Compare the real cost of renting against buying over the years you plan to hold - including the equity and appreciation you recover when you sell.
▶ Run the CalculatorOpens live in the Rental Flow app - no account needed.
Buying isn't automatically cheaper than renting, and renting isn't automatically throwing money away. This calculator totals what you'd spend on each path over a holding period, then credits the buyer back the equity built from paying down the loan plus any appreciation - so you compare the true net cost, not just the sticker prices.
The renting side grows your rent each year by the increase you set. The buying side adds the down payment, every mortgage payment, and ongoing ownership costs (taxes, insurance, upkeep), then subtracts the home's appreciated value minus the remaining loan balance at the end of the period.
| Monthly rent (growing 3%/yr) | $1,800 |
| Purchase price | $300,000 |
| Down payment | $60,000 |
| Loan: 6.5%, 30 years | $240,000 |
| Monthly ownership costs | $650 |
| Appreciation | 3% / year |
| Total cost to rent (7 yrs) | ~$165,500 |
| Net cost to buy (7 yrs) | ~$90,100 |
| Buying saves | ~$75,400 |
The outcome flips with your assumptions: a shorter holding period, flat appreciation, or higher ownership costs can swing it back toward renting. Run your own numbers to see where your break-even lands.