What this calculator measures
The calculation multiplies constant monthly expenses by your chosen number of months and adds entered one-time costs. For owning, include principal and interest, taxes, insurance, association charges and maintenance in the monthly input. One-time ownership costs should include the purchase and assumed eventual sale costs you want to compare.
What it deliberately leaves separate
Principal repayment can build equity, so cash paid is not the same as economic cost. This simplified model excludes home-price changes, investment returns, tax effects, inflation and loan-balance evolution. It also excludes the purchase down payment and refundable rental deposit from the one-time expense inputs. Keep those tied-up funds in a separate liquidity comparison.
Keep the inputs with the result
Save the figures, their dates and the document or assumption behind each one. Change one input at a time to see what actually changes the decision. A result with uncertain inputs remains an estimate, even when the arithmetic is exact.
Your assumptions, made visible
Rent versus buy: cash-outflow scenario
Cash-flow comparison only. Constant inputs; no appreciation, equity, tax, investment-return or rent-growth model.
Sources & further reading
- CFPB determine a comfortable home budget checked 2026-09-26
- CFPB Loan Estimate explainer checked 2026-09-26
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