Rent vs Buy Calculator

How to Use the Calculator

Our comprehensive rent vs buy calculator helps you make one of life's biggest financial decisions with confidence. Simply select your city from our database of 500+ locations worldwide to access real-time market data including median home prices, average rent, property tax rates, and local closing costs.

Understanding the Math

Unlike simple rent-to-price ratio calculators, our tool performs a complete net worth analysis over 30 years. It accounts for:

• Home Appreciation: How property values increase over time in your market.
• Opportunity Cost: Returns you could earn by investing your down payment instead of buying.
• Transaction Costs: Closing costs, notary fees, and realtor fees.
• Maintenance: Ongoing costs of homeownership (typically 1% of home value annually).

In expensive markets like Paris or New York, renting can actually be financially superior if you invest the difference between rent and ownership costs.