Opportunity cost
Rent-vs-own / opportunity-cost calculator
The answer is not moral. It is math plus life constraints.
Change the number
What the math says Metric - Waiting on inputs. Metric - Waiting on inputs. Metric - Waiting on inputs. Metric - Waiting on inputs.
The first number is only the beginning.
Renter investment pool - Owner home equity - Owner cash pool -
The chart will name the assumption carrying the most weight once the model runs.
Scenario check
| Case | Result | What moved |
|---|
Assumption ledger
Assumption coach Move an input to see what assumption is carrying the story.
What is the actual monthly ownership cost?
Calling rent wasted money
A home can be a good life choice and still be a mediocre investment at the wrong price.
What this number is really saying
Renting is not failure. Owning is not automatically wealth. The numbers have to earn the conclusion.
The assumption to attack
Transaction costs, maintenance, taxes, insurance, and what your down payment could have done elsewhere.
What the math is ignoring
Emotional utility, school districts, stability, leverage, tax treatment, and the fact that life is not a spreadsheet.
Headline, stress, proof.
- Start with the headline result.It names the current modeled answer, not the decision.
- Compare the stress cases.The scenario strip shows which assumption makes the answer fragile.
- Use the ledger as a diligence list.Every input should map back to a document, invoice, statement, term sheet, or named assumption.
Documents before confidence.
Loan estimate, tax bill, insurance quote, HOA terms, maintenance history, transaction costs, and realistic holding-period assumptions.
Stress before trust
- Calling rent wasted money
- Ignoring maintenance
- Pretending appreciation is guaranteed
Make the model answer.
- What is the actual monthly ownership cost?
- What could the capital earn elsewhere?
- How long will you stay?
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