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Rent vs Buy Calculator — Canada

Estimate only — not financial advice. Compares net worth outcomes using your assumptions. Buying costs include an estimated 1.5% closing cost and CMHC premium if under 20% down; selling costs 5%. Rent is assumed to rise 2% a year. The renter invests the down payment plus any monthly cash-flow difference. Real results depend on markets, taxes (principal-residence exemption assumed for the home; investment returns untaxed in this simple model) and your actual costs.

How it works

The honest comparison is net worth at the end of your stay. Buying: your equity is the home’s future value minus the remaining mortgage and selling costs. Renting: your portfolio is the down payment you kept invested, plus each month’s cash-flow difference between owning costs (mortgage payment + owner costs) and rent, also invested. Whichever pile is bigger wins — under your assumptions, which is why the growth and return inputs matter more than the verdict.

Worked example

A $650,000 home, 20% down, 4.5% mortgage, $2,600 rent, 7-year stay, 3% home growth and 5% investment returns: buying leaves roughly $322,800 of net equity after closing and selling costs, while renting and investing leaves roughly $295,000 — buying ahead by about $27,800. Shorten the stay to 3 years and closing/selling costs usually flip the answer to renting. Try your own horizon above.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the time horizon change everything?

Buying has large one-time costs at both ends (land transfer tax, legal, CMHC, selling commissions). Spread over 3 years they swamp the equity build-up; over 10+ years they fade and principal repayment dominates.

What costs do renters forget?

Rent increases, moving costs, and the discipline assumption: the model only works if the renter actually invests the difference every month.

What costs do buyers forget?

Property tax, insurance, maintenance and repairs (budget roughly 1–2% of the home’s value a year combined), plus land transfer tax at purchase — doubled in Toronto.

Related: Mortgage Calculator · CMHC & stress test guide