Rent vs Buy Calculator

Depends on 3 factors: (1) Price-to-rent ratio — if property costs more than 20x annual rent, renting is better. (2) How long you'll stay — buying makes sense only if you'll live there 7+ years. (3) Investment discipline — renting wins only if you actually invest the savings. In metros like Mumbai/Bangalore, renting often wins due to high property prices.

Stamp duty + registration: 7-8% of property value (₹5-6L on ₹80L flat). Maintenance: 1-2% of property value/year. Home loan interest: 80-120% of principal over 20 years. Property tax: ₹5-20K/year. Interior: ₹5-15L. Total hidden costs can be 100-150% of the property price.

Rule of thumb: property price should not exceed 5x your annual income. For ₹80L flat, you need ₹16L+ annual income. EMI should be under 40% of monthly take-home. With ₹1L/mo salary, max EMI should be ₹40K, which supports ~₹45-50L loan at 8.5% for 20 years.