Who this is for
People deciding whether to keep renting or buy soon.
Rent vs Buy Calculator
Compare the total cost of renting vs buying over time. See when buying becomes cheaper with a month-by-month simulation.
How we calculate this - methodology, formulas & sourcesBuying wins by
£50,147
Buying is better
£
£50k£5m
£
£0£500k
10% % of property price
%
0%10%
years
5 yrs40 yrs
years
1 yr30 yrs
Rental
£
£200£5,000
%
0%10%
Growth assumptions
%/yr
-5%10%
%/yr
0%15%
Costs & fees
%
0%5%
%
0%5%
%
0%5%
Buy wealth
£196,918
After 10 years
Rent wealth
£146,771
After 10 years
Wealth over time
Buying
Renting
Buy breakdown
Property value£403,175
Remaining mortgage-£196,178
Selling costs-£10,079
Net wealth£196,918
Rent breakdown
Initial investment£36,000
Total rent paid£165,080
Investment pot£146,771
What you'd spend buying
Deposit£30,000
Stamp duty£0
Buying costs£6,000
Mortgage payments£180,090
Maintenance£34,392
Buying is better by £50,147 over 10 years. After selling, you'd walk away with £196,918 in equity and savings, compared to £146,771 if you'd rented and invested.
Assumes constant mortgage rate, annual compounding on growth, and selling at the end of the stay period. Property and investment values can go down as well as up.