Cost Per Use Calculator
What will this house cost you? See the monthly payment, how much of each payment goes to interest, and what you'll have paid by the end of the loan.
If you rent instead, the cash you would have spent to close is invested on day one, and each month whichever choice costs less invests the difference. For selling costs, rising taxes or a shorter stay, use Rent vs Buy.
Should you keep renting or buy? See which one leaves you with more money after the years you plan to stay.
What would moving to a bigger or smaller home cost you? See what you'd clear from selling, the new monthly payment, and how spending and equity compare over 10 years.
How much house can you afford? Start from your income and the debts you already pay, and see the top price that lenders' usual rules allow.
Is this refinance worth it? See how many months the savings take to cover the closing costs, and what the new loan does to your total interest and payoff date.
What is mortgage insurance costing you, and when does it stop? See the monthly cost, when you'll reach 20% equity and can ask to drop it, and the total you'll pay.
The removal rules used here (ask at 80% of the original value, automatic at 78%, final cutoff at the loan’s midpoint) come from the Homeowners Protection Act and were checked in October 2026 against CFPB guidance. They apply to conventional loans, not FHA.
A house in a good school district, or a cheaper one plus private school? See which path leaves you with more money once the school years are over. It compares money only, not school quality or your kids' experience.
How much will your money grow? See what steady saving and compound interest add up to, or work backward to the starting amount, rate or time a goal needs.
Did that car, collectible or property beat the market? See how much it gained or lost since you bought it, and what the same money would have earned invested instead.
Where does your money go each month? Add up what comes in and what goes out, and see your savings rate and how much of your take-home pay goes to housing and transportation.
How long until you reach your savings goal? See how long it takes at what you save now, or how much to put away each month to get there by a date.
How big should your emergency fund be? Set a target from your monthly expenses and see how long it takes to get there at your current savings pace.
What will inflation do to your money? See what today's dollars will buy in the future, and how much you'd need then to live the same way.
Can trading beat an index fund after taxes? Compare trading that's taxed every year with an index fund taxed once when you sell, and see the return trading would need just to keep up.
Where should your next dollar go? Answer a few quick questions and get a suggested next step, plus the calculator to run it. It follows a common order of priorities, and your situation may change it. It isn't personalized advice.
How much do you need saved to retire? See the nest egg your retirement spending needs once inflation, Social Security and the years it has to last are counted.
Could you stop saving for retirement and still be on track? Find your Coast FIRE number: the amount you'd need invested today for growth alone to cover retirement, with no more contributions.
Roth or Traditional: which leaves you more? Compare what each account leaves you after tax, based on your tax rate now and the rate you expect in retirement.
The federal tax rates suggested in the tips (10% to 37%) are the 2026 rates, checked in October 2026 against the IRS.
How long will your retirement savings last? Enter what you have and what you'll take out each month, and see how many years it lasts as it grows and your spending rises with inflation.
When should you claim Social Security: 62, your full retirement age, or 70? Compare the monthly checks, the break-even ages and the lifetime totals for each.
The claiming rules used here (5/9 of 1% less a month for the first 36 months early, 5/12 of 1% after that, 8% more a year for waiting, and a full retirement age of 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later) were checked in October 2026 against the Social Security Administration.
What does retiring early cost? See how much smaller your nest egg is after fewer years of saving, how many more years it has to cover, and the extra monthly saving that would close the gap.
Are you getting your full 401(k) match? See whether you're leaving employer money on the table, how close you are to the IRS limit, and what contributing more could add by retirement.
The 2026 limits used here ($24,500, plus $8,000 from age 50 or $11,250 at 60 to 63, and $72,000 in total) were checked in October 2026 against IRS Notice 2025-67. The IRS usually announces the next year’s limits in late October or November.
Will your money last if the market has bad years? This runs 1,000 random markets to show how often your plan makes it and the range of where you could end up. These are odds based on your assumptions, not guarantees.
Which car loan is cheaper? Put two offers side by side, with different prices, rates or terms, and see which costs less over the full loan.
What does your car cost you each month, all in? Add up the payment, insurance, fuel and upkeep, with depreciation shown alongside.
How fast will your car lose value? See typical value curves for different kinds of vehicles, from trucks and SUVs to luxury and economy cars.
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How much car can you afford? Start from your take-home pay and see what price fits the common 20/4/10 budgeting guideline.
Lease or buy: which costs less? Compare the full cost of leasing and buying the same car over the same number of years.
Will an EV save you money? Compare the price, fuel and maintenance of an EV and a gas car over the years and miles you drive, and see when the EV pays off, if it does.
The federal clean-vehicle credit ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. Checked in October 2026 against the IRS.
What are you paying for in this lease? Enter the money factor, residual value and cap cost from the offer, and see where each dollar of the payment goes.
Is a premium credit card worth its fee? Enter what you spend each month and see whether the rewards and perks beat a no-fee card.
How much do you need to spend for a card's annual fee to pay off? Find the monthly spending where the extra rewards cover the fee, and how far ahead you come out at what you spend now.
How long until this debt is paid off? See the payoff date and total interest, and how much paying a little extra each month saves.
Pay off student loans faster, or invest the extra? See your payoff date and total interest, and turn on the comparison to see which builds more wealth.
Which debt should you pay off first? Enter your debts and an extra monthly amount, and compare paying the highest rate first (avalanche) with the smallest balance first (snowball). Avalanche usually costs less in interest; snowball gives you quicker wins.
What does it cost you each time you use it? Count the price, what you'll sell it for, upkeep and the growth that money could have earned, and compare it with renting. Weighing an upgrade, like an SUV instead of a sedan? Choose “An upgrade” and enter only the differences.
Does your spending match what you care about? Weight what matters to you, tag your monthly spending, and see how closely the two line up. The score shows the match. It doesn't tell you what to change.
What does your job pay per hour, once the commute counts? Count the commute, unpaid lunch, after-hours work and time off, and turn on Job B to compare two offers.
Will your business run short of cash before clients pay? See how deep the gap gets when clients pay on Net 30/60/90 but bills are due now, how much cash gets you through it, and when you're back in the clear.