About Rent vs Buy
Rent vs Buy exists for one reason: to give people an honest, numbers-first answer to the most significant financial decision most of us will ever face. The conventional wisdom — “buying is always better than renting” — is simply wrong in many markets, and the opposite claim is equally misleading. The right answer depends on your local market, your timeline, your income, and the current interest rate environment.
This site publishes data-driven analyses for major US metros, updated quarterly as market conditions change. Each article combines real transaction data with a working calculator so you can verify the numbers against your own situation — not just read someone else's generalized conclusion.
The Calculator
The calculator embedded throughout this site is built and maintained by TrueHomeCosts.com, which provides the full analysis including tax benefits, amortization schedules, PMI calculations, and refinancing scenario tools. We embed their calculator because it's the most accurate rent-vs-buy model we've found — it accounts for opportunity cost, property tax deductibility based on your income bracket, and appreciation curves, not just principal and interest.
Data Sources
The market data behind each article comes from several sources:
- Home prices: US Census Bureau American Community Survey and Zillow Research median price data
- Rental rates: HUD Fair Market Rents and local MLS aggregates
- Property tax rates: State and county assessor databases
- Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (weekly)
- Tax brackets: IRS Publication 17, updated annually
Who This Is For
Anyone seriously evaluating whether to buy a home or continue renting. This is not content for people who have already made up their minds — it's for people who want the actual math before committing to the largest purchase of their lives.
If you want to run a full personalized analysis — including your specific income, down payment, HOA fees, and tax situation — visit TrueHomeCosts.com directly.