What if I'd bought instead of rented?

Both paths start with the same savings and spend the same each month. The buyer uses the savings for the deposit and buying costs; the renter keeps them invested. Each month, whichever path costs less invests the difference. Unless you enter your own, the home price, rent and mortgage rate are the area averages for the month you'd have bought. A price or rent you enter moves with the local average from then on, so a home 20% above average stays 20% above. An own mortgage rate keeps the same gap to the going rate when it's refixed. UK mortgages default to refixing every two years at the going two-year rate; US mortgages default to a 30-year fixed. Selling costs and income tax are left out. US property tax is the metro's median tax bill over its median home value (Census ACS 2023), charged on the home's value each year; in California and other states that cap assessments, a new buyer usually pays more than that median. PMI stops once the loan falls to 78% of the purchase price. UK stamp duty uses the rules in force on the purchase date for England and Northern Ireland, Scotland (LBTT) or Wales (LTT).