Rent vs. buy life-plan simulator
Compare the home.
Protect the life.
Compare the monthly bills, the cash you’d have left, and what you might own later. Then weigh those numbers alongside where and how you want to live.
After the years you chose
The difference between what you’d have in the home after selling and what you’d have invested while renting, using the costs and rates in this plan.
Starter assumptions: 30-year term; 3% closing; 6% selling; 1% maintenance; 3% rent and home growth; 5% alternative return. Taxes are excluded from the comparison.
The home is one decision. The life around it is another.
Buying might leave you with more in the home later and less cash for a repair or time off today. Renting might give you flexibility you value. Look at the monthly bills, cash left, and longer-term figures together.
How this works + what it leaves out
The mortgage uses the standard U.S. fixed-payment formula and monthly amortization. Home value, rent, and the renter alternative portfolio use explicit effective annual rates converted monthly. The renter portfolio begins with down payment and closing cash not spent, then receives or funds the monthly cost difference. Owner wealth is home value minus loan balance and selling costs.
Income taxes, deductions, capital-gains treatment, deposits, refinancing, variable-rate loans, value-changing renovation, and assistance programs are excluded. This is not a qualification or affordability decision.
Educational planning estimate. Not financial, tax, legal, lending, or real-estate advice. Last reviewed October 5, 2026 by Ahead of Us.
Plan the home and the life around it.
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