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.

Buying wins by

£50,147

£
£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%

Buying wins by

£50,147

Buying is better

Buy wealth

£196,918

After 10 years

Rent wealth

£146,771

After 10 years

Wealth over time

£0£50k£100k£150k£200k0246810Years
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.