Should you rent, buy, or invest the difference?

Compare long-term renting, home ownership and investing scenarios.

When this calculator is useful

Compare the long-term financial path of buying a home with renting and investing the difference.

What to enter

Enter home price, down payment, mortgage rate and term, buying and selling costs, property tax, insurance and maintenance assumptions, together with the rent/investment assumptions shown by the calculator.

How to read the result

Compare the modeled buy path with the rent-and-invest path and note the estimated crossover point, if one occurs within the modeled horizon.

Questions worth testing

Test slower or faster home appreciation, different investment returns, higher rent growth, a larger down payment or different mortgage rates.