Big home decisions. Clearer numbers.

Rent affordability

Find a monthly rent budget using your take-home pay, everyday expenses, and the savings you want to protect.

Rent vs. buy

Compare projected renter investments with owner equity, including a down payment, sale costs, and monthly cost differences.

Net effective rent

Compare gross rent, free months, rent credits, and mandatory costs to see both the advertised average and a normal paid-month bill.

Mortgage payment

Estimate a fixed-rate mortgage payment with separate property tax, insurance, HOA, and mortgage-insurance inputs.

Rental investing

Rental property expense

Budget taxes, insurance, management, repairs, utilities, vacancy, and capital reserves; compare cash flow under five occupancy scenarios.

Rent split

Split a two-bedroom rental using a shared portion and a room-size portion. See both shares add up to the rent.

CLEAR METHODS. USEFUL LIMITS.

How RentWise calculators work

Each tool turns a focused housing question into a transparent planning estimate. You enter the facts and assumptions you want to test; your browser applies the published formula and immediately shows the result, its breakdown, and the boundaries of the calculation.

Inspect every formula

01
Choose one decision
Start with a specific question: a comfortable rent, an estimated mortgage payment, cash needed at closing, or the first-pass cash flow of a rental.
02
Replace the example inputs
Defaults demonstrate the tool. Use your own income, costs, rate, timeline, or property assumptions before interpreting the estimate.
03
Read the method and breakdown
The headline number is paired with supporting values, a plain-language formula, a worked example, and notes about what is not included.
04
Test a second scenario
Save one comparison in page memory, change a meaningful assumption, and see which part of the result moves. You can also export the current inputs and outputs as CSV.

ONE TOOL. ONE DEFINED QUESTION.

What these housing calculators actually do

RentWise separates different decisions instead of hiding them inside one vague score.

Renting calculations

Build a base-rent budget from take-home pay and commitments, compare concessions with normal paid months, divide rent, prorate a partial month, and measure a proposed increase.

Explore renting tools

Home-buying calculations

Estimate fixed-rate principal and interest, add property-cost assumptions, plan a down payment, organize cash to close, compare renting with buying, and model extra principal.

Explore buying tools

Rental-property calculations

Organize income, vacancy, operating bills, debt service, and reserves; then examine cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and debt-service coverage as separate views.

Explore investing tools

A RESULT YOU CAN TRACE

From five inputs to a rent budget

Suppose monthly take-home pay is $5,000. Other spending is $1,800, utilities and housing fees are $250, the savings goal is $700, and the chosen rent target is 35% of take-home pay.

The percentage limit is $1,750. The cash left after the listed commitments is $2,250. RentWise uses the lower amount, so the estimated base-rent budget is $1,750 per month. Utilities stay separate so the result is not mistaken for the whole housing bill.

Try your own numbers

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLEUSD / MONTH

Take-home pay × 35%: $1,750
Cash after spending, utilities & savings: $2,250
Use the lower limit: $1,750
Utilities & housing fees: +$250
Planned total housing outflow: $2,000

Illustrative inputs are not a recommendation, screening standard, or statement about local rent.

AFTER THE CALCULATION

How to read a RentWise result

The estimate is useful when you read the number, its assumptions, and its limits together.

Check the unit and time period

Monthly, annual, percentage, years, and total cash answer different questions. Confirm the displayed unit before comparing two results.

Separate estimates from requirements

A personal budget is not a landlord’s screening rule. A mortgage estimate is not a Loan Estimate. A property return is not a lender’s underwriting decision.

Find the missing costs

Read “what to keep in mind” on the calculator page. Taxes, repairs, utilities, transaction costs, and local rules may sit outside a particular formula.

Change one assumption at a time

A controlled comparison shows what drives the result. Try a shorter stay, a weaker occupancy level, a higher rate, or a larger reserve without changing everything at once.

BEYOND THE CALCULATION

Supporting guides for the next question

Six practical starting points—two each for renting, buying, and rental-property analysis—with worked examples and clear trade-offs.

Explore all 18 guides

Original illustration of an apartment living room

How much rent can I afford? Build a budget from take-home pay

A practical rent budget with a worked example, utilities, debt payments, savings, and a check for irregular income.

Apartment move-in costs: a cash checklist before you sign

Build a move-in budget for deposits, first rent, prorated charges, overlap, utility setup, and a cash buffer, with a worked example.

Original illustration of a home with a landscaped entrance

Mortgage payment breakdown: principal, interest, taxes, and insurance

Understand the parts of a mortgage payment, follow a $280,000 loan example, and distinguish a loan payment from the full housing budget.

Rent vs. buy: the assumptions that change the answer

See why a rent-vs-buy result depends on your stay, transaction costs, investment returns, appreciation, and comparable housing choices.

Original illustration of neighborhood homes

Rental investing

Rental property expense budget: avoid missing bills and double counts

Build a rental budget from tax, insurance, management, repairs, vacancy, debt, and reserves, then test weaker occupancy.

Rental investing

Rental cash flow vs. profit: follow the money before buying

Build a rental property cash-flow worksheet from scheduled rent, vacancy, operating costs, debt service, and capital reserves.