How does the rent vs buy comparison work?

It simulates two paths over your chosen horizon. Buying: deposit and transfer costs upfront, then mortgage interest, principal and holding costs each year while the home appreciates. Renting: the deposit and transfer cash stay invested while you pay rent. The path with the lower net cost wins.

Why does the calculator use real (inflation-adjusted) values?

Argentina's high inflation means peso amounts balloon over time. UVA-indexed mortgages and indexed rents both move with the price level, so comparing them in real pesos — stripping out inflation — gives a meaningful like-for-like answer rather than a misleading nominal one.

What are the upfront transfer costs when buying in Argentina?

Buyers typically pay their share of the Sellos stamp tax, the notary (escribano) fee and small registry charges — together usually around 4-6% of the price. This tool rolls them into a single configurable transfer-cost percentage.

Does buying always beat renting in Argentina?

No. The answer depends on capital growth, the real mortgage rate, how long you stay and the return you could earn on the deposit instead. Over short horizons the upfront transfer costs often make renting cheaper; longer horizons with solid appreciation favour buying.

Does this calculator store my data?

No. All calculations run locally in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so your figures stay private.

Argentina Rent vs Buy Calculator

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This Argentina rent vs buy calculator answers a question every household faces: over the years you plan to stay, is it cheaper to rent or to buy? It simulates both paths in real, inflation-adjusted pesos — essential in Argentina, where UVA-indexed mortgages and indexed rents both track the price level — and reports which option leaves you better off and by how much.

How it works

The model runs two parallel simulations over your horizon:

Buy: pay the deposit and transfer costs (Sellos share + notary + registry) upfront. Each month, pay mortgage interest plus principal and holding costs; the home appreciates at the real growth rate. End wealth is home value − remaining loan. Net cost of buying is total cash out (including the deposit) minus the equity you end up with.
Rent: keep the deposit and transfer cash invested at the real investment-return rate. Pay rent each year, growing at real rent inflation. Net cost of renting is total rent paid minus the gain on the invested savings.

Whichever path has the lower net cost is the cheaper choice, and the tool shows the gap plus the full breakdown.

Example

Comparing an ARS 80,000,000 home (with a ARS 24,000,000 deposit) against renting the same place for ARS 450,000 a month over 10 years, the calculator weighs the equity you build by buying against the returns you would earn by keeping the deposit invested while renting. The verdict flips depending on the real growth and rate assumptions you enter.

Notes

Keep every input in real terms — real mortgage rate, real growth, real rent inflation — so the inflation-driven peso noise cancels out and the comparison stays honest. The model is simplified: it ignores selling costs, your personal income-tax position and any capital-gains tax on disposal. Use it to frame the decision, not as financial advice.