Australia · Free · 30 seconds

Are you making a
million-dollar housing mistake?

Enter your numbers. Find out whether buying a house or investing the deposit would leave you richer after 30 years.

No sign-up. No fluff. Just the maths.

$900k Sydney house · 20% deposit · 30 years $700k Brisbane house · 20% deposit · 30 years $1.4M Melbourne house · 20% deposit · 30 years $550k Perth house · 20% deposit · 30 years $650k Adelaide house · 20% deposit · 30 years $2.1M Sydney PPOR · 20% deposit · 30 years $900k Sydney house · 20% deposit · 30 years $700k Brisbane house · 20% deposit · 30 years $1.4M Melbourne house · 20% deposit · 30 years $550k Perth house · 20% deposit · 30 years $650k Adelaide house · 20% deposit · 30 years $2.1M Sydney PPOR · 20% deposit · 30 years

Your scenario

Adjust the sliders. Results update instantly.



Your rate while you hold, with Medicare included. The gain at sale is not taxed at this rate: it is added to other income at the bottom of this rate’s bracket (37% gives $135,001) and taxed through the brackets.

Your result after 30 years

Your result
is calculating…

Move a slider to compare buying against renting and investing the deposit, after rent costs, taxes and mortgage repayments.

Property wealth

$0

Shares wealth

$0

Monthly mortgage

$0

Monthly rent cost

$0

Run the full model with CGT, state taxes & more →

Simplified model. Does not include stamp duty, maintenance, rental income, or franking credits. Full model includes all of these.

How the maths works

01

Two parallel futures

We model two identical people: one buys a house, one rents and invests the deposit. Same income, same spending — different choice.

02

Cashflow neutrality

The investor saves the difference between mortgage payments and rent each month and adds it to their portfolio. It's apples-to-apples.

03

Wealth after N years

We compare net wealth at your chosen time horizon: property equity minus remaining loan vs shares portfolio after tax. No tricks.

See the full city-by-city rent vs invest breakdown for every Australian capital →

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CSV export · Save & load scenarios · CGT modelling · Advanced results

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Capital gains tax rate: The gain in the sale year is added to other taxable income at the bottom of the bracket your tax rate implies (37% gives $135,001) and taxed through the resident rates for that income year, plus 2% Medicare and the 30% minimum-tax top-up on the part from 1 July 2027. The brackets are held at their legislated values for every future year, so real bracket creep is not modelled. Offsets such as the low income tax offset (LITO) and the seniors and pensioners tax offset (SAPTO) are ignored, and all assets are sold in the final year as one lump. See the worked example.

This calculator runs the same engine as the full Property vs Shares calculator, in owner-occupier mode, so the two agree to the dollar on the same inputs. What it assumes: rent grows 3% a year rather than staying flat; you are an owner-occupier in NSW paying stamp duty, council rates, water, insurance at 0.3% of value, maintenance at 1% of value and 2% agent fees on sale; the share slider is your total return, so dividends and franking credits are not modelled separately, which is conservative toward shares; and capital gains tax adds the gain in the sale year to other taxable income at the bottom of the bracket your marginal rate implies (37% gives $135,001) and taxes it through the brackets, including the 1 July 2027 reform applied by date of sale. Enacted law (Acts No. 49 and 50 of 2026, including the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026): for individuals and trusts the 50% CGT discount is kept on the part of a gain that accrued before 1 July 2027, whenever the asset is sold, and gains accruing from 1 July 2027 use CPI cost-base indexation, with a 30% minimum tax for resident individuals that does not apply in a year they receive the Age Pension or certain other income-support payments. New residential dwellings and affordable housing keep a discount (50%, or up to 60% for affordable housing) instead of indexation and the minimum tax, with a choice of indexation where the Act allows, and a pre-CGT asset is treated as sold and reacquired on 1 July 2027 so that only the gain from that date is taxed; the Act's other conditions apply. This tool applies the 30% minimum tax in every case; by law it applies to resident individuals and not in a year the person receives the Age Pension or listed income-support payments (s 119-15), so figures for Age Pension recipients are overstated. It is not financial advice. For Monte Carlo risk modelling, negative gearing and depreciation, use the full Tepuy calculator. If your deposit is under 20%, use the LMI Calculator to add Lenders Mortgage Insurance to your true upfront cost. Always consult a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.
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