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Rent or buy?

England & Northern Ireland

Rent or buy calculator

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The URL includes the property price, rent, deposit and other assumptions. Anyone with the link can read them. Saved scenario names are not included.

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Your numbers

Example values

Home and rent

Cash needed to buy£83,500
Stamp duty · England & Northern Ireland

Mortgage

First mortgage payment£1,938

Renting includes investing the money you would otherwise put into buying.

Your comparison

Example result
Value display

Buying could leave you

≈£127k

better off after 10 years.

BuyingRenting + investing
Year-by-year net wealth for buying and renting in nominal poundsThe solid line shows buying and the dashed line shows renting. At the end of the selected period, buying wealth is £272,486 and renting wealth is £145,731, shown in nominal pounds.-£21.8k£57.2k£136.2k£215.3k£294.3kNow3y5y8y10y

Buying wealth

£272,486

After selling costs

Renting wealth

£145,731

Investments + refundable deposit

Buying stays ahead from about year 2.2

How much could it change?

Three test cases

Rent-favouring case

£24,099

Buying ahead

Current case

£126,755

Buying ahead

Buy-favouring case

£238,980

Buying ahead

Buying finishes ahead in all three tested cases. Not probabilities.

Future pounds · not adjusted for inflation.

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Saving draft

Illustrative, not a forecast. Mortgage rate held constant; investment tax and fees excluded. Limitations

Assumptions

Growth and returnsProperty 2.5%Rent 3%Investing 5%

Property price history

UK HPI · choose an area.

Property growth history

Choose a historical rate to use. Past performance isn’t a forecast.

Rent history

ONS rents · choose an area.

Rent growth history

Choose a historical rate to use. Past performance isn’t a forecast.

Fund history

Historical returns in pounds.

Investment return history

Choose a historical GBP return to use. Past performance isn’t a forecast.

For the today’s money view.

Historical data isn’t a forecast.

Detailed costsBuying £3,500 fixed + 0%Upkeep 1% + £35/monthSelling 1.5%Renter £15/month + £300 upfront + 1-month deposit
See the full breakdownMonthly budget, test cases and costs

Month one · nominal cash flow

Buying vs renting + investing.

Buying path

Buying: £2,349 housing outgoings plus £0 invested in the market equals a total monthly commitment of £2,349.

Renting path

Renting: £2,115 housing outgoings plus £234 invested in the market equals a total monthly commitment of £2,349.

Investment is automatic. Whatever remains after housing costs is invested in the market, keeping both paths on the same monthly budget.

Recalculated every month

Cash needed to buy
£83,500
Renter starts invested
£81,100

Sensitivity range

How the result changes.

Explicit stress cases, not probabilities. Each card shows the rates used; amounts are in nominal pounds.

Rent-favouring case

Property growth 1.5 points lower, rent growth 1 point lower and investment return 1 point higher.

Outcome

Buying ahead

£24,099

Property
1%
Rent
2%
Investing
6%

Current case

Your selected assumptions, without an implied probability.

Outcome

Buying ahead

£126,755

Property
2.5%
Rent
3%
Investing
5%

Buy-favouring case

Property growth 1.5 points higher, rent growth 1 point higher and investment return 1 point lower.

Outcome

Buying ahead

£238,980

Property
4%
Rent
4%
Investing
4%

Unrecoverable cost totals are shown in nominal pounds.

Unrecoverable buying costs

£236,347
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
£12,500
Legal, survey, mortgage & moving costs
£3,500
Mortgage interest
£156,411
Maintenance and insurance
£55,295
Service charge and ground rent
£0
Estimated selling costs
£8,641

Unrecoverable renting costs

£290,990
Rent paid
£288,890
Renter insurance
£1,800
Other monthly costs
£0
One-off renter costs
£300

Rental deposits are assumed fully refundable. Historical evidence is not a forecast. This comparison does not assess affordability or mortgage eligibility. Read the methodology.