Renting or buying in Charlotte? Run your own numbers, not a rule of thumb.

Renting

Monthly rent, comparable home

Expected annual rent increase, %

Buying

Home price

Down payment, %

Mortgage rate, annual %

Property tax, % of value per year

Insurance + maintenance, % of value per year

Closing + selling costs, % of price (round trip)

Expected home value growth, %/yr

Years you plan to stay

“Owning cost” nets out the equity you’d build and the value growth against what you paid in interest, tax, insurance, maintenance and round-trip closing costs. It ignores mortgage-interest tax effects and assumes you invest what you’re not paying in rent nowhere else, it’s a comparison tool, not a financial plan. Every rate above is yours to change; nothing here is today’s actual rate or a promise about future prices.