Should you rent or buy?
Tell us the price of the place you’d buy and the rent you’d pay. We put the monthly mortgage right next to the rent, cash outlay and all. Don’t know the price? A free, instant Amicus valuation fills it in. No sign-up, no hard sell.
Your comparison updates live as you type.
Free · No sign-up required · Valuation by Amicus
Side by side, buying already looks $605/mo cheaper, and it’s better than it looks.
Only $1,593/mo of that mortgage is truly spent, because it’s interest. The other $3,803/mo is principal you keep. Line up what actually leaves your pocket, $1,593 to own vs $6,000 to rent, and owning is $4,408/mo cheaper.
Indicative: the best 2-year fixed package at 1.40% p.a. over a 25-year tenure. See the live rates below.
A mortgage is two payments in one
Put a mortgage next to rent and buying often looks more expensive. That is the trap. A rent payment leaves and never returns. A mortgage splits in two: part is interest, an expense that is gone like rent, and part is principal, which you keep. The first number is a cost. The second is savings in disguise.
Once you see how much of the payment is building equity you own, the picture often flips. This tool surfaces exactly that: the monthly gap, and the slice of it that comes back to you instead of disappearing into a landlord’s account.
Illustrative: a $1,820,000 home at a 25% downpayment and a 1.40% 2-year fixed rate over 25 years, against $6,000 rent. Your numbers appear as you type above.
The rates behind the monthly figure
Today’s best package in each category, sized for an indicative $1,365,000 loan (75% of a $1,820,000 home). The comparison above is priced off the 2-year fixed rate.
| Bank | Type | Lock-in | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 HSBC | 2-Year Fixed | 2 years | 1.40% | |
Confidential Rate | 3-Year Fixed | 3 years | 1.60% | |
 RHBLowest | Floating | 2 years | 1M SORA + 0.25% Currently 1.27% |
Indicative rates, updated regularly. Your exact rate depends on the bank’s valuation, loan size and your profile.
Buy, or rent and invest the difference?
Buying builds equity. But renting frees up the downpayment and the monthly gap to invest instead. We keep both paths spending the same each month and project the net worth they leave you with.
Mortgage priced at 1.40% p.a. (2-year fixed), 75% financed. Upfront cash either way: $509,600 (downpayment + BSD).
Over 25 years, buying comes out $2,375,620 ahead.
Indicative and simplified. Both paths start with the same upfront cash (downpayment + BSD), so the renter begins ahead by the stamp duty: it buys the owner no equity, while the renter invests it. Property value and maintenance grow at the appreciation rate above, rent grows at the rental increase rate, and the mortgage is held at the 2-year fixed rate for the full tenure. Excludes selling costs, property tax and a bank’s own valuation. Markets can fall as well as rise, and investment returns are not guaranteed.
Rent versus buy in three steps
No appointments, no paperwork. Two numbers and a few seconds.
Enter two numbers
The price of the home you have in mind and the monthly rent you pay or are quoted. That is all the maths needs.
No price in mind? Optional lookup
Give us a postal code and unit instead, and a free, instant Amicus valuation fills the price in for you.
See the verdict
Your monthly mortgage sits right next to your rent, with upfront cash, equity built, and the gap all in one view.
What you give and get, either way
Neither is simply better. It depends on how long you’ll stay, your cash on hand, and how much flexibility you want.
No price in mind? Get one you can trust
Enter your own figure, or let the optional lookup fill it in: an independent valuation by Amicus, a Singapore data company operating since 1985, using the same automated valuation approach banks rely on.
An optional, independent valuation produced by Amicus, a Singapore data company operating since 1985, not a number we set ourselves.
Powered by an Automated Valuation Machine (AVM), the same class of model the banks rely on to value property.
Factors in location, floor level, built-in area and recent transactions for the unit and its neighbours.
No personal details needed to see your value or your rent-versus-buy comparison.
The comparison is indicative and excludes Buyer’s Stamp Duty, the physical condition of the unit, and a bank’s own assessment. Speak to an advisor before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How the comparison works, what it assumes, and what to do with the result.
How do you work out the monthly mortgage?
We take the property price you enter, assume a 25% downpayment, and finance the remaining 75% over 25 years at an indicative rate. You can change the price at any time and the whole page updates to match.
What is included in the upfront cash to buy?
The figure shown is the 25% downpayment, of which at least 5% must be paid in cash and up to 20% can come from cash or CPF. Buyer’s Stamp Duty, legal and valuation fees sit on top and vary by price.
Do I need an exact price to use this?
No. Any realistic figure works: an asking price, a listing you saw, or a rough budget. If you have no number in mind, the optional Amicus lookup values a specific unit from its postal code and unit number.
Is the Amicus valuation accurate enough to decide on?
It is an indicative AVM estimate, the same approach the banks use, and a sound starting point. For an actual purchase, the bank runs its own valuation, which can differ.
Does buying always beat renting?
No. Buying tends to win the longer you stay and the more the property appreciates; renting can win if you value flexibility or plan to move within a few years. The comparison is there to make that trade-off concrete for your unit.
Can I use this for an HDB flat?
Yes. The valuation works for both HDB flats and private property. HDB purchases follow different loan and downpayment rules, so treat the figures as indicative and confirm with an advisor.
What should I do after I see the comparison?
If buying looks close or favourable, speak to a Cashew advisor. We compare 500+ loan packages across all major Singapore banks to find the rate that makes the maths work in your favour.
Still weighing it up?
Speak to a Cashew advisor about whether buying makes sense for you, and the rate that would make the monthly maths work in your favour.
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