Buy or rent a € 250.000 home if you stay 3 years?
4.0% mortgage rate · € 950/mo to rent · 2026 rules
Over just 3 years, renting comes out about € 3.008 ahead of buying a € 250.000 home — the one-off buying costs don't have time to pay back. Buying only pulls ahead around year later.
Assumptions
This scenario uses typical 2026 defaults. Every one of them is editable in the calculator — change the rate, the deposit, the horizon or the tax settings and the verdict updates instantly.
How this is worked out
The figures above come from the same engine as the calculator, run over 3 years. It counts every Dutch cost and tax on both sides — transfer tax, notary, VvE, OZB, maintenance, mortgage interest relief (hypotheekrenteaftrek), the eigenwoningforfait and Box 3 wealth tax on the renter's invested deposit — and credits the renter with investing the cash a buyer would tie up. The "gap" is how much wealthier one path leaves you at the end.