottleneck
Knowing the rent vs buy sketch is step one. Saying the next line on a landlord, raise, or offer call is where people freeze. The Bills Kit ($19) gives word-for-word lines for bill and landlord moments plus Call Mode. If pay is the lever that makes ownership realistic, see the Offer Kit ($29). One-time purchase, 14-day refund on both.
Get the Bills Kit, $19 Get the Offer Kit, $29
How does this rent vs buy sketch work?
It compares an estimated monthly ownership cost (mortgage principal+interest from a standard amortization sketch, plus optional tax, insurance, HOA, and maintenance) with your rent, then shows a simple monthly gap and a rough multi-year cash sketch. It ignores many real costs and benefits (tax treatment, appreciation, selling costs, opportunity cost of a down payment).
Is buying always better if the monthly number is lower?
No. Liquidity, job mobility, repair risk, HOA rules, and how long you will stay matter as much as the monthly gap. A lower monthly ownership sketch can still be the wrong move for a short stay.
Is this a mortgage approval or financial advice?
No. It is simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter, plus a sample sentence you can adapt. It is not a pre-approval, appraisal, tax advice, or a substitute for a qualified professional.
What rate and term should I enter?
Use a rate and term close to quotes you actually received (or a conservative planning assumption). Re-run when quotes change. Closing costs and points are not fully modeled here.
Guidance only, not legal, financial, or tax advice. The calculator does simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter.