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Should you rent or buy?

Put the same home side by side: bought with a mortgage, or rented while the money you'd have put down is invested. See which leaves you better off, and from which year.

A typical 55 m² two-room flat in Opava (nečleněná část města), at the area's median asking price and rent per m² today. See Opava (nečleněná část města)'s market

Start from an area

Pick a town, district or neighbourhood and a layout. The price and the rent become the area's medians today.

The home

Without the charges for services (heating, water, the lift).

If you buy

748.000 Kč of your own money. Under 36, banks may lend up to 90 %.

Worked out for 55 m²: repair fund, administration, insurance and property tax.

Over the years

Buy: after 10 years2,6 Mio. Kč

Rent: after 10 years1,8 Mio. Kč

The result

Buying comes out ahead from year 2. After 10 years you'd have 819.714 Kč more than if you rented.

A month in the first year

Buying
17.305 Kča month
Renting
12.800 Kča month
Buying
Mortgage: 15.952 Kč · Owner's costs: 1.630 Kč · Upkeep: 1.558 Kč · Tax relief: −1.835 Kč
Cash on day one
765.000 Kč
Mortgage: 2.992.000 Kč

What you'd have after 10 years

If you buy
2.630.624 Kč
If you rent
1.810.910 Kč
Break-even
Year 2
Homes for sale in Opava (nečleněná část města)Homes to rent in Opava (nečleněná část města)

What you'd have at each year's end

Year by year

Year by year
YearHome valueStill owedPaid to ownPaid in rentBuying: you'd haveRenting: you'd have
13.852.200 Kč2.947.380 Kč207.659 Kč153.600 Kč804.935 Kč866.725 Kč
23.967.766 Kč2.900.505 Kč209.150 Kč158.208 Kč980.166 Kč969.288 Kč
34.086.799 Kč2.851.259 Kč210.681 Kč162.960 Kč1.161.725 Kč1.072.610 Kč
44.209.403 Kč2.799.527 Kč212.278 Kč167.844 Kč1.349.839 Kč1.176.644 Kč
54.335.685 Kč2.745.180 Kč213.918 Kč172.884 Kč1.544.758 Kč1.281.294 Kč
64.465.756 Kč2.688.087 Kč215.626 Kč178.068 Kč1.746.734 Kč1.386.495 Kč
74.599.728 Kč2.628.109 Kč217.391 Kč183.408 Kč1.956.029 Kč1.492.158 Kč
84.737.720 Kč2.565.101 Kč219.214 Kč188.904 Kč2.172.916 Kč1.598.187 Kč
94.879.852 Kč2.498.907 Kč221.107 Kč194.580 Kč2.397.684 Kč1.704.476 Kč
105.026.247 Kč2.429.369 Kč223.049 Kč200.412 Kč2.630.624 Kč1.810.910 Kč

Thinking of letting it instead? Work out its cash flow

Reader poll

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How the comparison works

The same home, bought or rented, month by month for the years you stay. Money is never left idle: whoever pays less in a month invests the difference, and both earn the same return.

What it counts

  • Buying: the down payment and the purchase costs on the first day, then each month the mortgage, the owner's costs and upkeep. The home's value grows each year.
  • Renting: the rent, rising once a year. The charges for services are left out, because owners pay them too.
  • The renter invests what the buyer put down on day one. After that, each month, whichever side pays less invests the difference.
  • At each year's end the buyer sells: the home's value, less the mortgage still owed and the selling costs, plus their investments. The renter has their investments.
  • Mortgage interest on your own home lowers your income tax base, up to a yearly cap; the saving comes back once a year with the tax return.

What it leaves out

  • Inflation: everything is in today's crowns as they'll be paid, not adjusted to today's value.
  • Rate changes: the rate stays the same for the whole term, though real mortgages are re-fixed every few years.
  • Moving and furnishing, which both sides pay.
  • Tax on investment gains: shares and funds held for over three years are free of income tax in Czechia.
  • Risk: a home's value and investments can fall as well as rise, and neither is certain.

Every starting figure and its source

Verified figures come from the law or the ČNB, checked on the date shown. Assumptions are typical values: change them to yours.

Questions

Questions about renting or buying

Is it better to rent or buy in Czechia?

It depends on three things: how many years of rent the home costs, how long you'll stay, and what your money would earn elsewhere. Where homes cost many years of rent, renting and investing the difference can leave you ahead for a long time; where rents are high against prices, buying catches up sooner. Put in your own figures, or start from an area to use its live medians.

How long do I need to stay for buying to pay off?

The calculator shows the break-even year: the first year's end from which selling would leave you better off than having rented. Buying costs about 17.000 Kč in fees up front and selling about 3 % of the price at the end, so short stays favour renting.

What does an owner pay that a tenant doesn't?

The building's repair fund, its administration, insurance of the home, the yearly property tax and repairs inside the home. Tenants and owners both pay the charges for services such as heating and water, so the calculator leaves those out.

Can I deduct mortgage interest from my taxes?

Yes, for your own home. The interest lowers your income tax base by up to 150.000 Kč a year for loans from 2021, or 300.000 Kč for older ones, which saves 15 % of the interest you deduct. The calculator assumes you pay at least that much income tax in Czechia; switch the relief off if you don't.

How much do I need to put down?

At least 20 % of the price. The ČNB caps a mortgage at 80 % of the home's value, or 90 % for applicants under 36. On top come the purchase costs: the cadastre fee and a lawyer for the contract and escrow.

Is this financial advice?

No. It's a model with the assumptions shown on this page. A mortgage adviser can tell you what a bank would actually lend you and at what rate.

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