Years until the cumulative cost of buying equals the cumulative cost of renting.

1,200 rent vs 1,500 buying cost with 40,000 upfront costs: buying is cumulatively more expensive than renting by 40,000 plus 300/mo (from month 1). Break-even from this narrow cash view is never — renting wins forever on pure outflow. But buying builds equity; factor that and the picture shifts. The calculator shows the pure outflow break-even, letting you judge when equity build-up changes the conclusion.

How to use it

Enter monthly rent, monthly total buying cost (mortgage + insurance + maintenance), and upfront costs (deposit + legal + survey + moving). The tool compares cumulative cash outflows month by month.

What the result means

Primary is break-even year — when cumulative renting cost equals cumulative buying cost. If buying is cheaper monthly, break-even arrives quickly as upfront costs are recovered. If buying is more expensive monthly, break-even is later or never on pure cash.

What this doesn't capture

Equity build-up, property appreciation, rent inflation, investment return on the deposit if invested instead. A pure-cash break-even later than 'never' doesn't mean buying is a bad decision — long-term, equity and appreciation typically make buying advantageous. Use this as one input, not the full picture.

Run it with sensible defaults

Using monthly rent of 1,200, monthly buying cost of 1,500, upfront buying cost of 40,000, the calculation works out to Never. Nudge the inputs toward your own situation and the output recalculates instantly. The defaults are meant as a starting point, not a recommendation.

The levers in this calculation

The inputs — Monthly Rent, Monthly Buying Cost, and Upfront Buying Cost — do not pull with equal force. Two inputs usually tip the answer one way or the other. Identify which ones matter most by flipping each value past a round threshold and watching whether the winning option changes.

How the math works

If monthly rent exceeds monthly buying cost, break-even is upfront cost divided by the monthly gap, converted to years. If buying's monthly is higher or equal, break-even never arrives on pure cash outflow — the tool returns 'Never' and signals that equity build-up is needed to justify buying. The working is transparent — you can verify every step yourself in the formula section below. No black box, no opaque "proprietary model".

What the headline rate hides

Lenders quote a rate; what you pay is a blend of that rate, fees, insurance, and any early-repayment penalty built into the product. The figure here isolates the core interest cost so you can compare like-for-like across deals — then add the other costs separately before signing anything.