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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.

From Wohnung 2+1 zum Kauf, 58 m²: its asking price, floor area and Bytky's rent estimate. Open the listing

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

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

Worked out for 58 m²: repair fund, administration, insurance and property tax.

Over the years

Buy: after 10 years5,7 Mio. Kč

Rent: after 10 years4,7 Mio. Kč

The result

Buying comes out ahead from year 4. After 10 years you'd have 1.007.652 Kč more than if you rented.

A month in the first year

Buying
40.053 Kča month
Renting
23.673 Kča month
Buying
Mortgage: 36.639 Kč · Owner's costs: 1.710 Kč · Upkeep: 3.579 Kč · Tax relief: −1.875 Kč
Cash on day one
1.735.000 Kč
Mortgage: 6.872.000 Kč

What you'd have after 10 years

If you buy
5.699.125 Kč
If you rent
4.691.473 Kč
Break-even
Year 4
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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
18.847.700 Kč6.769.508 Kč480.636 Kč284.076 Kč1.817.006 Kč2.009.193 Kč
29.113.131 Kč6.661.837 Kč482.544 Kč292.596 Kč2.187.111 Kč2.288.172 Kč
39.386.525 Kč6.548.727 Kč484.500 Kč301.380 Kč2.571.146 Kč2.571.927 Kč
49.668.121 Kč6.429.900 Kč486.516 Kč310.416 Kč2.969.669 Kč2.860.469 Kč
59.958.164 Kč6.305.069 Kč488.592 Kč319.728 Kč3.383.255 Kč3.153.788 Kč
610.256.909 Kč6.173.928 Kč490.740 Kč329.316 Kč3.812.508 Kč3.451.885 Kč
710.564.617 Kč6.036.160 Kč492.948 Kč339.204 Kč4.258.054 Kč3.754.725 Kč
810.881.555 Kč5.891.432 Kč495.216 Kč349.380 Kč4.720.546 Kč4.062.287 Kč
911.208.002 Kč5.739.389 Kč497.568 Kč359.856 Kč5.200.666 Kč4.374.555 Kč
1011.544.242 Kč5.579.663 Kč499.980 Kč370.656 Kč5.699.125 Kč4.691.473 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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