Buy vs Rent Calculator
How many years of renting cost the same as buying outright in your target city? Side-by-side total cost over a horizon you choose, with the city's median sale and rent pre-filled.
Inputs
€
€
yr
%
%
%
%
Results
Total rent paid
€0
Total ownership cost
€0
Break-even year
1.0 yr
Future property value
€0
Buy advantage
€0
Renting comes out ahead by €-0. Higher purchase costs or slower price growth would have to reverse.
Break-even hits at year 1.0 — buy if you plan to stay longer than that, rent otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I rent or buy in Europe in 2026?
It depends on your horizon and the local price-to-rent ratio. In cities with high entry costs and modest rent growth (Paris, Lisbon), renting often wins for stays under 7 years. In faster-appreciating mid-sized cities (Berlin secondaries, Bilbao, Porto), buying can break even sooner.
What rent growth rate is realistic for the next 10 years?
Euro-area rents grew about 2-3% per year on average over 2015-2024, faster (4-6%) in Spain and Portugal post-2021. Use the country median as a baseline and stress-test ±1pp around it.