What costs are included for owning?

Mortgage principal and interest (from price, down payment, rate, and term), plus property tax, home insurance, monthly maintenance, and any HOA fee. Adjust these under Advanced to match your situation.

Is the rent vs buy calculator free?

Yes — 100% free. Everything is calculated privately in your browser; nothing is stored or sold.

Rent vs Buy Calculator

Q: Is it cheaper to rent or buy?

This calculator compares your monthly rent against the full monthly cost of owning — mortgage principal and interest plus property tax, insurance, maintenance, and HOA — and tells you which is cheaper per month and by how much. Note that buying also builds equity over time, which a monthly-cost comparison doesn't capture.

Compare the monthly cost of renting vs buying

Renting

Monthly rent

Buying

Home price

Down payment

Interest rate %

Term (years)

Advanced — taxes, insurance, maintenance & HOA

Property tax / year

Insurance / year

Maintenance / month

HOA / month

Monthly comparison

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Rent vs Buy Calculator — guide & how to use

What it does

This calculator compares your monthly rent against the full monthly cost of owning a home — mortgage principal & interest, property tax, insurance, maintenance, and HOA — and shows which is cheaper per month. It's a monthly cash-cost comparison (it doesn't model equity or appreciation), calculated privately in your browser, free and with no signup.

How to use it

Enter your monthly rent.
Enter the home price, down payment, rate, and term.
Open Advanced to set taxes, insurance, maintenance, and HOA.
See which option is cheaper per month and the full owning breakdown.

How to embed this tool on your website

No account, no coding. Copy the embed code and paste it where you want it to appear:

<iframe src="https://snaptoolsuite.com/rent-vs-buy-calculator/?embed=1"
  style="width:100%;max-width:560px;height:980px;border:0;"
  title="Rent vs Buy Calculator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Free <a href="https://snaptoolsuite.com/rent-vs-buy-calculator/">Rent vs Buy Calculator</a> by Snap Tool Suite</p>

2 Paste it on your page

3 It just works

See it live: view a real embed example →

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy?

This compares monthly rent to the full monthly cost of owning and shows the difference. Buying also builds equity, which a monthly comparison doesn't capture.

What's included for owning?

Mortgage P&I plus property tax, insurance, maintenance, and HOA — all adjustable under Advanced.

Is it really free?

Yes. 100% free, everything runs in your browser.

Buy a home & move in

Related tools

🔒 Everything is calculated in your browser. We don't store or sell your data. Monthly cash comparison only.