RentvsBuy: Rent vs. Buy Calc

TipTinker

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About this app

Compare renting with buying a home over the years you plan to stay, and see which path leaves you with more net worth at the end.

• Enter rent, rent growth, home price, down payment, mortgage rate and loan term
• Include property tax, home insurance, HOA, maintenance, closing and selling costs
• See buyer and renter net worth side by side after the sale
• Find the break-even month and the monthly cost gap between renting and buying
• Compare equity after sale with what a renter could build by investing the difference
• Scan every hold period from 1 to 15 years to see who wins, by how much, and when buying catches up
• Follow net worth year by year on a buy vs. rent chart
• Test what-ifs: home appreciation and investment return two points higher or lower
• Optional US federal tax estimate: standard vs. itemized deductions, mortgage interest and SALT limits, home sale exclusion and capital gains
• Share the result as text
• Start from presets: Urban Renter, Short Stay, Family Buyer or Growth Market
• Save named scenarios to test different markets and timelines

Official sources:
• IRS 2026 tax inflation adjustments (standard deduction): https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-bill
• Public Law 119-21, section 70120 (SALT deduction cap): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ21/pdf/PLAW-119publ21.pdf
• IRS Publication 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p936
• IRS Topic no. 701, Sale of your home: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc701
Not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency.

What’s new

Performance improvements and bug fixes