"Renting is throwing money away" is the most expensive half-truth in Indian real estate. Put in three numbers. We'll do the math a lender does — including the money your down payment could've earned elsewhere.
₹
₹
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If you buy
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net worth after 7 years
If you rent & invest
—
net worth after 7 years
Where they cross
Buying starts behind — the down payment and stamp duty are gone on day one. Watch when (or whether) it catches up.
Buy Rent & invest
The honest breakdown
Assumptions you can change ›
Why this is fairer than most calculators. The usual rent-vs-buy tool ignores the biggest hidden cost of buying: the down payment and stamp duty could have been invested instead. Here, the renter invests exactly that money — plus any month the rent is cheaper than an EMI — and earns a market return. The buyer builds equity and sells at the end. We compare the net worth each person walks away with. Every assumption above is editable, because the answer genuinely depends on them — anyone who gives you a one-line verdict is selling something.