Rent vs Buy Calculator

If you're weighing whether to rent or buy in San Diego, you've probably heard the same line a hundred times: renting is throwing money away, and buying always wins. It's the most repeated advice in real estate. The real answer depends on you, and on San Diego at today's prices and rates.

This calculator runs the full comparison so you can see which option makes sense for you. It stacks the whole cost of owning, the mortgage plus property tax, insurance, and maintenance, not just the payment. And it credits the renter for investing the money they never sank into a down payment, then measures that growing balance against the equity the buyer builds.

Two inputs move the answer more than the rest. First, is the share of the monthly gap you'd really invest instead of spend, because renting only comes out ahead if you actually put the difference to work. Second, how much the home appreciates.

To run it, bring the rent for the home you'd actually buy, that home's price, your rate and down payment, and how long you plan to stay. Every field is defined right where you enter it, so you don't need the tax code memorized going in. Set your numbers and see which direction it leans over your holding period, when buying pulls ahead if it ever does, and how much of the result rides on appreciation.