Quick guide
How to use this calculator
- Enter amounts from the same property scenario and use consistent periods and units.
- Use visitor-entered rates and allowances from your own documents rather than assuming a local rule.
- Review the component results and the calculator-specific decision boundary before acting.
Calculation method
Calculation method
For each year: ownership net cash cost = purchase price + purchase costs + cumulative ownership costs − projected sale value after selling costs; compare with cumulative rent.
Entered fixed decimals remain exact through rational arithmetic. Planar distance outputs that require square roots use bounded numerical evaluation. Values round only for display, and unsupported or undefined states return an explicit message.
Worked example
Worked example
The calculator checks years 1 through 100 and reports the first year the entered ownership scenario costs no more than renting.
For each year: ownership net cash cost = purchase price + purchase costs + cumulative ownership costs − projected sale value after selling costs; compare with cumulative rent.
Supported inputs
Precision and limits
International scope
No currency, market price, interest rate, tax, tenancy rule, planning code, lender policy, or measurement definition is supplied automatically.
Scenario, not a decision
Results are arithmetic scenarios from visitor-entered values—not an appraisal, loan approval, legal interpretation, planning determination, forecast, or professional recommendation.
Precision and privacy
Inputs accept bounded plain decimals and remain in this browser. The engine prevents invalid denominators and misleading non-finite results.
Calculator-specific boundary
This is an unfinanced, undiscounted comparison with level annual rent and ownership costs. It excludes mortgage cash flows, investment returns, taxes, renovations, and qualitative differences; use Rent vs Buy for a fuller scenario.
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