Rent versus buy.
Change the assumptions.

Buying uses the deposit and upfront costs immediately. Renting invests that same starting cash. Each month, the cheaper scenario invests the difference between rent and the buyer’s loan repayment plus ownership costs. This equalises modelled cash outlay; it does not assess whether either budget is affordable.

Buying wealth is the house value less assumed selling costs and remaining loan, plus any invested cash-flow difference. Renting wealth is the invested starting cash plus invested monthly differences. Returns are entered after tax and fees; property, rent and ownership-cost changes compound monthly from their annual assumptions. Rent uses weekly rent × 52 ÷ 12. Loan repayments are monthly and the rate is constant. After loan payoff, repayments stop and the monthly difference adjusts.

Owner-occupied illustration. No first-home assistance, LMI, grants, tax on property sale, land tax, borrowing restrictions, moving costs or investment losses beyond the entered return are calculated. Upfront duty is entered, not calculated. Real investment returns and property values fluctuate. Negative assumptions can be tested. Personal circumstances and security of tenure also matter.