⚖️ Buy vs Rent
Am I better off buying or renting?
“The mortgage would be less than the rent” is the comparison most people make and it leaves out the deposit, the stamp duty, the maintenance and what the deposit would have earned elsewhere. This counts all of it, on both sides, over the years you actually plan to stay.
Figures reviewed September 2026. Free, no signup, nothing stored on our servers.
What this means
The net position on each side is what you would be worth at the end of the period having taken that path. Buying counts the equity built up, less everything spent on interest, maintenance, property costs and the cost of selling. Renting counts the deposit and upfront costs invested instead, less the rent paid.
How long you stay decides this more than anything else. Buying carries large one-off costs at the start — stamp duty, solicitor, survey — and recovers them slowly. Under about five years, renting usually wins on the arithmetic almost regardless of the other inputs. Over fifteen, buying usually wins.
The assumptions are doing real work here and they are all visible above on purpose. Change property growth by two percentage points and the answer can reverse. Anyone presenting this comparison as a settled fact is hiding an assumption you are entitled to argue with.
What affects the result
- How long you stay. The single largest factor, because the upfront costs of buying are recovered over time.
- Assumed property price growth, which nobody knows and which flips the answer at around two percentage points either way.
- The gap between the rent and the mortgage repayment on the same home.
- Rent increases. In a Rent Pressure Zone these are capped, which changes the renting side materially.
- What the deposit would earn if invested, after Irish investment tax — which is higher than most people assume.
- Maintenance. Owners pay for the boiler; renters do not.
Am I better off buying or renting?
Before you use this
Find out what you can actually borrow, because that sets the purchase price the comparison should use — the affordability calculator applies the Central Bank limits. Then check the full cost of buying, since the upfront figure is what makes short stays expensive.
If you are renting for now
Two things are worth doing this month regardless of the long-term decision: check that any rent increase is legal, and claim the rent tax credit, which can be backdated.
Important assumptions
Every figure on this page rests on these. Where one does not match your situation, the answer moves — sometimes a great deal.
- Stamp duty at Irish residential rates from October 2024, plus typical professional fees at closing.
- Selling costs of roughly 2% of the property value, applied to the buying side at the end of the period.
- Mortgage interest counts as money spent; capital repayments count as equity, not cost.
- The renter invests the deposit and upfront costs, plus the monthly difference in any month where owning costs more.
- Investment returns are shown before tax. Irish exit tax on funds and DIRT on deposits would reduce the renting side.
- No account is taken of rent-free periods, of moving costs while renting, or of the value of security of tenure.
Official sources
Where this tool applies a published rule, this is where the rule comes from. Check the source before acting on anything that matters.
- Property Price Register
Actual Irish residential sale prices, for a realistic purchase price rather than an asking price.
- RTB Rent Index
Official quarterly data on what rents actually are, by county and property type.
- CSO — Residential Property Price Index
Official measurement of how Irish property prices have moved, for sense-checking a growth assumption.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to buy or rent in Ireland?
It depends almost entirely on how long you stay and what you assume about property prices. Under about five years, the upfront costs of buying usually mean renting is cheaper. Over fifteen, buying usually wins. Between the two it is genuinely close and the assumptions decide it — which is why they are all editable on this page.
Why does the calculator include what the deposit would earn?
Because a deposit spent on a house is a deposit not invested elsewhere. Ignoring that makes buying look better than it is. It is called opportunity cost and leaving it out is the most common flaw in buy-versus-rent comparisons.
Does this account for Rent Pressure Zones?
Indirectly — you set the assumed annual rent increase, and in a Rent Pressure Zone that is capped by law. Set it to the capped figure rather than to market growth if the property you rent is in one. The rent increase checker tells you what the cap is.
What about the security of owning?
It is real and it is not in the numbers. Not being served notice, being able to decorate, and knowing the cost in twenty years are worth something that no calculator can price. The arithmetic tells you what that security costs; you decide whether it is worth it.
What to check next
What house can I actually afford?
Borrowing capacity, deposit, monthly repayment and the upfront costs nobody budgets for.
House AffordabilityPopularWhat will the repayments be?
Repayments, total interest and how Irish lender rates compare.
Mortgage CalculatorWhat does buying actually cost on top?
Stamp duty, solicitor, survey, valuation and the rest, added up before you commit.
House Buying CostsPopularIs this rent increase legal?
Check a proposed increase against Rent Pressure Zone rules and RTB notice periods.
Rent Increase CheckerNext steps across CheckIreland
Picked for what you just worked out — not a list of everything we make.
- What you could actually borrowThe comparison is only as good as the purchase price in it, and the Central Bank limits set that.
- Claim it while you rentWorth up to €1,000 a year and backdatable — money most renters never claim.
- If you do buyOverpaying early is where the interest saving lives, and it is a guaranteed return.
CheckIreland is independent and is not affiliated with the Irish Government or any public body. This tool is general information built on published rules and typical costs — it is not financial, tax or legal advice, and it does not account for your individual circumstances. Confirm anything that matters with the relevant body or a qualified adviser before acting on it.