Net cost of buying
Everything you pay in — deposit, ~7% one-off costs, mortgage instalments and annual ownership costs — minus the equity you'd hold (the home's value less the remaining loan). The lower this is, the better buying looks.
Laden
Move the sliders to see the net cost of owning versus cumulative rent over the years you'll stay — and the break-even year where buying pulls ahead.
Assumes ~7% one-off buy costs (DLD + agency + fees) and a 25-year term. Compares cash outlay; it doesn't credit the renter with investing the saved deposit.
Buying wins
Buying breaks even around year 2.
“Net cost of buying” = everything paid in (deposit + costs + mortgage + ownership) minus the equity you'd hold. Lower wins. Indicative — growth rates are assumptions, not guarantees.
Everything you pay in — deposit, ~7% one-off costs, mortgage instalments and annual ownership costs — minus the equity you'd hold (the home's value less the remaining loan). The lower this is, the better buying looks.
The total rent you'd pay over the same years, compounded by your assumed annual increase. This is the renter's cash outlay to compare against.
The first year the net cost of buying drops below cumulative rent. Before it, renting is cheaper; after it, owning pulls ahead — driven mostly by how long you stay and price growth.
The ~7% upfront cost stack takes years to recover. Short stays favour renting; long stays favour buying — almost regardless of the other inputs.
Price and rent growth are assumptions, not guarantees — Dubai is cyclical. Try a conservative case before you decide.
The model doesn't credit a renter with investing the saved deposit. If you'd earn a strong return on that capital, renting looks relatively better than shown.