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Real Estate · Ownership Cost

Total Cost of
Homeownership

The mortgage payment is usually less than two thirds of what a house actually costs you. This calculator adds property tax, insurance, maintenance, association dues, and the money you gave up by putting a down payment to work in a house instead of somewhere else, then nets out principal paid down and appreciation to show what the years you plan to stay really cost.

Data: 2026, user-supplied rates. Nothing is fetched; every rate here is one you enter.

Purchase & Loan STEP 1
Below 20 triggers mortgage insurance
Enter the rate you were quoted. Nothing is fetched.
Lender fees, title, escrow, recording
Applied while the loan-to-value is above 80%
Recurring Costs STEP 2
Check your county assessor
Common rule of thumb: 1% of value per year
Growth, Timeline & Tax STEP 3
Can be negative
Agent commission plus transfer costs
What your down payment and closing costs would have earned elsewhere
Enter 0 if you take the standard deduction. Most filers do.
Constants Panel EDITABLE
Homeowners Protection Act
IRC 164(b)(6), low confidence for 2026, verify
Industry rule of thumb, not statutory
Gross Cost Over The Hold
--
Excludes principal, which becomes equity
Net Cost After Appreciation
--
Gross cost minus equity gained from price growth
Break-Even Monthly Rent
--
Renting for less and investing the gap wins
Loan Setup
Loan amount--
Cash required at close--
Monthly principal and interest--
Costs Over The Hold Period
Total interest paid--
Total principal paid--
Total mortgage insurance paid--
Total property tax--
Total insurance--
Total maintenance--
Total HOA dues--
Total extra utilities--
Tax deduction benefit--
Opportunity cost on cash invested--
Exit
Home value at exit--
Selling costs--
Loan balance at exit--
Net sale proceeds--
The Bottom Line
Gross cost of ownership over the hold--
Net cost after appreciation--
Cost per month, gross--
Cost per month, net--
Break-even monthly rent--
Cost Composition
Policy Mandate v2.0 · what is this?