◆ Decision
Buy or rent?
We compare honestly: over your horizon, what's each option's net cost — including investing the down payment money you DIDN'T put on the table? Most calculators skip that opportunity cost. Not here.
◆ Over 30 years
Buying is 498,355 $ cheaper.
Break-even hits at year 10: before that, renting was ahead.
80,000 $2,000,000 $
1,200 $/mo4,800 $/mo
Comparison horizon
+ Tweak assumptions
5 %50 %
0.50 %15.00 %
Mortgage term
0.0 %15.0 %
-5.0 %10.0 %
0.0 %15.0 %
0 %50 %
Buy
Down payment + closing costs96,000 $
Mortgage payments to date728,142 $
Property tax + HOA + insurance + maintenance387,000 $
Home value at horizon+1,297,359 $
Net cost-86,217 $Negative = net gain (equity / savings exceed outflow)
Rent + invest
Rent paid (with inflation)951,699 $
Capital invested (the down payment you skipped)96,000 $
After-tax investment gain+539,560 $
Net cost412,139 $Positive = net loss
Simplified model: doesn't include selling costs (5–6 % commission), 1031 exchanges, quality of life, or moving friction. Use it to ask better questions, not to replace your CPA.
Casita is independent. We don't sell data; we don't take bank kickbacks for placement. The assumptions are yours: set alt return to 12 % and renting wins, set it to 1 % and buying wins.