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Should I rent or buy?

Rent versus buy calculator

Compare renting and buying using the same starting resources, housing needs and investment assumptions.

Start calculatingSee plans
  • Free, no account needed
  • Workings and assumptions shown
  • HtAG data with any plan

Use the free calculator

Your figures

Enter the total duty, legal fees, inspections, loan fees and any lenders mortgage insurance. Use the upfront-costs calculator to estimate them. Enter 0 only if there are no buying costs.

Include council and water rates, insurance, maintenance, strata and other ownership costs. Mortgage repayments are added separately.

For example, contents insurance. Exclude the rent entered above.

Your estimate

Compare buying with renting and investing

Compare a home assumed to be fully exempt from capital gains tax. Add your figures; the comparison updates as you go.

Start with these figures

This calculator needs JavaScript to work.

How it’s calculated

The method behind your estimate

How this estimate works

Use comparable housing needs and equal starting resources to model renting versus buying. Change rent, rates, growth and alternative-investment assumptions.

What to check before you act

Future returns, costs and occupancy are uncertain. Lifestyle, mobility, risk and tax circumstances may matter beyond the model.

Sources and further guidance

General information only. Check the calculator workings, selected rules date and supported scope. Not financial, credit, tax, legal or valuation advice.

Your next step

Plan a purchase

You are on step 5 of 5: Rent versus buy

All calculators
  1. Borrowing power
  2. Stamp duty
  3. Upfront costs and LMI
  4. Mortgage repayments
  5. Rent versus buy
  • Step 1

    How much could I borrow?

    Borrowing power

    An indicative starting point for how much you could borrow. Lender policies vary; this is not a loan approval.

    FreeHtAG data

  • Step 2

    What will the duty be?

    Stamp duty

    Transfer duty in your state, with first home buyer and foreign purchaser rules.

    FreeHtAG data

  • Step 3

    How much cash do I need?

    Upfront costs and LMI

    The cash you need to buy, including duty, fees and lenders mortgage insurance.

    FreeHtAG data

  • Step 4

    What will the loan cost?

    Mortgage repayments

    Repayments with interest-only periods, an offset account and extra repayments.

    Free

Continue your research

Take this scenario further.

The calculator shows what the numbers do. These tools show where they work: the suburbs, the streets and the answers behind them.

  • Market selection

    With a plan

    Residential Dex™

    Filter and rank Australian suburbs against a brief, with the contribution behind every score.

  • Market map

    Free

    LGA and Suburb Heatmap

    Compare markets across Australia by typical price, one-year growth and area layers.

  • Research assistant

    With a plan

    AI Copilot

    Research suburbs in plain English. Every answer names the metrics and the as-at date behind it.

Your own figures are free. HtAG data makes them specific.

With any active HtAG plan, this calculator fills the price and rent from suburb or address data.

  • 7,000+ suburbs scored
  • 150+ metrics
  • 537 LGA dashboards
See plansBook a demo

FAQ

Questions people ask

Short answers about the method, the rules and what HtAG data adds.

Still have a question? Contact us

Why include an alternative investment?

Money not spent on the purchase can be invested in the renting scenario. The return is an entered assumption, not a prediction.

Can a small assumption change the winner?

Yes. Compare conservative and optimistic assumptions and review annual cash requirements as well as final wealth.

Is the rent versus buy calculator free to use?

Yes. Every HtAG calculator is free to use with your own figures, and you do not need an account. An HtAG plan adds property and suburb data to the calculators that support it.

What does an HtAG plan add to this calculator?

With any active HtAG plan, this calculator fills the price and rent from suburb or address data. Filled figures are marked and you can overwrite every one.