Both have free money calculators, and they answer different questions. The New York Times rent vs buy calculator projects forward from rates you set. Ctrl Alt Decide replays what really happened at a real place and date.
| NYT rent vs buy | Ctrl Alt Decide | |
|---|---|---|
| What it answers | What might happen: it projects forward from rates you set. | How a choice turned out: it replays what really happened at a real place and date. |
| Where the numbers come from | Guesses you set or accept under "What Does the Future Hold?": "Home price growth rate", "Rent growth rate", "Investment return rate" and "Inflation rate". | Published records for your place and month: HM Land Registry, ONS, Zillow, Freddie Mac, Bank of England and more. You can type over any figure. |
| Where | No place picker: one set of national defaults that you change by hand. | Over 600 UK and US places, each with its own prices and rents since 2015. |
| Rent or buy | Yes, in detail: buying, selling and ownership costs, with a chart for each input showing where the answer flips. | Yes, for over 600 UK and US places, back to 2015. |
| Tax | Models US mortgage interest and property tax deductions, and capital gains tax on a sale. | Not modelled: no income tax, capital gains tax or mortgage interest deduction. |
| UK coverage | US only. | UK and US. |
| Cost to use | Behind The New York Times metered paywall. | Free, with no account. |
| How it makes money | Part of The New York Times, which is funded by subscriptions and advertising. | No ads, no affiliate links, no paid version. |
You're in the US, planning ahead, and want US tax, selling costs and fees handled in detail. Its charts show which inputs change the answer most. It has been refined since 2014 and was last updated for tax law in July 2025.
You want to know how a choice actually played out: in your place, from the month you made it, with the real prices, rents and rates since. It covers the UK as well as the US, and every figure names its source.
Checked on 23 September 2026 against the calculator as archived on 26 July 2026 (nytimes.com blocks automated reading): NYT: Is It Better to Rent or Buy?, archived copy, 26 July 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at @ctrlaltdecide.