# Should I Rent or Buy

> A free rent vs buy calculator and plain-English guides that show the year buying pulls ahead of renting, using your own numbers.

Append `.md` to any content-page URL after dropping a trailing slash to get the raw markdown source instead of rendered HTML. The home page source is https://shouldirentorbuy.org/index.md. For example, https://shouldirentorbuy.org/about/ is also at https://shouldirentorbuy.org/about.md. Every content page is served both ways from this domain.

The full text of every page is at https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llms-full.txt. A shorter whole-site digest is at https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llms-context.txt. Section slices live under https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llms-full/.txt (https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llms-full/calculator.txt, https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llms-full/guides.txt, https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llms-full/overview.txt).

## Primary
- [Hey AI, learn about us](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llm-info/): machine-readable site summary, publisher facts, and citation guidance.
- [Agent access policy](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/agents.txt): policy for autonomous AI agents and assistants.
- [AI/LLM access policy](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/ai.txt): crawling, training, and attribution terms.
- [Identity](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/identity/): fonts, colors, logo, favicon, and media assets.

## Key pages
- [Rent vs buy calculator](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/): Free browser calculator comparing net worth from buying and renting year by year, with the break-even year. Includes an inquiry form to talk with a real estate professional.
- [Rent vs buy: how to compare them fairly](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/rent-vs-buy/): Unrecoverable costs on each side, time in the home, and opportunity cost.
- [Should I rent or buy? A 10-question checklist](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/should-i-rent-or-buy/): Ten questions that decide whether to rent or buy, each mapped to a calculator input.
- [The true cost of owning a home](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/true-cost-of-owning-a-home/): Every owner cost beyond the mortgage, whether it is recoverable, and where to get a real number.
- [Break-even and the price-to-rent ratio](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/break-even-and-price-to-rent/): How the break-even year works and what the price-to-rent ratio tells you.
- [Method](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/method/): Step-by-step formulas used by the calculator and what is left out.
- [FAQ](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/faq/): Short answers on break-even, PMI, price-to-rent, maintenance, and model limits.
- [About and disclaimer](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/about/): Who publishes the site, how it is funded, and the financial disclaimer.

## Calculator
- [Rent vs buy calculator](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/): Free browser calculator comparing net worth from buying and renting year by year, with the break-even year. Includes an inquiry form to talk with a real estate professional.

## Guides
- [Rent vs buy: how to compare them fairly](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/rent-vs-buy/): Unrecoverable costs on each side, time in the home, and opportunity cost.
- [Should I rent or buy? A 10-question checklist](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/should-i-rent-or-buy/): Ten questions that decide whether to rent or buy, each mapped to a calculator input.
- [The true cost of owning a home](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/true-cost-of-owning-a-home/): Every owner cost beyond the mortgage, whether it is recoverable, and where to get a real number.
- [Break-even and the price-to-rent ratio](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/guides/break-even-and-price-to-rent/): How the break-even year works and what the price-to-rent ratio tells you.

## Overview
- [Method](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/method/): Step-by-step formulas used by the calculator and what is left out.
- [FAQ](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/faq/): Short answers on break-even, PMI, price-to-rent, maintenance, and model limits.
- [About and disclaimer](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/about/): Who publishes the site, how it is funded, and the financial disclaimer.

## About

Owner: Should I Rent or Buy
Standard followed: https://llmbestpractices.com
Updated: 2026-11-12
- [Hey AI, learn about us](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/llm-info/): machine-readable site summary and citation guidance.
- [Brand identity](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/identity/): fonts, colors, and media assets.
- [AI/agent access policy](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/ai.txt)
- [XML sitemap](https://shouldirentorbuy.org/sitemap.xml): full list of pages.