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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 Praha 11, at the area's median asking price and rent per m² today. See Praha 11'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

1.784.000 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 years5,9 Mio. Kč

Rent: after 10 years4,9 Mio. Kč

The result

Buying comes out ahead from year 4. After 10 years you'd have 1.047.465 Kč more than if you rented.

A month in the first year

Buying
41.518 Kča month
Renting
24.500 Kča month
Buying
Mortgage: 38.046 Kč · Owner's costs: 1.630 Kč · Upkeep: 3.717 Kč · Tax relief: −1.875 Kč
Cash on day one
1.801.000 Kč
Mortgage: 7.136.000 Kč

What you'd have after 10 years

If you buy
5.908.465 Kč
If you rent
4.861.000 Kč
Break-even
Year 4

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
19.187.600 Kč7.029.580 Kč498.216 Kč294.000 Kč1.885.999 Kč2.084.990 Kč
29.463.228 Kč6.917.778 Kč500.136 Kč302.820 Kč2.269.486 Kč2.373.889 Kč
39.747.125 Kč6.800.330 Kč502.116 Kč311.904 Kč2.667.406 Kč2.667.703 Kč
410.039.539 Kč6.676.945 Kč504.156 Kč321.264 Kč3.080.338 Kč2.966.426 Kč
510.340.725 Kč6.547.327 Kč506.256 Kč330.900 Kč3.508.875 Kč3.270.052 Kč
610.650.946 Kč6.411.157 Kč508.428 Kč340.824 Kč3.953.646 Kč3.578.577 Kč
710.970.475 Kč6.268.108 Kč510.660 Kč351.048 Kč4.415.297 Kč3.891.971 Kč
811.299.589 Kč6.117.830 Kč512.952 Kč361.584 Kč4.894.508 Kč4.210.194 Kč
911.638.577 Kč5.959.957 Kč515.328 Kč372.432 Kč5.391.986 Kč4.533.226 Kč
1011.987.734 Kč5.794.107 Kč517.752 Kč383.604 Kč5.908.465 Kč4.861.000 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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