Home buying without the gut-feel.
The math that decides rent vs buy — and what it actually costs to own
North-star rule of thumb
Most break-evens land at 5-7 years
Below that, the rent-and-invest path usually beats owning. Above, owning's home appreciation + forced savings start to compound.
The overview
Buying a home is the biggest financial decision most people make on the smallest set of facts. The Rent vs Buy calculator below settles the math: enter your numbers, see your break-even year, and know whether buying actually beats renting at your time horizon. For most people, that break-even is somewhere between 5 and 10 years.
Owning costs more than the mortgage payment. Property tax, insurance, maintenance (1-2% of home value per year is realistic), HOA fees, and the opportunity cost of a down payment sitting in a wall instead of an index fund. The honest math accounts for all of it.
Below: rent-vs-buy, how-much-house-can-I-afford, down-payment savings plans, the 15-year-vs-30-year mortgage trade-off, PMI when you go under 20%, closing-cost reality checks, and a first-time-homebuyer 90-day checklist. Every number is sourced and every calculator is free.
What we don't do: tell you that buying always wins. The 30-year fixed-rate American mortgage is a great product, but it's a great product when you're staying put long enough to amortize closing costs and appreciation works in your favor. If you're moving in two years, renting almost always wins on the math.
Run the math
The calculators that ground this hub. Free, sourced defaults, your inputs never leave your browser.
Deeper reads in this guide
Each one is a focused, plain-English breakdown. Articles markedComing soonwill publish on the moneyscale.app weekly content rhythm.
How much house can I actually afford?
The 28/36 rule, the real-payment math, and the costs the rule misses.
Saving for a down payment
Coming soonThe 5%-vs-20% trade-off, where to park the cash, and a realistic timeline.
15- vs 30-year mortgage
Coming soonTotal interest, monthly payment, opportunity cost — and the case for each.
PMI: what it is and when it cancels
The cost, the trigger, and the request that gets it off your statement early.
Closing costs you won't see coming
Coming soonItemized: title, origination, escrow, prepaids, and how to negotiate them down.
First-time homebuyer 90-day checklist
Coming soonCredit, down payment, pre-approval, inspection — the order matters.
Should I pay off my mortgage early?
Coming soonThe math depends on three things — and one of them is how you'd feel.
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Not financial advice
Money Scale provides educational information about personal finance. For decisions that affect your money in a material way, consult a licensed professional you've personally vetted. See our affiliate disclosure for how we keep this site free.