Calculator

Rent vs. Buy Calculator

Compare the projected financial position of renting versus buying and estimate when buying may reach break-even.

Rent vs. buy assumptions

Planning defaults are editable assumptions, not forecasts. Enter your own transaction estimates; loan term starts at zero.

Buying

Purchase price ($)

Down payment

Mortgage rate (% / yr)

Loan term (years)

Property tax rate (% / yr of purchase price)

Editable planning assumption; actual taxes vary by location and property.

Homeowners insurance ($ / yr)

Monthly HOA ($)

Maintenance (% / yr of purchase price)

Editable planning assumption.

Buyer closing costs ($)

Use an estimate from your lender/settlement provider or ATG Buyer Closing Costs calculator.

Home appreciation (% / yr)

Editable assumption, not a forecast. Negative values are allowed.

Selling costs at exit (% of projected sale price)

Enter your expected total selling costs; ATG does not assume a commission or transaction-cost rate.

Renting / comparison

Current monthly rent ($)

Renter insurance ($ / month)

Annual rent change (% / yr)

Editable assumption. Negative values are allowed.

Investment return (% / yr)

Applied to cash not used to buy and any monthly savings; editable assumption, not a forecast.

Years to compare (years)

Rent vs. buy estimate

Initial estimated owner cost / month: $0
Initial rent cost / month: $0
Initial cash required to buy: $0
Down payment: $0
Loan amount: $0
Break-even point: 1 months
Projected home value at end: $0
Mortgage balance at end: $0
Estimated selling costs at end: $0
Net home sale proceeds at end: $0
Buyer invested monthly savings: $0
Renter investment balance: $0
Buyer projected net position: $0
Renter projected net position: $0
Difference after 7 years: $0
Ending estimated rent / month: $0

Create a free client PDF

Add optional client and agent details, then open a clean Rent vs. Buy Analysis you can print or save as a PDF. Nothing is saved or sent.

Property address / home being considered

Prepared for (buyer/client name)

Agent name

Brokerage

Phone

Prepared date

Notes

Your browser will open the print dialog. Choose Save as PDF to create the file.

How the rent vs. buy break-even estimate works

The comparison treats the down payment and buyer closing costs as money a renter could otherwise invest. Each month, the lower-cost option invests the difference in housing costs. Buying reaches break-even when projected buyer wealth — net home sale proceeds plus invested monthly savings — first equals or exceeds the renter's projected investment balance.

This is a planning model, not a prediction. Appreciation, rent changes and investment returns are assumptions. The estimate excludes tax deductions, capital-gains taxes, utilities, refinancing, security deposits and transaction-specific incentives. Property tax, insurance, HOA and maintenance are held constant in this model unless reflected in the values you enter.