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Home / Rent vs Buy
🏠 vs 🔑 Decision Tool

Should I Rent or Buy?

A 10-year honest financial projection comparing renting and investing your deposit against buying with a mortgage. Adjustable assumptions, no spin.

✓ 2026 UK house price growth · BoE base rate 3.75% · Updated March 2026

Enter your scenario

Fill in both sides — your buying scenario and your renting alternative. We'll project 10 years of both paths.

🏡 Buying scenario
£
£
%
years
🏢 Renting scenario
£
%
📈 Growth assumptions
Net wealth over 10 years
Buying
Renting + investing

📊 UK Market Context 2026

Avg house price (UK)£289,000
Avg house price growth (10yr)3.8%/yr
Avg London rent (1-bed)£2,200/mo
Avg UK rent (1-bed)£1,100/mo
FTSE All-Share 10yr avg return7.2%/yr
Stocks & Shares ISA limit£20,000/yr
UK inflation (CPI target)2.0%

🧮 Related Calculators

🏦
Mortgage Affordability
How much can you borrow?
💰
Savings Gap Planner
When can you afford to buy?
🔑
FTB Scheme Checker
LISA, Shared Ownership & more
⏳
What If I Wait?
Buy now vs wait 12 months

💡 What this model assumes

  • Buying costs (~4%) added to purchase: stamp duty, legal, surveys
  • Annual maintenance cost: 1% of property value
  • No transaction costs on selling (simplified)
  • Investment returns are pre-tax (use ISA wrapper in practice)
  • Renter saves the difference between mortgage and rent each month
  • Mortgage payments fixed at initial rate throughout
  • All figures in today's money (nominal, not inflation-adjusted)