Free Calculator · 2026

Is It Better to Rent or Buy in

The rent vs buy decision depends on your city, timeline, and interest rate. See the exact break-even in years for your situation.

Open Rent or Buy Calculator →
Rent or Buy Calculator
The rent vs buy decision depends on your city, timeline, and interest rate. See the exact break-even in years for your situation.
Use Free Calculator →

How It Works

Our calculator uses the same underwriting formulas that banks and lenders apply when reviewing mortgage applications. All calculations are based on standard amortization math, current Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac guidelines, and real market data from NAR, CFPB, and Freddie Mac.

Results are for educational purposes. Always consult a licensed mortgage professional before making financial decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this calculator free?
Yes — completely free. No sign-up, no email required, no hidden fees.
How accurate are the results?
Results use standard amortization formulas and national average assumptions for taxes, insurance, and PMI. Your actual costs will vary based on location, lender, and credit profile. Use these as a starting point, not a final answer.
What data sources do you use?
Rate data from Freddie Mac PMMS. Tax averages from US Census Bureau. PMI estimates from Urban Institute. Lending criteria from Fannie Mae and FHA guidelines.
Mortgage Calculator → Bank Rejection Engine → Credit Score Simulator → Days to Homeownership → Dream Home Quiz → All 32 Tools →
The part almost nobody publishes free

Prices and rates are widely reported. Whether a lender says yes is not. In the complete 2025 federal record, denial rates across the 100 largest FHA lenders ran from 1.8% to 78.7% — same programme, same year.

And it is not simply who applies where: standardizing on state, loan amount, income, debt-to-income and loan-to-value, applicant mix explains only a 2.7× range in expected outcomes.

Which lenders approve most → Your metro → Denied? →

CFPB HMDA 2025, computed by FinanceRateCalc. Covers the highest-volume lenders published per market, not all lenders. Historical observations, not predictions. CC BY 4.0, not independently reproduced.

The Denial Dispatch
One finding a week from the federal mortgage record.
One chart, three paragraphs, every Saturday. Measured, not assumed.
Get the Dispatch →
AI Accuracy Index The Door Effect The Denial Map Open Data About 184 Metro Gaps Evidence Navigator Hallucination Files Press Newsletter
FinanceRateCalc · Independent analysis of the complete federal HMDA record · Measured, not assumed. · No lender or AI vendor funds or previews this work.