About This Calculator
Who Runs This Site
The NZ Buy vs Rent Calculator is operated by Shan Ming Yang Limited, a company registered in New Zealand. We build and maintain both the UK and NZ versions of this calculator.
Why We Built It
Deciding whether to buy or rent is one of the biggest financial decisions most people make, and the honest answer is almost always "it depends." We built this calculator so you can plug in your own numbers - deposit, mortgage rate, rent, expected returns - and see a like-for-like comparison of where you'd end up financially under each option, instead of relying on rules of thumb.
How the Numbers Work
The calculator runs a year-by-year simulation of both scenarios, accounting for mortgage payments, property taxes, maintenance, insurance, one-off purchase costs, rent increases and investment growth. For the full methodology, see How It Works.
Every default figure we pre-fill - house price, rent and mortgage rate - comes from a named, publicly available source with a stated "as of" date, shown in the sources table on the calculator page. All defaults are editable, so you can substitute your own numbers at any time.
Independence
We don't take referral or commission income from mortgage lenders, real estate agents or brokers, and no commercial relationship influences the defaults or the results this calculator produces. The calculator is free to use and always will be.
Contact
Questions, corrections or feedback are welcome:
- Email: hello@buyvsrent.co.nz
- Feedback board: buyvsrent.userjot.com