The Chicago Signal

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Rent vs. Buy Calculator

This compares the monthly cash cost of owning — mortgage plus property tax — against a rent you'd pay instead. It's a cash-cost comparison, not a verdict.

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Illustrative math, not financial advice. It compares an estimated monthly mortgage payment plus property tax against the rent you enter. It ignores maintenance, insurance, PMI, closing costs, HOA dues, the mortgage-interest and property-tax deductions, home-price changes, and the equity you build — so it is a monthly cash-cost comparison, not a buy-versus-rent recommendation. Rates and prices change. Confirm the full picture with a lender and a financial professional. See the rent-vs-buy math for the fuller version.