Smart Real Estate
Decision Tools
Make better financial decisions for buying, renting, and investing in property — powered by real-time calculations.
Rent vs Buy Calculator
Compare the true long-term cost of renting versus buying a home
Rental Yield Calculator
Calculate gross and net yield on any buy-to-let property
UK Stamp Duty Calculator
Calculate SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax) for England & Northern Ireland 2026
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a government tax paid when purchasing property in England and Northern Ireland. It works on a tiered (“slice”) system — you pay different rates on different portions of the property price, not the full amount at one rate. First-time buyers receive relief on properties up to £500,000. Additional properties (buy-to-let, second homes) attract a 5% surcharge on every band. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax (LTT) and Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) — contact a local conveyancer for those rates.
Mortgage Affordability Calculator
Find out how much home you can realistically afford in 2026
Property Investment Comparison
Compare two investment properties side-by-side to find the better deal
Real-Time Calculations
All results update instantly as you type — no reload, no waiting.
USA + UK Markets
Switch between USD and GBP. Stamp duty uses current 2026 SDLT bands.
Visual Charts
Interactive charts show exactly how your numbers play out over time.
Smart Recommendations
Each tool provides a clear recommendation based on your specific situation.
100% Private
All calculations happen in your browser. We never store your data.
Rent vs Buy Calculator USA 2026 — Complete Guide
Deciding whether to rent or buy a home is one of the most significant financial decisions you’ll make. In 2026’s market — with mortgage rates still elevated, home prices resilient, and rental costs rising — the answer is rarely simple. Our Rent vs Buy Calculator helps you cut through the noise with personalised numbers.
How the Rent vs Buy Calculator Works
Our calculator compares the true total cost of renting versus buying over your planned stay duration. Unlike simple mortgage calculators, it accounts for opportunity cost of your down payment, annual rent inflation, home appreciation, property taxes, maintenance, and the real break-even timeline.
The break-even point is the year at which buying becomes cheaper than renting in cumulative terms. In high-cost US cities like San Francisco or New York, break-even can take 15–20 years. In Midwest markets, it can be as few as 3–5 years.
UK Property Investment Calculator 2026
For UK investors, our Rental Yield Calculator and Stamp Duty Calculator are essential tools. With the Bank of England base rate affecting mortgage costs and new SDLT surcharges on additional properties, getting these numbers right is critical for buy-to-let returns.
A net rental yield above 5% is generally considered solid for UK buy-to-let in 2026. Areas like Manchester, Leeds, and Nottingham continue to offer better yields than London, where high prices suppress returns despite strong rental demand.
Mortgage Affordability in 2026
With interest rates higher than the 2010s era, affordability is tighter. Lenders typically use the 28/36 rule: your monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 28% of gross monthly income, and total debt payments should not exceed 36%. Our Affordability Calculator uses this framework to give you a realistic maximum home price.