Buy or rent a € 300.000 home if you stay 5 years?
4.0% mortgage rate · € 1.150/mo to rent · 2026 rules
Buying a € 300.000 home and keeping it 5 years leaves you about € 11.814 wealthier than renting a comparable place, on the default 2026 assumptions below (a 4.0% mortgage). Buying pulls ahead around year 4.
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 5 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.