Calculator
Not a verdict — a way to see how sensitive the 'right' answer is to your own assumptions about appreciation and returns.
After 7 years, better off:
renting
by $5,076 in net worth, under these assumptions
Net worth if you buy
$329,620
home equity, after selling costs
Net worth if you rent
$334,696
down payment invested + savings
This result is highly sensitive to two guesses about the future: home appreciation (3%/yr) and investment return (6%/yr). Try adjusting either by even a point or two — real answers here depend far more on your assumptions than on precise arithmetic. Treat this as a way to stress-test your own assumptions, not a verdict.
Because home appreciation over your holding period is the single biggest lever in this calculation, and nobody actually knows the future rate. A 1-2 point change in assumed appreciation can flip the result — that sensitivity is the honest answer, not a flaw in the calculator.
For buying, it's your home equity at the end of the horizon (appreciated value minus selling costs minus remaining mortgage balance). For renting, it's what your invested down payment plus any monthly savings would grow to at your assumed investment return.
Use it as a way to stress-test your assumptions, not as a final answer. Non-financial factors — job stability, family plans, how long you'll actually stay — often matter as much as the math.