
“Should I buy or rent a home?” is one of the most important financial decisions you will make.
Check out The New York Times online buy or rent calculator for a tool to help you decide.
The calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of owning and renting. It also takes into account something known as opportunity cost — for example, the return you could have earned by investing your money instead of spending it on a down payment. The calculator assumes that the profit you would have made in your investments would be taxed as long-term capital gains and adjusts the bottom line accordingly. The calculator tabulates opportunity costs for all parts of the buying and renting situations. All figures are in current dollars.
Buy or Rent Calculation
What goes into the calculation to determine whether to rent or buy a home?
- Home Price
- How Long Do You Plan to Stay?
- What Are Your Mortgage Details?
- What Does the Future Hold?
- Taxes
- Closing Costs
- Maintenance and Fees
- Additional Renting Costs

The Marimark Mortgage Newsletter will keep you informed with important events in the mortgage industry that could impact your finances.
We especially focus on ways to save money on your current and future mortgages. And, we continually share the information we share with our clients, because we believe informed consumers are the best consumers.
Real estate agents, and other professionals in the industry, will receive an ongoing wealth of information that will help them serve their clients.