Most rent-vs-buy calculators stack the deck. This one gives the renter their down payment back, invests it at a market return, and compares net wealth after your time horizon. Then it tells you where the break-even is.
Price, down payment, mortgage rate, and amortization.
What you'd pay if you kept renting instead.
How long you'd stay, expected home appreciation, rent increases, and investment return on the renter's portfolio.
Property tax, condo fees, maintenance, closing costs, and selling costs.
The renter starts with the would-be down payment invested, and the tool shows which side comes out ahead at your horizon.
The classic bad rent-vs-buy calculator compares the renter's outflow (just rent) against the owner's outflow (mortgage + everything else) and concludes the owner is building equity while the renter has "nothing." That's not honest - the renter still has the down payment they didn't spend on a house.
This calculator hands that money back: the renter starts with the would-be down payment plus the buyer's closing costs invested in an index fund, and invests the monthly difference whenever owning costs more.
How long you'll stay matters more than any other input. Closing costs to buy and selling costs at the end mean owning is almost never the right call for under 3 years. Past 7–10 years, owning usually wins.
Appreciation vs. investment return is the second lever - if you think your house will appreciate at 4% and stocks will return 6%, the math favours renting. Flip those, and owning wins comfortably.
Tools built by Jeremy LaHaie, mortgage professional with INVIS Inc., serving Winnipeg, Ste Anne, Steinbach, and all of Southeast Manitoba. Call or text (204) 995-7336.