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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 Plzeň 1, at the area's median asking price and rent per m² today. See Plzeň 1'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

1.208.000 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 years4,1 Mio. Kč

Rent: after 10 years3,5 Mio. Kč

The result

Buying comes out ahead from year 4. After 10 years you'd have 569.153 Kč more than if you rented.

A month in the first year

Buying
28.034 Kča month
Renting
15.800 Kča month
Buying
Mortgage: 25.762 Kč · Owner's costs: 1.630 Kč · Upkeep: 2.517 Kč · Tax relief: −1.875 Kč
Cash on day one
1.225.000 Kč
Mortgage: 4.832.000 Kč

What you'd have after 10 years

If you buy
4.070.067 Kč
If you rent
3.500.914 Kč
Break-even
Year 4
Homes for sale in Plzeň 1Homes to rent in Plzeň 1

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
16.221.200 Kč4.759.940 Kč336.408 Kč189.600 Kč1.283.015 Kč1.432.281 Kč
26.407.836 Kč4.684.238 Kč337.896 Kč195.288 Kč1.548.831 Kč1.643.927 Kč
36.600.071 Kč4.604.710 Kč339.432 Kč201.144 Kč1.824.626 Kč1.860.000 Kč
46.798.073 Kč4.521.164 Kč341.016 Kč207.180 Kč2.110.797 Kč2.080.554 Kč
57.002.015 Kč4.433.397 Kč342.648 Kč213.396 Kč2.407.755 Kč2.305.644 Kč
67.212.076 Kč4.341.195 Kč344.328 Kč219.804 Kč2.715.932 Kč2.535.318 Kč
77.428.438 Kč4.244.331 Kč346.056 Kč226.392 Kč3.035.777 Kč2.769.636 Kč
87.651.291 Kč4.142.573 Kč347.832 Kč233.184 Kč3.367.754 Kč3.008.637 Kč
97.880.830 Kč4.035.675 Kč349.680 Kč240.180 Kč3.712.348 Kč3.252.385 Kč
108.117.255 Kč3.923.375 Kč351.564 Kč247.380 Kč4.070.067 Kč3.500.914 Kč

Thinking of letting it instead? Work out its cash flow

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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