SF rent vs buy breakeven calculator

Lower Haight / NOPA / Cole Valley / Duboce — compare net wealth: buying vs renting and investing

Purchase & financing

Purchase price

Down payment %

Mortgage rate

Mortgage term

Property tax rate (Prop 13 base + bonds)

Prop 13 assessed value growth (%/yr, max 2%)

Ownership costs

Monthly HOA

Annual HOA growth

Monthly insurance (HO-6 for condo / HO-3 for house)

Annual insurance growth

Annual maintenance (% of home value)

Roommate rent offset

Transaction costs

Buyer closing costs %

Selling costs % (commission + SF transfer tax + misc)

Renting scenario

Comparable rent (solo or split)

Annual rent increase

Appreciation & investment

Annual home appreciation

Renter's portfolio return

Tax benefit

Marginal tax rate (fed + CA state)

Filing status (sets standard deduction baseline)

Tax benefit counts only the excess of mortgage interest + property tax (SALT cap $40k) above the standard deduction. If your itemized deductions don't exceed the standard deduction, the tax benefit is $0. Set marginal rate to 0% to disable entirely.

Breakeven year

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2-year gap

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5-year gap

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Monthly cost (buying, year 1)

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Net after roommate + tax benefit

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Buy: net wealth if sold in year N Rent: portfolio from investing instead

Year-by-year detail

Buy net = home value − loan balance − selling costs − initial cash (DP + buyer closing) + cumulative tax savings + buyer's invested surplus. Rent net = initial cash invested at portfolio return + renter's invested surplus. Both sides invest monthly surplus symmetrically at the portfolio return rate. Tax benefit = marginal rate × max(0, mortgage interest on first $750k + property tax up to $40k SALT − standard deduction). Property tax grows per Prop 13 assessed value growth (max 2%/yr). Maintenance default 0.5% for condos (HOA covers structure); set to 1%+ for houses. Excludes PMI if <20% down, renter's insurance (~$20/mo), and capital gains exclusion on sale ($250k single / $500k married if 2+ yrs primary residence).