For the U.S., you have these "rent or buy" calculators: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/int

For the U.S., you have these "rent or buy" calculators: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calc... http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303948104579534230618539424 http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240527023039481045795342... Buying seems to be better in most cases but not all. Edit: relevant MrMoneyMustache article, saying how in a very expensive city (Toronto) it's better to rent: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/07/27/rent-vs-buy/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/07/27/rent-vs-buy/ For my country (Uruguay), for almost all houses barring mansions or waterfront properties, if you plan to stay more than a few years, it's better to buy. The rent vs mortgage relationship is ridiculous (and investors love it).