{
    "name": "Rent vs Own Cash Flow Calculator",
    "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/rent-vs-own-cashflow-calculator",
    "markdown": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/rent-vs-own-cashflow-calculator.md",
    "category": "Real estate",
    "description": "Compare the cash you pay out each month and year to rent versus own: mortgage, tax, insurance, upkeep and fees against rent, with the year the lines cross.",
    "summary": "This is a budget view, not a wealth comparison: how much cash leaves your account each year if you rent compared with if you buy, including the upfront deposit and costs.",
    "also_called": [
        "Rent vs mortgage payment calculator",
        "Monthly cost of owning vs renting calculator"
    ],
    "applies_to": "Worldwide",
    "last_updated": "2026-10-29",
    "computation": "Results are computed in the visitor’s browser on the HTML page. This API describes the calculator; it does not compute results.",
    "inputs": [
        {
            "name": "rent",
            "label": "Monthly rent now",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "2000"
        },
        {
            "name": "rent_increase",
            "label": "Rent increase (per year)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "3",
            "unit": "%",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "price",
            "label": "Home price",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "400000"
        },
        {
            "name": "down_pct",
            "label": "Down payment",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "20",
            "unit": "%"
        },
        {
            "name": "closing",
            "label": "Closing costs",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "10000",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "rate",
            "label": "Mortgage rate (per year)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "6.5",
            "unit": "%"
        },
        {
            "name": "term",
            "label": "Mortgage term",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "30",
            "unit": "years"
        },
        {
            "name": "property_tax",
            "label": "Property tax (per year)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "4000",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "insurance",
            "label": "Home insurance (per year)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "1500",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "maintenance_pct",
            "label": "Maintenance",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "1",
            "unit": "% of price per year",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "hoa",
            "label": "HOA or service charge (per month)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "0",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "cost_increase",
            "label": "Increase in owner costs (per year)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "3",
            "unit": "%",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "years",
            "label": "Years to compare",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "10",
            "unit": "years"
        },
        {
            "name": "currency",
            "label": "Currency",
            "type": "currency",
            "default": "USD"
        }
    ],
    "outputs": [
        {
            "key": "cash_difference",
            "label": "Extra cash paid out to own (negative = owning cost less)",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "own_monthly",
            "label": "Owning: cash out per month, year 1",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "rent_monthly",
            "label": "Renting: cash out per month, year 1",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "monthly_gap",
            "label": "Monthly gap, year 1",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "mortgage_payment",
            "label": "Mortgage payment",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "upfront_cash",
            "label": "Upfront cash to buy",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "total_own",
            "label": "Total cash out owning (incl. upfront)",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "total_rent",
            "label": "Total rent paid",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "principal_repaid",
            "label": "Of which loan principal repaid",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "crossover",
            "label": "First year rent costs more than owning",
            "format": "text"
        }
    ],
    "formula": {
        "text": "Rent in year y = Rent × 12 × (1 + g)^(y−1);  Owning in year y = 12 × Mortgage payment + (Tax + Insurance + Maintenance% × Price + 12 × HOA) × (1 + c)^(y−1);  Difference = Upfront cash + Σ Owning − Σ Rent",
        "variables": {
            "g": "yearly rent increase",
            "c": "yearly increase in owner running costs",
            "Upfront cash": "down payment plus closing costs"
        }
    },
    "worked_example": {
        "inputs": {
            "rent": "2000",
            "rent_increase": "3",
            "price": "400000",
            "down_pct": "20",
            "closing": "10000",
            "rate": "6.5",
            "term": "30",
            "property_tax": "4000",
            "insurance": "1500",
            "maintenance_pct": "1",
            "hoa": "0",
            "cost_increase": "3",
            "years": "10",
            "currency": "USD"
        },
        "steps": [
            "Loan $320,000 at 6.5% over 30 years = $2,022.62 a month.",
            "Year-1 owner costs = 2,022.62 + (4,000 + 1,500 + 4,000) ÷ 12 = $2,814.28 a month, against $2,000 rent.",
            "Ten years of rent rising 3% = 24,000 × (1.03¹⁰ − 1) ÷ 0.03 = $275,133.10.",
            "Owning = $90,000 upfront + $351,620.97 of payments and costs = $441,620.97, so owning takes $166,487.87 more cash."
        ],
        "result": "Over 10 years owning takes about $166,488 more cash than renting, though $48,716 of that repays the loan and stays with you as equity."
    },
    "interpretation": "Cash out is what matters for your budget. It is not the whole financial picture: part of the mortgage payment builds equity and the home may rise in value. For a net-worth comparison, use a rent vs buy calculator that includes appreciation and investment returns.",
    "assumptions": [
        "The mortgage is fixed-rate with level monthly payments.",
        "Rent and owner costs grow at the steady rates you enter.",
        "Tax effects (deductions, reliefs) are ignored."
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Ignores home price growth, selling costs and what the renter could earn by investing the deposit; those belong in a wealth comparison."
    ],
    "rules": null,
    "faqs": [
        {
            "question": "Why can owning cost more even when the mortgage is less than rent?",
            "answer": "Tax, insurance, maintenance and service charges come on top of the mortgage, and the deposit and closing costs are paid up front."
        },
        {
            "question": "Does the principal I repay count as a cost?",
            "answer": "It is cash out of your budget, so it is counted here, but it becomes equity. The page shows it separately so you can see how much."
        }
    ],
    "sources": [],
    "related": [
        {
            "name": "Mortgage Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/mortgage-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Closing Cost Estimate Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/closing-cost-estimate-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Loan-to-Value Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/loan-to-value-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Inflation Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/inflation-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Rent vs Buy Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/rent-vs-buy-calculator"
        }
    ],
    "disclaimer": "This calculator gives estimates for planning. It is not financial advice, and lenders’ actual terms, fees and rounding may differ.",
    "publisher": "GM¹X CalcVerse"
}