Buy or Lease?

Should you lease or buy? Use this calculator to find out! We calculate monthly payments and your total net cost. By comparing these amounts, you can determine which is the better value for you.

This Financial Calculator requires a Browser with Java Support

Definitions

Purchase price
Total purchase price.

Down payment
Amount paid as a down payment, which for leases is often called a capital reduction.

Sales tax rate
Percentage sales tax to be charged on this purchase. Sales tax is included in each lease payment. Sales tax for buying is charged on the total sale amount.

Investment rate of return
Rate of return on investments. This is the return that you would make if you were to invest your down payment or security deposit instead of using it in your purchase or lease.

Term in months
Term in months for your lease or your loan.

Other fees
Any fee, other than a capital reduction or down payment, required to be paid at the close of the lease or loan.

Annual of depreciation
The rate of depreciation gauges how fast your new purchase will lose its market value. A high depreciation rate is about 20% per year, medium is 15% per year and low is 10% per year.

Interest rate
Annual interest rate for your loan or your lease.

Residual percent
For leases, this is remaining value after the lease term expires. The higher this amount, the lower your lease payment will be.

Security deposit
Required deposit on leases. The security deposit is refunded to you at the end of your lease (depending on excessive wear or damage).