Rent vs Buy Property Calculator
Accurate financial comparison including all hidden costs of homeownership in Ireland.
Comparison Inputs
Advanced Costs (click to adjust)
Calculating...
Net Wealth Difference
€0Renting
Buying
Note: Final net wealth is calculated as: Asset Value - Debt - Accumulated Costs. For buying: final property value - remaining loan balance - (deposit + upfront + running costs + selling fees). For renting: investment return on deposit/fees - total rent paid.
How to Use This Rent vs Buy Calculator (Step-by-Step)
1. Enter Your Financial Figures
- • Monthly Rent & Increase: Your current monthly payment and expected annual rent hikes (typically 2-4% in Ireland).
- • Property Price & Deposit: The purchase price of the home and your available cash deposit (at least 10% for first-time buyers).
- • Mortgage Rate: Current fixed or variable interest rate offered by Irish lenders (e.g., 3.5% - 4.5%).
- • Growth & Return: Expected annual property value appreciation (historical avg ~3-5%) and the return you could get if you invested your deposit instead (e.g., 4-6%).
- • Analysis Period: How many years you plan to stay in the property (5, 10, or 20 years are common benchmarks).
Pro Tip: Click on "Advanced Costs" to adjust stamp duty (1%), legal fees, maintenance (1%/yr), insurance, LPT (0.18%), and selling agent fees (1.5%).
2. Interpret Your Results
- • The Verdict Banner: Instantly tells you whether Buying or Renting yields higher net wealth for your specific inputs.
- • Renting Column: Shows total sunk costs (rent) and the potential wealth you could build by investing your deposit elsewhere.
- • Buying Column: Breaks down all hidden costs—upfront fees, mortgage payments, running costs (maintenance, insurance, LPT), and selling fees—so you see the full picture.
- • Final Net Wealth: The ultimate metric. A positive number in the buying column means your property equity outweighs the costs, making it a strong long-term investment.
Why this matters: Most renters overlook that a mortgage is a forced savings plan. Even with high upfront costs, buying often builds more wealth over 10+ years due to property appreciation and principal paydown.
Why this calculator is more accurate
Most online calculators ignore the hidden costs of homeownership: maintenance (≈1% of property value annually), Local Property Tax (LPT), home insurance, and selling fees. They also ignore the opportunity cost of your deposit – money that could have been invested elsewhere.
This tool incorporates all these factors and allows you to adjust each variable to match your personal circumstances and market expectations. The result is a realistic, data-driven comparison tailored to the Irish property market in 2026.