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Should You Rent or Buy?

Enter the home price, your mortgage and the rent you would pay instead. See what each costs over the years you plan to stay, counting the costs most comparisons leave out.

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A home is the biggest purchase in most plans.

In PFOS, a home purchase is weighed against your emergency fund, your debts and your other goals, so you can see what buying does to all of it.

See How Buying Fits Your Full Plan in PFOS →

Every result comes from the same engine PFOS runs for members. Projections are illustrative, for informational purposes only, and not a guarantee of future results.

Reading Your Result

What the answer tells you

🏠
The full cost of buying
Mortgage, property tax, insurance, maintenance and closing costs, with home appreciation and the mortgage-interest deduction counted.
🏢
The full cost of renting
Rent that rises each year and renters insurance, plus what your down payment could earn if you invested it instead.
⏱️
Which comes out ahead
The difference over the years you plan to stay, and how the monthly cost of each changes as rent rises and the mortgage stays fixed.
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