About RentVsBuyNow
The free rent vs buy calculator built on real data.
What Is RentVsBuyNow?
RentVsBuyNow is a free, data-driven tool that helps you answer one of the biggest financial questions of your life: should you rent or buy a home? We combine current mortgage rates, median home prices, local rental costs, and opportunity cost calculations to give you an honest, numbers-based answer for your specific situation.
Unlike oversimplified advice you find elsewhere, we do not have a one-size-fits-all answer. Whether buying or renting wins depends on your city, your timeline, your down payment, and the broader market. Our goal is to give you the tools and data to figure it out yourself.
What We Analyze
Market Data
- Current 30-year fixed mortgage rates (updated for 2025)
- Median home prices for 50+ US cities
- Median rental costs by city and region
- Price-to-rent ratios updated regularly
- Historical home appreciation rates by market
Calculator Inputs
- Home purchase price and down payment
- Mortgage rate and loan term
- Monthly rent comparison
- Annual home appreciation assumption
- Opportunity cost of down payment invested
The Costs We Account For
A complete rent vs buy comparison goes well beyond the mortgage payment vs monthly rent. Here is what we include in our analysis:
Buying Costs
- Mortgage principal and interest
- Property taxes (typically 1–1.5% annually)
- Homeowners insurance
- Maintenance and repairs (1–2% of value per year)
- Private mortgage insurance (PMI) if down payment is under 20%
- Closing costs (2–5% of purchase price)
- Opportunity cost of the down payment
Renting Costs
- Monthly rent payments
- Annual rent increases (historically 3–5%)
- Renters insurance
- Opportunity gain from investing the down payment equivalent
Opportunity Cost: The Hidden Factor
One of the most overlooked factors in the rent vs buy debate is opportunity cost. When you put a $100,000 down payment on a home, that money is no longer available to invest in the stock market, which has historically returned around 7% per year after inflation.
Our calculator factors in this opportunity cost explicitly, showing you how a renter who invests the equivalent of a down payment could accumulate wealth over time, and comparing that to the equity a homeowner builds through mortgage payments and appreciation.
This is why in high price-to-rent markets like San Francisco or New York, renting and investing the difference often builds more long-term wealth than buying, even when accounting for home appreciation.
Why We Built This
The housing market is one of the most consequential financial decisions most people will ever make. Yet most advice online is oversimplified (“buying always builds wealth”) or driven by industry incentives (real estate agents and mortgage brokers benefit when you buy).
We built RentVsBuyNow to provide an honest, data-driven alternative. Our calculator has no hidden agenda. Sometimes buying wins. Sometimes renting wins. We show you the numbers and let you decide.
For personalized advice tailored to your complete financial picture, we always recommend consulting with a licensed real estate agent and a certified financial planner. Our tools are a starting point, not a substitute for professional guidance.