Rent vs. Buy Calculator

It depends mostly on how long you'll stay. Buying carries upfront costs, but each year you build equity and — in an appreciating market like Las Vegas — gain value, while rent tends to rise every year. This calculator finds the break-even year where buying becomes the cheaper choice for your numbers.

It's the number of years you'd need to own before buying costs less than renting, once you count the equity and appreciation you keep when you eventually sell. Stay past the break-even year and buying usually wins; sell before it and renting may have been cheaper.

To keep the comparison fair. A renter doesn't tie up cash in a down payment, so they could invest it instead. The tool assumes that un-spent cash earns about 5% a year and subtracts that gain from renting's cost — otherwise buying would look artificially better.

Not directly — mortgage-interest and property-tax deductions depend on your personal situation and whether you itemize. Treat the result as a pre-tax comparison, and talk with a tax professional about deductions that may make owning even more favorable.