Renting vs. Buying Calculator

Roughly 3–5 years once you include transaction costs on both ends. Under about 4 years, renting often wins; longer usually favors buying — but the horizon, not a slogan, decides it.

The maintenance reserve (higher on older homes), property tax, insurance, HOA, and the opportunity cost of the down payment. Compare full cost of owning to rent, not just mortgage to rent.

At the margin, yes. No state income tax changes your overall cash-flow picture versus a high-tax state, which helps the "buy" side modestly over a long horizon. It doesn't rescue a too-short one.

It raises the cost-of-owning input through upkeep — budget 2–3% of value versus about 1% on newer homes. Two homes at the same price can produce very different rent-versus-buy answers once honest maintenance is in the model.

If the down payment would otherwise stay invested, count that foregone return as a cost of buying. For high-W2 households this is often the swing variable — it's why the same numbers favor buying for one couple and renting one more year for another.

Your real years-in-home and whether you'd actually invest the difference if you rented. Be honest about both; the model is only as good as those two inputs.

Run them against your specific timeline and cash position in a Real Estate Review before you commit to a lease renewal or an offer.