Calculator
Buy vs rent calculator
The all-in monthly cost of owning a home (mortgage + property tax + maintenance) against the monthly rent, expressed as the own-to-rent ratio.
Buy vs rent
All-in monthly cost of owning (mortgage + property tax + maintenance) against the monthly rent.
This calculator projects multi-year scenarios based on assumptions about appreciation, rent growth, and investment returns — none of which are guaranteed. Actual outcomes depend on variables this tool cannot know. Not financial or real estate advice.
How it works
Monthly cost to own = mortgage principal & interest + property tax + maintenance. Mortgage uses a standard 30-year fixed amortization against (price − down payment). Property tax uses the local effective rate; maintenance uses 1% of home value per year as the standard rule of thumb.
Own-to-rent ratio under 1.0 means owning is cheaper month-to-month; above 1.0 favors renting. This is a near-term cash-flow view and ignores home-price appreciation, the tax shield on mortgage interest, transaction costs, and the opportunity cost of the down payment.
See typical home values and rents for any ZIP on the home page — and break down just the mortgage piece with the mortgage calculator.