Your first apartment.
See the full cost of moving in, and whether renting or buying is the better math right now.
This is not advice on whether to rent or buy, and it is not a prediction about housing prices. Costs vary widely by city. This guide shows you the math to run.
Most useful while you are still comparing places, before a deposit.
- 1Step 1, lessonEmergency fund: the unsexy thing that saves you
The cushion for the deposit, the move, and the first surprise.
- 2Step 2, lessonGood debt vs. bad debt
How to tell borrowing that builds from borrowing that drains.
- 3Step 3, lessonBuying vs. renting: the actual math
The rent versus buy math, with real numbers.
- 4Step 4, toolRent vs. Buy calculator
Compare both paths as bundles of cash flows over your horizon. Includes property tax, insurance, PMI, maintenance, HOA, selling commission, and the opportunity cost of the down payment.
After this guide
The guides do not replace the path. When you want the whole picture in order, Start here is seven lessons, about 32 minutes.