Why we built this
The advice "buying is always better than renting" gets repeated so often that people treat it as a law of nature. It isn't. Whether buying makes financial sense depends on how long you'll stay, local prices, mortgage rates, and what you'd otherwise do with your money. We built Rent or Buy because we couldn't find a calculator that was both honest about those trade-offs and simple enough to use in two minutes.
How the calculator stays honest
Our model compares the full net cost of each path — not just the monthly payment. For buying, that means mortgage interest and principal, property tax, maintenance, and closing and selling costs, offset by the equity and appreciation you keep. For renting, it means total rent paid, offset by the investment growth on the cash you didn't lock into a down payment. Every number runs in your browser; we never see or store your inputs.
Who it's for
First-time buyers weighing a leap, renters wondering if they're "wasting money," and anyone relocating who needs to decide quickly. The tool is educational and deliberately conservative — it's a starting point for a conversation with a qualified financial or mortgage professional, not a replacement for one.