Rent vs Buy Calculator
Compare renting and buying with mortgage costs, rent growth, appreciation, sale costs, and invested savings.
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Estimate your monthly mortgage payment with taxes, insurance, PMI, and HOA fees.
Your monthly estimate combines principal, interest, property tax, insurance, PMI, and HOA dues. It is closer to a real housing budget than principal and interest alone, but it is still not a lender quote.
This estimate does not include lender fees, points, prepaid interest, escrow adjustments, local tax reassessments, future insurance changes, or your full debt-to-income picture.
Enter the loan details you know, then use the payment breakdown and chart to see how principal, interest, taxes, insurance, PMI, and HOA dues affect the monthly estimate.
A mortgage payment is often described as PITI: principal, interest, taxes, and insurance. Depending on the loan and property, PMI and HOA dues may also be part of the monthly cost.
A mortgage is a loan used to buy real estate. The borrower repays the loan over time, usually with monthly payments that include principal and interest. Principal reduces the loan balance; interest is the cost of borrowing the money.
Many homeowners also pay property taxes, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, and HOA dues alongside the loan payment. Lenders often collect taxes and insurance through escrow, which can make the monthly bill higher than principal and interest alone.
This calculator is designed for fixed-rate mortgage estimates. It is useful for comparing scenarios, but it is not a lender quote and does not include every possible local tax, lender fee, escrow rule, or adjustable-rate change.
The calculator starts with the loan amount, amortizes principal and interest over the selected term, then adds monthly ownership costs.
L = H - D
H is the home price and D is the down payment.
M = L \cdot \frac{r(1+r)^n}{(1+r)^n - 1}
L is the loan amount, r is the monthly interest rate, and n is the number of monthly payments. If the interest rate is 0%, the calculator divides the loan amount evenly across the term.
T = M + \frac{P}{12} + \frac{I}{12} + \operatorname{PMI} + A
P is annual property tax, I is annual insurance, and A is monthly HOA dues.
\operatorname{PMI} = \begin{cases} \frac{L \cdot p}{12}, & \frac{L}{H} > 0.8 \\ 0, & \frac{L}{H} \le 0.8 \end{cases}
PMI is included when loan-to-value is above 80%. Actual PMI rules and cancellation timing vary by loan type and lender.
The simplified PMI treatment follows the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's explanation of when conventional PMI may be removed. The CFPB's home loan toolkit provides context for comparing the full payment and loan costs rather than principal and interest alone.
Common questions about mortgage estimates, PMI, taxes, insurance, and down payments.
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