IconVault's Rent vs Buy calculator compares the true cost of renting vs buying a home, year by year. Enter rent, home price, down payment, mortgage rate and your time horizon, and it plots cumulative costs for both paths on an interactive chart, minus the equity you build as a buyer.

The headline number is the break-even year: the point where buying becomes cheaper than renting. Rent grows at an adjustable rate, ownership costs include taxes, insurance and maintenance, and home values appreciate. It runs 100% in your browser and is free with no signup, a starting point for the biggest money decision most people make.