This calculator will help you to compare the costs of renting to the costs of buying a home. Since there are all kinds of forces at work behind the scenes (interest, property taxes, tax savings, appreciation, opportunity costs, closing costs, selling costs, etc.), comparing the cost of renting to the cost of buying is a lot more complicated than just comparing the monthly mortgage payment to the monthly rent payment. This calculator attempts to forecast the net effects of all the hidden forces so you can make an informed decision.

Help Buttons: For pop-up explanations of any of the entry fields, click the radio button next to the description.

NOTE: Be sure to enter "0" (zero) in any entry boxes that don't apply to you. Also be sure that only numbers and decimal points are entered into the fields (dollar signs and other non-numeric characters will cause a JavaScript error).


Monthly rent: $
Monthly rental insurance: $
Expected annual inflation rate:   %
Purchase price of home: $
Down payment amount: $
Length of mortgage term (years): #
Mortgage's annual interest rate:   %
Discount points on purchase of home:   %
Origination fees:   %
Other loan costs: $
Mortgage Insurance (PMI):   %
Homeowner's insurance rate:   %
Monthly association dues: $
Average monthly maintenance: $
Annual property tax: $
State plus Federal income tax rate:   %
Interest rate you expect to earn on savings:   %
Expected percentage your home will appreciate by each year:   %
Number of years you will stay at this property: #
Realtor commission rate:   %
Total estimated cost of renting: $
Total estimated cost of buying: $