Rent vs Buy Calculator

It depends entirely on your assumptions — home appreciation, rent increases, and investment returns all shift it. A shorter breakeven (3-5 years) means buying wins quickly; a longer one (10+ years) means you need to be fairly confident you will stay put that long for buying to pay off. If you might move within a few years, a long breakeven is a real risk factor, not just a number.

Eigenwoningforfait is an imputed taxable income the Dutch tax office adds to your income for owning your home, since living rent-free in your own property is treated as a form of benefit. It is taxed at your marginal rate, partially offsetting the mortgage interest deduction (hypotheekrenteaftrek). This calculator models it as a simplified flat percentage of your home's value — the real rules have several tiers and exceptions.

If you invest the money you did not spend on a down payment and buying costs, and that investment earns a healthy return, renting can outpace buying for years — especially early on, when transfer tax and closing costs are a sunk cost you have not yet recovered through equity or appreciation. The math flips over time as your mortgage balance shrinks and home value grows.

Yes. The calculator applies 2% for owner-occupiers, 0% for eligible first-time buyers under 35 (homes up to €555,000 in 2026), and 8% for investors or second homes — the corrected 2026 investor rate. This is charged once, at purchase, and is included in the one-time buying costs shown above the chart.

The chart shows net worth at every year within your comparison horizon, not just the end — look at the year you actually expect to sell or move, not the final year. Selling costs (estate agent fees, remaining mortgage penalties) are not modelled here; treat the result as an estimate of equity plus appreciation minus remaining debt, before any sale-specific costs.