🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 84 (from laksa098)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa084.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html","crawl_time":1772903455,"first_indexed_time":1714712119,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,nytimes!www,\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html s443","src_root_hash":"4566504020376537684","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator. - The New York Times","meta_descriptions":["Our calculator, updated in July 2025, takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"This calculator was updated in\nJuly 2025\nto reflect current tax law.\nThe choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal.\nTo help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options.\nNote that the “winning choice” is the one that makes more financial sense over the long run, not necessarily what you can afford today. And there are plenty of reasons you might want to rent or buy that are not financial — all we can help you with is the numbers.\nThe Basics\nAdjust these numbers to get an estimate for your situation. These are some of the most important factors in your decision, and they’re the only ones we can’t estimate for you.\nHome Price, if You Buy\nA very important factor, but not the only one. Our estimate will improve as you enter more details below.\nReset\nBuying is\nbetter\nRenting is\nbetter\n$100K\n$200K\n$500K\n$1.0M\n$2.0M\n$500K\nMonthly Rent, if You Rent\nSetting a target rent allows for a direct comparison of potential costs.\nReset\nBuying is\nbetter\nRenting is\nbetter\n$1K\n$2K\n$5K\n$10K\n$20K\n$2K\nHow Long Do You Plan to Stay?\nBuying tends to be more appealing the longer you stay because the upfront fees are spread over many years.\nReset\n10\n20\n30\n40\n10\nWhat Are Your Mortgage Details?\nThe calculator assumes you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It also calculates your main opportunity cost of buying — the amount you could have earned by investing the down payment instead — and checks whether you can take advantage of the mortgage-interest tax deduction.\nMortgage rate\n?\nReset\n$2,594 per month\n0.0%\n5.0%\n10.0%\n15.0%\n6.75%\nDown payment\nReset\n$100,000\n0%\n20%\n40%\n60%\n80%\n100%\n20%\nLength of mortgage\n?\nReset\n10\n20\n30\n40\n30\nPrivate mortgage insurance\n?\nReset\n$0 per month (first yr.)\n0.0%\n0.5%\n1.0%\n1.5%\n2.0%\n0.00%\nAdvanced Options\nSome of these inputs will matter a lot, and others less. We’ve filled in some reasonable guesses for you to start.\nWhat Does the Future Hold?\nHow much home prices, rents and stock prices change can have a large impact on your outcome. Unfortunately, these are some of the hardest things to predict and can vary significantly across the country.\nHome price growth rate\n?\nReset\n-5.0%\n0.0%\n5.0%\n10.0%\n15.0%\n3.0%\nRent growth rate\n?\nReset\n-5.0%\n0.0%\n5.0%\n10.0%\n15.0%\n3.0%\nInvestment return rate\n?\nReset\n-10.0%\n-5.0%\n0.0%\n5.0%\n10.0%\n15.0%\n20.0%\n4.5%\nInflation rate\n?\nReset\n-5.0%\n0.0%\n5.0%\n10.0%\n3.0%\nTaxes\nProperty taxes and mortgage-interest costs are significant but also deductible. The higher your marginal tax rate, the bigger the deduction. But if your house-related deductions are smaller than the standard deduction, you won’t see any relative tax benefit from buying. Note that the calculator assumes savings in line with current tax laws.\nHow you file your taxes:\n?\nIndividual return\nJoint return\nProperty tax rate\n?\nReset\n$6,750 first year\n0.0%\n2.0%\n4.0%\n6.0%\n8.0%\n10.0%\n1.35%\nMarginal tax rate\n?\nReset\n0%\n10%\n20%\n30%\n40%\n50%\n20%\nOther itemized deductions\n?\nReset\n$0\n$20K\n$40K\n$60K\n$0\nClosing Costs\nYou’ll have to pay a set of one-time fees when you buy your home, and also when you sell it.\nCosts of buying home\n?\nReset\n$20,000\n0.0%\n2.0%\n4.0%\n6.0%\n8.0%\n10.0%\n4.0%\nCosts of selling home\n?\nReset\n$40,317\n0.0%\n2.0%\n4.0%\n6.0%\n8.0%\n10.0%\n6.0%\nMaintenance and Fees\nOwning a home comes with a variety of expenses, including fixing things and paying certain utility bills. The calculator assumes these costs will increase over time with inflation.\nMaintenance\/renovation\n?\nReset\n$5,000 first year\n0.0%\n2.0%\n4.0%\n6.0%\n8.0%\n10.0%\n1.00%\nHomeowner’s insurance\n?\nReset\n$2,750 first year\n0.0%\n2.0%\n4.0%\n6.0%\n8.0%\n10.0%\n0.55%\nExtra monthly utilities\n?\nReset\n$0\n$500\n$1K\n$2K\n$2K\n$100\nMonthly common fees\n?\nReset\n$0\n$2K\n$4K\n$6K\n$8K\n$0\nCommon fees deduction\n?\nReset\n0%\n20%\n40%\n60%\n80%\n100%\n0%\nAdditional Renting Costs\nThese are the costs on top of rent, such as the fee you pay to a broker and the opportunity cost on your security deposit. But these expenses typically have a negligible impact.\nSecurity deposit\n?\nReset\n$2,000 first year\n0\n2\n4\n6\n8\n10\n12\n1\nBroker’s fee\n?\nReset\n$0\n0%\n10%\n20%\n30%\n40%\n50%\n0%\nRenter’s insurance\n?\nReset\n$240 first year\n0.0%\n2.0%\n4.0%\n6.0%\n8.0%\n10.0%\n1.00%\nRenting saves you $141,000\nover\n10 years\n10 years\nBuy\nRent\nInitial costs\n$120,000\n$2,000\nRecurring costs\n$493,441\n$277,884\nOpportunity costs\n$146,678\n$50,950\nNet proceeds\n-$290,437\n-$2,000\nTotal\n$469,683\n$328,835\nHow to Read the Charts.\nCharts where the colors are similar indicate factors that are not particularly important. Conversely, the factors that have a wide range of colors have a large impact.\nMethodology\nThe calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money (instead of spending it on a down payment, for example). The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would have been taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of buying and renting. All figures are in current dollars. Note that tax law regarding deductions can have a significant effect on the relative benefits of buying, and that can change. For one portion of the mortgage interest deduction calculation, the calculator also assumes you make under $500,000 each year.\nBuying\nInitial costs\nare the costs you incur when you go to the closing for the home you are purchasing. This includes the down payment and other fees.\nRecurring costs\nare expenses you will have to pay monthly or yearly in owning your home. These include mortgage payments; condo fees (or other community living fees); maintenance and renovation costs; property taxes; and homeowner’s insurance. A few items are tax deductible, up to a point: property taxes; the interest part of the mortgage payment; and, in some cases, a portion of the common charges. The resulting tax savings are accounted for in the buying total. If your house-related deductions are similar to or smaller than the standard deduction, you’ll get little or no relative tax savings from buying. If your house-related deductions are large enough to make itemizing worthwhile, we only count as savings the amount above the standard deduction.\nOpportunity costs\nare calculated for the initial purchase costs and for the recurring costs. That will give you an idea of how much you could have made if you had invested your money instead of buying your home.\nNet proceeds\nis the amount of money you receive from the sale of your home minus the closing costs, which includes the broker’s commission and other fees, the remaining principal balance that you pay to your mortgage bank and any tax you have to pay on profit that exceeds your capital gains exclusion. If your total is negative, it means you have done very well: You made enough of a profit that it covered not only the cost of your home, but also all of your recurring expenses.\nRenting\nInitial costs\ninclude the rent security deposit and, if applicable, the broker’s fee.\nRecurring costs\ninclude the monthly rent and the cost of renter’s insurance.\nOpportunity costs\nare calculated each year for both your initial costs and your recurring costs.\nNet proceeds\ninclude the return of the rental security deposit, which typically occurs at the end of a lease.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html#site-index)\n\nSearch & Section Navigation\n\nSection Navigation\n\nSearch\n\n[The Upshot](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/upshot)\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252Finteractive%252F2024%252Fupshot%252Fbuy-rent-calculator.html&asset=masthead)\n\n[Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper)\n\n[The Upshot](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/upshot)\\|Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator.\n\nhttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html\n\n- Share full article\n- 865\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html#after-top)\n\n[![Upshot logo](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/newsgraphics\/upshot\/upshot-logo.svg)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/upshot)\n\n# Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator.\nBy [Mike Bostock](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/mike-bostock), [Shan Carter](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/shan-carter), [Archie Tse](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/archie-tse) and [Francesca Paris](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/francesca-paris)\n\nMay 10, 2024\n\nTop notice line.\n\n- Share full article\n- 865\n\nThis calculator was updated in July 2025 to reflect current tax law.\n\nThe choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal.   \n  \nTo help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options.   \n  \n Note that the “winning choice” is the one that makes more financial sense over the long run, not necessarily what you can afford today. And there are plenty of reasons you might want to rent or buy that are not financial — all we can help you with is the numbers.\n\nThe Basics\n\nAdjust these numbers to get an estimate for your situation. These are some of the most important factors in your decision, and they’re the only ones we can’t estimate for you.\n\nHome Price, if You Buy\n\nA very important factor, but not the only one. Our estimate will improve as you enter more details below.\n\nBuying is\n\nbetter\n\nRenting is\n\nbetter\n\n\\$100K\n\n\\$200K\n\n\\$500K\n\n\\$1.0M\n\n\\$2.0M\n\n\\$500K\n\nMonthly Rent, if You Rent\n\nSetting a target rent allows for a direct comparison of potential costs.\n\nBuying is\n\nbetter\n\nRenting is\n\nbetter\n\n\\$1K\n\n\\$2K\n\n\\$5K\n\n\\$10K\n\n\\$20K\n\n\\$2K\n\nHow Long Do You Plan to Stay?\n\nBuying tends to be more appealing the longer you stay because the upfront fees are spread over many years.\n\n10\n\n20\n\n30\n\n40\n\n10\n\nWhat Are Your Mortgage Details?\n\nThe calculator assumes you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It also calculates your main opportunity cost of buying — the amount you could have earned by investing the down payment instead — and checks whether you can take advantage of the mortgage-interest tax deduction.\n\nMortgage rate ?\n\n\\$2,594 per month\n\n0\\.0%\n\n5\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n15\\.0%\n\n6\\.75%\n\nDown payment\n\n\\$100,000\n\n0%\n\n20%\n\n40%\n\n60%\n\n80%\n\n100%\n\n20%\n\nLength of mortgage ?\n\n10\n\n20\n\n30\n\n40\n\n30\n\nPrivate mortgage insurance ?\n\n\\$0 per month (first yr.)\n\n0\\.0%\n\n0\\.5%\n\n1\\.0%\n\n1\\.5%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n0\\.00%\n\nAdvanced Options\n\nSome of these inputs will matter a lot, and others less. We’ve filled in some reasonable guesses for you to start.\n\nWhat Does the Future Hold?\n\nHow much home prices, rents and stock prices change can have a large impact on your outcome. Unfortunately, these are some of the hardest things to predict and can vary significantly across the country.\n\nHome price growth rate ?\n\n\\-5.0%\n\n0\\.0%\n\n5\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n15\\.0%\n\n3\\.0%\n\nRent growth rate ?\n\n\\-5.0%\n\n0\\.0%\n\n5\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n15\\.0%\n\n3\\.0%\n\nInvestment return rate ?\n\n\\-10.0%\n\n\\-5.0%\n\n0\\.0%\n\n5\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n15\\.0%\n\n20\\.0%\n\n4\\.5%\n\nInflation rate ?\n\n\\-5.0%\n\n0\\.0%\n\n5\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n3\\.0%\n\nTaxes\n\nProperty taxes and mortgage-interest costs are significant but also deductible. The higher your marginal tax rate, the bigger the deduction. But if your house-related deductions are smaller than the standard deduction, you won’t see any relative tax benefit from buying. Note that the calculator assumes savings in line with current tax laws.\n\nHow you file your taxes: ?\n\nIndividual return\n\nJoint return\n\nProperty tax rate ?\n\n\\$6,750 first year\n\n0\\.0%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\n8\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n1\\.35%\n\nMarginal tax rate ?\n\n0%\n\n10%\n\n20%\n\n30%\n\n40%\n\n50%\n\n20%\n\nOther itemized deductions ?\n\n\\$0\n\n\\$20K\n\n\\$40K\n\n\\$60K\n\n\\$0\n\nClosing Costs\n\nYou’ll have to pay a set of one-time fees when you buy your home, and also when you sell it.\n\nCosts of buying home ?\n\n\\$20,000\n\n0\\.0%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\n8\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\nCosts of selling home ?\n\n\\$40,317\n\n0\\.0%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\n8\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\nMaintenance and Fees\n\nOwning a home comes with a variety of expenses, including fixing things and paying certain utility bills. The calculator assumes these costs will increase over time with inflation.\n\nMaintenance\/renovation ?\n\n\\$5,000 first year\n\n0\\.0%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\n8\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n1\\.00%\n\nHomeowner’s insurance ?\n\n\\$2,750 first year\n\n0\\.0%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\n8\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n0\\.55%\n\nExtra monthly utilities ?\n\n\\$0\n\n\\$500\n\n\\$1K\n\n\\$2K\n\n\\$2K\n\n\\$100\n\nMonthly common fees ?\n\n\\$0\n\n\\$2K\n\n\\$4K\n\n\\$6K\n\n\\$8K\n\n\\$0\n\nCommon fees deduction ?\n\n0%\n\n20%\n\n40%\n\n60%\n\n80%\n\n100%\n\n0%\n\nAdditional Renting Costs\n\nThese are the costs on top of rent, such as the fee you pay to a broker and the opportunity cost on your security deposit. But these expenses typically have a negligible impact.\n\nSecurity deposit ?\n\n\\$2,000 first year\n\n0\n\n2\n\n4\n\n6\n\n8\n\n10\n\n12\n\n1\n\nBroker’s fee ?\n\n\\$0\n\n0%\n\n10%\n\n20%\n\n30%\n\n40%\n\n50%\n\n0%\n\nRenter’s insurance ?\n\n\\$240 first year\n\n0\\.0%\n\n2\\.0%\n\n4\\.0%\n\n6\\.0%\n\n8\\.0%\n\n10\\.0%\n\n1\\.00%\n\nRenting saves you \\$141,000   \n over 10 years\n\n10 years\n\nBuy\n\nRent\n\nInitial costs\n\n\\$120,000\n\n\\$2,000\n\nRecurring costs\n\n\\$493,441\n\n\\$277,884\n\nOpportunity costs\n\n\\$146,678\n\n\\$50,950\n\nNet proceeds\n\n\\-\\$290,437\n\n\\-\\$2,000\n\nTotal\n\n\\$469,683\n\n\\$328,835\n\nHow to Read the Charts. Charts where the colors are similar indicate factors that are not particularly important. Conversely, the factors that have a wide range of colors have a large impact.\n\nSave\n\nShare\n\nReset\n\nLog in or register to save your data\n\nMethodology\n\nThe calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money (instead of spending it on a down payment, for example). The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would have been taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of buying and renting. All figures are in current dollars. Note that tax law regarding deductions can have a significant effect on the relative benefits of buying, and that can change. For one portion of the mortgage interest deduction calculation, the calculator also assumes you make under \\$500,000 each year.\n\nBuying\n\n**Initial costs** are the costs you incur when you go to the closing for the home you are purchasing. This includes the down payment and other fees.\n\nRecurring costs are expenses you will have to pay monthly or yearly in owning your home. These include mortgage payments; condo fees (or other community living fees); maintenance and renovation costs; property taxes; and homeowner’s insurance. A few items are tax deductible, up to a point: property taxes; the interest part of the mortgage payment; and, in some cases, a portion of the common charges. The resulting tax savings are accounted for in the buying total. If your house-related deductions are similar to or smaller than the standard deduction, you’ll get little or no relative tax savings from buying. If your house-related deductions are large enough to make itemizing worthwhile, we only count as savings the amount above the standard deduction.\n\nOpportunity costs are calculated for the initial purchase costs and for the recurring costs. That will give you an idea of how much you could have made if you had invested your money instead of buying your home.\n\nNet proceeds is the amount of money you receive from the sale of your home minus the closing costs, which includes the broker’s commission and other fees, the remaining principal balance that you pay to your mortgage bank and any tax you have to pay on profit that exceeds your capital gains exclusion. If your total is negative, it means you have done very well: You made enough of a profit that it covered not only the cost of your home, but also all of your recurring expenses.\n\nRenting\n\n**Initial costs** include the rent security deposit and, if applicable, the broker’s fee.\n\n**Recurring costs** include the monthly rent and the cost of renter’s insurance.\n\n**Opportunity costs** are calculated each year for both your initial costs and your recurring costs.\n\n**Net proceeds** include the return of the rental security deposit, which typically occurs at the end of a lease.\n\n- Share full article\n- 865\n\nThis calculator was originally published in 2014. Additional work by Eve Washington. Sources: Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics; Federal Reserve Economic Data, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Jonathan J. Miller, Miller Samuel Inc.\n\nRead 865 comments\n\n- Share full article\n- 865\n\n***\n## From The Upshot: What the Data Says\n### Analysis that explains politics, policy and everyday life.\n***\n- **Cost of Child Care:** It has always been expensive, but recently [prices have risen faster than inflation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/05\/upshot\/child-care-expensive-prices.html).\n- **Betting on War:** Polymarket users [placed hundreds of bets predicting an imminent American strike](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/upshot\/prediction-markets-iran-strikes.html) in Iran in the hours before it happened, raising concerns about insider trading.\n- **Who Won the Winter Olympics?:** Which country won the most events on snow, ice or sliding track? [Here are all the ways we could think of to track the medal count](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/22\/upshot\/winter-olympics-leaders-nations.html).\n- **Physician Assistants:** In multiple states, P.A. now means “physician associate,” and other states may follow this year. [Increased responsibilities and a push for the title change by physician assistants are raising tensions with doctors](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/31\/upshot\/physician-assistants-doctors-role.html).\n- **Why Boys Are Behind:** Boys’ reading struggles are not inevitable, research suggests, and [addressing the deficit could improve outcomes in school and beyond](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/30\/upshot\/boys-reading-falling-behind.html).\n\n## Related Content\n### [More in The Upshot](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/upshot)\n- [Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, March 7, 2026](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/03\/06\/upshot\/flashback.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/flashback-promo-2026-03-07-6\/flashback-promo-2026-03-07-6-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  The New York Times\n- [10-Minute Challenge: Klimt’s Woman in Gold](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/03\/01\/upshot\/ten-minute-challenge-klimt.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/upshot\/up-klimt\/up-klimt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Neue Galerie\n- [Who Won the Winter Olympics? We (Over) Analyzed the Medal Standings.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/22\/upshot\/winter-olympics-leaders-nations.html)\n  \n  ![Cross-country skiing is part of Norway’s culture and was a source of many of its medals. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/21\/multimedia\/00up-norway1-vlbj\/00up-norway1-vlbj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Vincent Alban\/The New York Times\n- [High Turnout, Unusual Coalitions: Lessons From the Texas Primary](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/04\/upshot\/texas-primary-talarico-cornyn-senate.html)\n  \n  ![James Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett by around six percentage points.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/04\/multimedia\/00up-james-talarico-tjgp\/00up-james-talarico-tjgp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times\n\n### Editors’ Picks\n- [Can a Bride Ban a Hairstyle?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/style\/wedding-planning-bridesmaid-hair-rules.html)\n  \n  ![A TikTok debate erupted after a bride said she was banning the slicked-back bun from her bridesmaids’ hairstyles.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/multimedia\/08ST-SBB-WEDDINGS-bmhg\/08ST-SBB-WEDDINGS-bmhg-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Getty Images\n- [Timothée Chalamet Has a Point About Ballet](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/arts\/dance\/timothee-chalamet-ballet-opera.html)\n  \n  ![Timothée Chalamet at a Knicks game in 2019. He said this week, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive.’”](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/09\/multimedia\/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc\/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  James Devaney\/Getty Images\n\n### Trending in The Times\n- [Opinion: Daryl Hannah: How Can ‘Love Story’ Get Away With This?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/opinion\/daryl-hannah-love-story-jfk-jr.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/09\/opinion\/06hannah\/06hannah-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Anna Malina Zemlianski\n- [Opinion: America Cannot Withstand the Economic Shock That’s Coming](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/opinion\/ai-labor-unemployment.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/09\/opinion\/06raimondo\/06raimondo-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Charles Desmarais\n- [Lemurs Love This Fruit That Is Choking Madagascar’s Forests](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/07\/science\/lemurs-guavas-forests-madagascar.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/00HS-tb-lemur-vs-forest-vlkc\/00HS-tb-lemur-vs-forest-vlkc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Amy Dunham\/Rice University\n- [House Tour \\| Mario Milana and Gabriella Campagna](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/t-magazine\/100000010737640\/house-tour-mario-milana-and-gabriella-campagna.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/05\/t-magazine\/05tmag-milana\/05tmag-milana-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Paolo Lobbia\n- [Israeli Strikes Intensify in Beirut as Thousands of Lebanese Flee](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/world\/middleeast\/100000010758544\/beirut-lebanon-iran-war-israel.html)\n  \n  ![Lebanese soldiers near a damaged hotel that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Hazmieh, east of Beirut, on Wednesday.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06int-lebanon-internal-swap-fqjm\/06int-lebanon-internal-swap-fqjm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Ibrahim Amro\/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n- [Opinion: Does the Iran War Put America First?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/opinion\/100000010747176\/does-the-iran-war-put-america-first.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/05\/opinion\/05rosspod-mills-image\/05rosspod-mills-image-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  The New York Times\n- [I Make Connections. 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President Trump said that he would replace her as homeland security secretary with Senator Markwayne Mullin.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06theheadlines-noem-02-zqvj\/06theheadlines-noem-02-zqvj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Eric Lee for The New York Times\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/upshot\/buy-rent-calculator.html#after-bottom)\n\n## Site Index\n[Go to Home Page »](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/)\n\nNews\n\n- [Home Page](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/)\n- [U.S.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/us)\n- [World](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world)\n- [Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n- [New York](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/nyregion)\n- [Education](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/education)\n- [Sports](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/sports)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/business)\n- 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Navigation\n- [© 2026 The New York Times Company](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014792127-Copyright-Notice)\n\n- [NYTCo](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015385887-Contact-The-New-York-Times)\n- [Accessibility](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015727108-Accessibility)\n- [Work with us](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/careers\/)\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/)\n- [T Brand Studio](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/custom-content\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/10940941449492-The-New-York-Times-Company-Privacy-Policy)\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/privacy\/cookie-policy)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893428-Terms-of-Service)\n- [Terms of Sale](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893968-Terms-of-Sale)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/sitemap\/)\n- [Canada](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/ca\/)\n- [International](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/international\/)\n- [Help](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us)\n- [Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)\n\nEnjoy unlimited access to all of The Times.\n\n[See subscription options](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=7Q87L)","attrs_readable_markdown":"This calculator was updated in July 2025 to reflect current tax law.\n\nThe choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal.\n\nTo help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options.\n\nNote that the “winning choice” is the one that makes more financial sense over the long run, not necessarily what you can afford today. And there are plenty of reasons you might want to rent or buy that are not financial — all we can help you with is the numbers.\n\nThe Basics\n\nAdjust these numbers to get an estimate for your situation. These are some of the most important factors in your decision, and they’re the only ones we can’t estimate for you.\n\nHome Price, if You Buy\n\nA very important factor, but not the only one. Our estimate will improve as you enter more details below.\n\nBuying is better Renting is better \\$100K \\$200K \\$500K \\$1.0M \\$2.0M \\$500K\n\nMonthly Rent, if You Rent\n\nSetting a target rent allows for a direct comparison of potential costs.\n\nBuying is better Renting is better \\$1K \\$2K \\$5K \\$10K \\$20K \\$2K\n\nHow Long Do You Plan to Stay?\n\nBuying tends to be more appealing the longer you stay because the upfront fees are spread over many years.\n\n10 20 30 40 10\n\nWhat Are Your Mortgage Details?\n\nThe calculator assumes you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It also calculates your main opportunity cost of buying — the amount you could have earned by investing the down payment instead — and checks whether you can take advantage of the mortgage-interest tax deduction.\n\nMortgage rate ?\n\n\\$2,594 per month\n\n0\\.0% 5\\.0% 10\\.0% 15\\.0% 6\\.75%\n\nDown payment\n\n\\$100,000\n\n0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20%\n\nLength of mortgage ?\n\n10 20 30 40 30\n\nPrivate mortgage insurance ?\n\n\\$0 per month (first yr.)\n\n0\\.0% 0\\.5% 1\\.0% 1\\.5% 2\\.0% 0\\.00%\n\nAdvanced Options\n\nSome of these inputs will matter a lot, and others less. We’ve filled in some reasonable guesses for you to start.\n\nWhat Does the Future Hold?\n\nHow much home prices, rents and stock prices change can have a large impact on your outcome. Unfortunately, these are some of the hardest things to predict and can vary significantly across the country.\n\nHome price growth rate ?\n\n\\-5.0% 0\\.0% 5\\.0% 10\\.0% 15\\.0% 3\\.0%\n\nRent growth rate ?\n\n\\-5.0% 0\\.0% 5\\.0% 10\\.0% 15\\.0% 3\\.0%\n\nInvestment return rate ?\n\n\\-10.0% \\-5.0% 0\\.0% 5\\.0% 10\\.0% 15\\.0% 20\\.0% 4\\.5%\n\nInflation rate ?\n\n\\-5.0% 0\\.0% 5\\.0% 10\\.0% 3\\.0%\n\nTaxes\n\nProperty taxes and mortgage-interest costs are significant but also deductible. The higher your marginal tax rate, the bigger the deduction. But if your house-related deductions are smaller than the standard deduction, you won’t see any relative tax benefit from buying. Note that the calculator assumes savings in line with current tax laws.\n\nHow you file your taxes: ?\n\nIndividual returnJoint return\n\nProperty tax rate ?\n\n\\$6,750 first year\n\n0\\.0% 2\\.0% 4\\.0% 6\\.0% 8\\.0% 10\\.0% 1\\.35%\n\nMarginal tax rate ?\n\n0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 20%\n\nOther itemized deductions ?\n\n\\$0 \\$20K \\$40K \\$60K \\$0\n\nClosing Costs\n\nYou’ll have to pay a set of one-time fees when you buy your home, and also when you sell it.\n\nCosts of buying home ?\n\n\\$20,000\n\n0\\.0% 2\\.0% 4\\.0% 6\\.0% 8\\.0% 10\\.0% 4\\.0%\n\nCosts of selling home ?\n\n\\$40,317\n\n0\\.0% 2\\.0% 4\\.0% 6\\.0% 8\\.0% 10\\.0% 6\\.0%\n\nMaintenance and Fees\n\nOwning a home comes with a variety of expenses, including fixing things and paying certain utility bills. The calculator assumes these costs will increase over time with inflation.\n\nMaintenance\/renovation ?\n\n\\$5,000 first year\n\n0\\.0% 2\\.0% 4\\.0% 6\\.0% 8\\.0% 10\\.0% 1\\.00%\n\nHomeowner’s insurance ?\n\n\\$2,750 first year\n\n0\\.0% 2\\.0% 4\\.0% 6\\.0% 8\\.0% 10\\.0% 0\\.55%\n\nExtra monthly utilities ?\n\n\\$0 \\$500 \\$1K \\$2K \\$2K \\$100\n\nMonthly common fees ?\n\n\\$0 \\$2K \\$4K \\$6K \\$8K \\$0\n\nCommon fees deduction ?\n\n0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0%\n\nAdditional Renting Costs\n\nThese are the costs on top of rent, such as the fee you pay to a broker and the opportunity cost on your security deposit. But these expenses typically have a negligible impact.\n\nSecurity deposit ?\n\n\\$2,000 first year\n\n0 2 4 6 8 10 12 1\n\nBroker’s fee ?\n\n\\$0\n\n0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0%\n\nRenter’s insurance ?\n\n\\$240 first year\n\n0\\.0% 2\\.0% 4\\.0% 6\\.0% 8\\.0% 10\\.0% 1\\.00%\n\nRenting saves you \\$141,000   \n over 10 years\n\n10 years\n\nBuy\n\nRent\n\nInitial costs\n\n\\$120,000\n\n\\$2,000\n\nRecurring costs\n\n\\$493,441\n\n\\$277,884\n\nOpportunity costs\n\n\\$146,678\n\n\\$50,950\n\nNet proceeds\n\n\\-\\$290,437\n\n\\-\\$2,000\n\nTotal\n\n\\$469,683\n\n\\$328,835\n\nHow to Read the Charts. Charts where the colors are similar indicate factors that are not particularly important. Conversely, the factors that have a wide range of colors have a large impact.\n\nMethodology\n\nThe calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money (instead of spending it on a down payment, for example). The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would have been taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of buying and renting. All figures are in current dollars. Note that tax law regarding deductions can have a significant effect on the relative benefits of buying, and that can change. For one portion of the mortgage interest deduction calculation, the calculator also assumes you make under \\$500,000 each year.\n\nBuying\n\n**Initial costs** are the costs you incur when you go to the closing for the home you are purchasing. This includes the down payment and other fees.\n\nRecurring costs are expenses you will have to pay monthly or yearly in owning your home. These include mortgage payments; condo fees (or other community living fees); maintenance and renovation costs; property taxes; and homeowner’s insurance. A few items are tax deductible, up to a point: property taxes; the interest part of the mortgage payment; and, in some cases, a portion of the common charges. The resulting tax savings are accounted for in the buying total. If your house-related deductions are similar to or smaller than the standard deduction, you’ll get little or no relative tax savings from buying. If your house-related deductions are large enough to make itemizing worthwhile, we only count as savings the amount above the standard deduction.\n\nOpportunity costs are calculated for the initial purchase costs and for the recurring costs. That will give you an idea of how much you could have made if you had invested your money instead of buying your home.\n\nNet proceeds is the amount of money you receive from the sale of your home minus the closing costs, which includes the broker’s commission and other fees, the remaining principal balance that you pay to your mortgage bank and any tax you have to pay on profit that exceeds your capital gains exclusion. If your total is negative, it means you have done very well: You made enough of a profit that it covered not only the cost of your home, but also all of your recurring expenses.\n\nRenting\n\n**Initial costs** include the rent security deposit and, if applicable, the broker’s fee.\n\n**Recurring costs** include the monthly rent and the cost of renter’s insurance.\n\n**Opportunity costs** are calculated each year for both your initial costs and your recurring costs.\n\n**Net proceeds** include the return of the rental security deposit, which typically occurs at the end of a lease.","meta_canonical":null}

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URL	https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html
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Meta Title	Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator. - The New York Times
Meta Description	Our calculator, updated in July 2025, takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options.
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Boilerpipe Text	This calculator was updated in July 2025 to reflect current tax law. The choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal. To help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options. Note that the “winning choice” is the one that makes more financial sense over the long run, not necessarily what you can afford today. And there are plenty of reasons you might want to rent or buy that are not financial — all we can help you with is the numbers. The Basics Adjust these numbers to get an estimate for your situation. These are some of the most important factors in your decision, and they’re the only ones we can’t estimate for you. Home Price, if You Buy A very important factor, but not the only one. Our estimate will improve as you enter more details below. Reset Buying is better Renting is better $100K $200K $500K $1.0M $2.0M $500K Monthly Rent, if You Rent Setting a target rent allows for a direct comparison of potential costs. Reset Buying is better Renting is better $1K $2K $5K $10K $20K $2K How Long Do You Plan to Stay? Buying tends to be more appealing the longer you stay because the upfront fees are spread over many years. Reset 10 20 30 40 10 What Are Your Mortgage Details? The calculator assumes you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It also calculates your main opportunity cost of buying — the amount you could have earned by investing the down payment instead — and checks whether you can take advantage of the mortgage-interest tax deduction. Mortgage rate ? Reset $2,594 per month 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 6.75% Down payment Reset $100,000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20% Length of mortgage ? Reset 10 20 30 40 30 Private mortgage insurance ? Reset $0 per month (first yr.) 0.0% 0.5% 1.0% 1.5% 2.0% 0.00% Advanced Options Some of these inputs will matter a lot, and others less. We’ve filled in some reasonable guesses for you to start. What Does the Future Hold? How much home prices, rents and stock prices change can have a large impact on your outcome. Unfortunately, these are some of the hardest things to predict and can vary significantly across the country. Home price growth rate ? Reset -5.0% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 3.0% Rent growth rate ? Reset -5.0% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 3.0% Investment return rate ? Reset -10.0% -5.0% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 4.5% Inflation rate ? Reset -5.0% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 3.0% Taxes Property taxes and mortgage-interest costs are significant but also deductible. The higher your marginal tax rate, the bigger the deduction. But if your house-related deductions are smaller than the standard deduction, you won’t see any relative tax benefit from buying. Note that the calculator assumes savings in line with current tax laws. How you file your taxes: ? Individual return Joint return Property tax rate ? Reset $6,750 first year 0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 1.35% Marginal tax rate ? Reset 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 20% Other itemized deductions ? Reset $0 $20K $40K $60K $0 Closing Costs You’ll have to pay a set of one-time fees when you buy your home, and also when you sell it. Costs of buying home ? Reset $20,000 0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 4.0% Costs of selling home ? Reset $40,317 0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 6.0% Maintenance and Fees Owning a home comes with a variety of expenses, including fixing things and paying certain utility bills. The calculator assumes these costs will increase over time with inflation. Maintenance/renovation ? Reset $5,000 first year 0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 1.00% Homeowner’s insurance ? Reset $2,750 first year 0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 0.55% Extra monthly utilities ? Reset $0 $500 $1K $2K $2K $100 Monthly common fees ? Reset $0 $2K $4K $6K $8K $0 Common fees deduction ? Reset 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% Additional Renting Costs These are the costs on top of rent, such as the fee you pay to a broker and the opportunity cost on your security deposit. But these expenses typically have a negligible impact. Security deposit ? Reset $2,000 first year 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 1 Broker’s fee ? Reset $0 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0% Renter’s insurance ? Reset $240 first year 0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 1.00% Renting saves you $141,000 over 10 years 10 years Buy Rent Initial costs $120,000 $2,000 Recurring costs $493,441 $277,884 Opportunity costs $146,678 $50,950 Net proceeds -$290,437 -$2,000 Total $469,683 $328,835 How to Read the Charts. Charts where the colors are similar indicate factors that are not particularly important. Conversely, the factors that have a wide range of colors have a large impact. Methodology The calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money (instead of spending it on a down payment, for example). The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would have been taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of buying and renting. All figures are in current dollars. Note that tax law regarding deductions can have a significant effect on the relative benefits of buying, and that can change. For one portion of the mortgage interest deduction calculation, the calculator also assumes you make under $500,000 each year. Buying Initial costs are the costs you incur when you go to the closing for the home you are purchasing. This includes the down payment and other fees. Recurring costs are expenses you will have to pay monthly or yearly in owning your home. These include mortgage payments; condo fees (or other community living fees); maintenance and renovation costs; property taxes; and homeowner’s insurance. A few items are tax deductible, up to a point: property taxes; the interest part of the mortgage payment; and, in some cases, a portion of the common charges. The resulting tax savings are accounted for in the buying total. If your house-related deductions are similar to or smaller than the standard deduction, you’ll get little or no relative tax savings from buying. If your house-related deductions are large enough to make itemizing worthwhile, we only count as savings the amount above the standard deduction. Opportunity costs are calculated for the initial purchase costs and for the recurring costs. That will give you an idea of how much you could have made if you had invested your money instead of buying your home. Net proceeds is the amount of money you receive from the sale of your home minus the closing costs, which includes the broker’s commission and other fees, the remaining principal balance that you pay to your mortgage bank and any tax you have to pay on profit that exceeds your capital gains exclusion. If your total is negative, it means you have done very well: You made enough of a profit that it covered not only the cost of your home, but also all of your recurring expenses. Renting Initial costs include the rent security deposit and, if applicable, the broker’s fee. Recurring costs include the monthly rent and the cost of renter’s insurance. Opportunity costs are calculated each year for both your initial costs and your recurring costs. Net proceeds include the return of the rental security deposit, which typically occurs at the end of a lease.
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html#site-index) Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation Search [The Upshot](https://www.nytimes.com/section/upshot) [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252Finteractive%252F2024%252Fupshot%252Fbuy-rent-calculator.html&asset=masthead) [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) [The Upshot](https://www.nytimes.com/section/upshot)\\|Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html - Share full article - 865 Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html#after-top) [![Upshot logo](https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/upshot/upshot-logo.svg)](https://www.nytimes.com/section/upshot) # Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator. By [Mike Bostock](https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-bostock), [Shan Carter](https://www.nytimes.com/by/shan-carter), [Archie Tse](https://www.nytimes.com/by/archie-tse) and [Francesca Paris](https://www.nytimes.com/by/francesca-paris) May 10, 2024 Top notice line. - Share full article - 865 This calculator was updated in July 2025 to reflect current tax law. The choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal. To help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options. Note that the “winning choice” is the one that makes more financial sense over the long run, not necessarily what you can afford today. And there are plenty of reasons you might want to rent or buy that are not financial — all we can help you with is the numbers. The Basics Adjust these numbers to get an estimate for your situation. These are some of the most important factors in your decision, and they’re the only ones we can’t estimate for you. Home Price, if You Buy A very important factor, but not the only one. Our estimate will improve as you enter more details below. Buying is better Renting is better \$100K \$200K \$500K \$1.0M \$2.0M \$500K Monthly Rent, if You Rent Setting a target rent allows for a direct comparison of potential costs. Buying is better Renting is better \$1K \$2K \$5K \$10K \$20K \$2K How Long Do You Plan to Stay? Buying tends to be more appealing the longer you stay because the upfront fees are spread over many years. 10 20 30 40 10 What Are Your Mortgage Details? The calculator assumes you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It also calculates your main opportunity cost of buying — the amount you could have earned by investing the down payment instead — and checks whether you can take advantage of the mortgage-interest tax deduction. Mortgage rate ? \$2,594 per month 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 6\.75% Down payment \$100,000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20% Length of mortgage ? 10 20 30 40 30 Private mortgage insurance ? \$0 per month (first yr.) 0\.0% 0\.5% 1\.0% 1\.5% 2\.0% 0\.00% Advanced Options Some of these inputs will matter a lot, and others less. We’ve filled in some reasonable guesses for you to start. What Does the Future Hold? How much home prices, rents and stock prices change can have a large impact on your outcome. Unfortunately, these are some of the hardest things to predict and can vary significantly across the country. Home price growth rate ? \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 3\.0% Rent growth rate ? \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 3\.0% Investment return rate ? \-10.0% \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 20\.0% 4\.5% Inflation rate ? \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 3\.0% Taxes Property taxes and mortgage-interest costs are significant but also deductible. The higher your marginal tax rate, the bigger the deduction. But if your house-related deductions are smaller than the standard deduction, you won’t see any relative tax benefit from buying. Note that the calculator assumes savings in line with current tax laws. How you file your taxes: ? Individual return Joint return Property tax rate ? \$6,750 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 1\.35% Marginal tax rate ? 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 20% Other itemized deductions ? \$0 \$20K \$40K \$60K \$0 Closing Costs You’ll have to pay a set of one-time fees when you buy your home, and also when you sell it. Costs of buying home ? \$20,000 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 4\.0% Costs of selling home ? \$40,317 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 6\.0% Maintenance and Fees Owning a home comes with a variety of expenses, including fixing things and paying certain utility bills. The calculator assumes these costs will increase over time with inflation. Maintenance/renovation ? \$5,000 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 1\.00% Homeowner’s insurance ? \$2,750 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 0\.55% Extra monthly utilities ? \$0 \$500 \$1K \$2K \$2K \$100 Monthly common fees ? \$0 \$2K \$4K \$6K \$8K \$0 Common fees deduction ? 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% Additional Renting Costs These are the costs on top of rent, such as the fee you pay to a broker and the opportunity cost on your security deposit. But these expenses typically have a negligible impact. Security deposit ? \$2,000 first year 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 1 Broker’s fee ? \$0 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0% Renter’s insurance ? \$240 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 1\.00% Renting saves you \$141,000 over 10 years 10 years Buy Rent Initial costs \$120,000 \$2,000 Recurring costs \$493,441 \$277,884 Opportunity costs \$146,678 \$50,950 Net proceeds \-\$290,437 \-\$2,000 Total \$469,683 \$328,835 How to Read the Charts. Charts where the colors are similar indicate factors that are not particularly important. Conversely, the factors that have a wide range of colors have a large impact. Save Share Reset Log in or register to save your data Methodology The calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money (instead of spending it on a down payment, for example). The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would have been taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of buying and renting. All figures are in current dollars. Note that tax law regarding deductions can have a significant effect on the relative benefits of buying, and that can change. For one portion of the mortgage interest deduction calculation, the calculator also assumes you make under \$500,000 each year. Buying Initial costs are the costs you incur when you go to the closing for the home you are purchasing. This includes the down payment and other fees. Recurring costs are expenses you will have to pay monthly or yearly in owning your home. These include mortgage payments; condo fees (or other community living fees); maintenance and renovation costs; property taxes; and homeowner’s insurance. A few items are tax deductible, up to a point: property taxes; the interest part of the mortgage payment; and, in some cases, a portion of the common charges. The resulting tax savings are accounted for in the buying total. If your house-related deductions are similar to or smaller than the standard deduction, you’ll get little or no relative tax savings from buying. If your house-related deductions are large enough to make itemizing worthwhile, we only count as savings the amount above the standard deduction. Opportunity costs are calculated for the initial purchase costs and for the recurring costs. That will give you an idea of how much you could have made if you had invested your money instead of buying your home. Net proceeds is the amount of money you receive from the sale of your home minus the closing costs, which includes the broker’s commission and other fees, the remaining principal balance that you pay to your mortgage bank and any tax you have to pay on profit that exceeds your capital gains exclusion. If your total is negative, it means you have done very well: You made enough of a profit that it covered not only the cost of your home, but also all of your recurring expenses. Renting Initial costs include the rent security deposit and, if applicable, the broker’s fee. Recurring costs include the monthly rent and the cost of renter’s insurance. Opportunity costs are calculated each year for both your initial costs and your recurring costs. Net proceeds include the return of the rental security deposit, which typically occurs at the end of a lease. - Share full article - 865 This calculator was originally published in 2014. Additional work by Eve Washington. Sources: Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics; Federal Reserve Economic Data, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Jonathan J. Miller, Miller Samuel Inc. Read 865 comments - Share full article - 865 * ## From The Upshot: What the Data Says ### Analysis that explains politics, policy and everyday life. * - Cost of Child Care: It has always been expensive, but recently [prices have risen faster than inflation](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/upshot/child-care-expensive-prices.html). - Betting on War: Polymarket users [placed hundreds of bets predicting an imminent American strike](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/upshot/prediction-markets-iran-strikes.html) in Iran in the hours before it happened, raising concerns about insider trading. - Who Won the Winter Olympics?: Which country won the most events on snow, ice or sliding track? [Here are all the ways we could think of to track the medal count](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/upshot/winter-olympics-leaders-nations.html). - Physician Assistants: In multiple states, P.A. now means “physician associate,” and other states may follow this year. 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Readable Markdown	This calculator was updated in July 2025 to reflect current tax law. The choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal. To help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying or renting and compares the two options. Note that the “winning choice” is the one that makes more financial sense over the long run, not necessarily what you can afford today. And there are plenty of reasons you might want to rent or buy that are not financial — all we can help you with is the numbers. The Basics Adjust these numbers to get an estimate for your situation. These are some of the most important factors in your decision, and they’re the only ones we can’t estimate for you. Home Price, if You Buy A very important factor, but not the only one. Our estimate will improve as you enter more details below. Buying is better Renting is better \$100K \$200K \$500K \$1.0M \$2.0M \$500K Monthly Rent, if You Rent Setting a target rent allows for a direct comparison of potential costs. Buying is better Renting is better \$1K \$2K \$5K \$10K \$20K \$2K How Long Do You Plan to Stay? Buying tends to be more appealing the longer you stay because the upfront fees are spread over many years. 10 20 30 40 10 What Are Your Mortgage Details? The calculator assumes you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It also calculates your main opportunity cost of buying — the amount you could have earned by investing the down payment instead — and checks whether you can take advantage of the mortgage-interest tax deduction. Mortgage rate ? \$2,594 per month 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 6\.75% Down payment \$100,000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20% Length of mortgage ? 10 20 30 40 30 Private mortgage insurance ? \$0 per month (first yr.) 0\.0% 0\.5% 1\.0% 1\.5% 2\.0% 0\.00% Advanced Options Some of these inputs will matter a lot, and others less. We’ve filled in some reasonable guesses for you to start. What Does the Future Hold? How much home prices, rents and stock prices change can have a large impact on your outcome. Unfortunately, these are some of the hardest things to predict and can vary significantly across the country. Home price growth rate ? \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 3\.0% Rent growth rate ? \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 3\.0% Investment return rate ? \-10.0% \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 15\.0% 20\.0% 4\.5% Inflation rate ? \-5.0% 0\.0% 5\.0% 10\.0% 3\.0% Taxes Property taxes and mortgage-interest costs are significant but also deductible. The higher your marginal tax rate, the bigger the deduction. But if your house-related deductions are smaller than the standard deduction, you won’t see any relative tax benefit from buying. Note that the calculator assumes savings in line with current tax laws. How you file your taxes: ? Individual returnJoint return Property tax rate ? \$6,750 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 1\.35% Marginal tax rate ? 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 20% Other itemized deductions ? \$0 \$20K \$40K \$60K \$0 Closing Costs You’ll have to pay a set of one-time fees when you buy your home, and also when you sell it. Costs of buying home ? \$20,000 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 4\.0% Costs of selling home ? \$40,317 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 6\.0% Maintenance and Fees Owning a home comes with a variety of expenses, including fixing things and paying certain utility bills. The calculator assumes these costs will increase over time with inflation. Maintenance/renovation ? \$5,000 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 1\.00% Homeowner’s insurance ? \$2,750 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 0\.55% Extra monthly utilities ? \$0 \$500 \$1K \$2K \$2K \$100 Monthly common fees ? \$0 \$2K \$4K \$6K \$8K \$0 Common fees deduction ? 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% Additional Renting Costs These are the costs on top of rent, such as the fee you pay to a broker and the opportunity cost on your security deposit. But these expenses typically have a negligible impact. Security deposit ? \$2,000 first year 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 1 Broker’s fee ? \$0 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0% Renter’s insurance ? \$240 first year 0\.0% 2\.0% 4\.0% 6\.0% 8\.0% 10\.0% 1\.00% Renting saves you \$141,000 over 10 years 10 years Buy Rent Initial costs \$120,000 \$2,000 Recurring costs \$493,441 \$277,884 Opportunity costs \$146,678 \$50,950 Net proceeds \-\$290,437 \-\$2,000 Total \$469,683 \$328,835 How to Read the Charts. Charts where the colors are similar indicate factors that are not particularly important. Conversely, the factors that have a wide range of colors have a large impact. Methodology The calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money (instead of spending it on a down payment, for example). The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would have been taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of buying and renting. All figures are in current dollars. Note that tax law regarding deductions can have a significant effect on the relative benefits of buying, and that can change. For one portion of the mortgage interest deduction calculation, the calculator also assumes you make under \$500,000 each year. Buying Initial costs are the costs you incur when you go to the closing for the home you are purchasing. This includes the down payment and other fees. Recurring costs are expenses you will have to pay monthly or yearly in owning your home. These include mortgage payments; condo fees (or other community living fees); maintenance and renovation costs; property taxes; and homeowner’s insurance. A few items are tax deductible, up to a point: property taxes; the interest part of the mortgage payment; and, in some cases, a portion of the common charges. The resulting tax savings are accounted for in the buying total. If your house-related deductions are similar to or smaller than the standard deduction, you’ll get little or no relative tax savings from buying. If your house-related deductions are large enough to make itemizing worthwhile, we only count as savings the amount above the standard deduction. Opportunity costs are calculated for the initial purchase costs and for the recurring costs. That will give you an idea of how much you could have made if you had invested your money instead of buying your home. Net proceeds is the amount of money you receive from the sale of your home minus the closing costs, which includes the broker’s commission and other fees, the remaining principal balance that you pay to your mortgage bank and any tax you have to pay on profit that exceeds your capital gains exclusion. If your total is negative, it means you have done very well: You made enough of a profit that it covered not only the cost of your home, but also all of your recurring expenses. Renting Initial costs include the rent security deposit and, if applicable, the broker’s fee. Recurring costs include the monthly rent and the cost of renter’s insurance. Opportunity costs are calculated each year for both your initial costs and your recurring costs. Net proceeds include the return of the rental security deposit, which typically occurs at the end of a lease.
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