Honest calculators for buying, renting & money moves in Europe. Nothing saved unless you ask — just you and the math.
A 20% raise in a pricier city can be a pay cut. This compares what you actually keep and what it actually buys.
Cost-of-living data: Numbeo, 2025 (New York = 100). Not your city? Pick "Custom" and type your own.
Owning builds equity. Renting frees up cash to invest. Over your real time horizon — which one leaves you richer?
The bank approves you to its limit, not your budget. Here's the gap between "the bank says yes" and "you can actually breathe."
"My place went up 30%!" Sure — before upkeep, tax, insurance and the ~10% round-trip to buy and sell. Here's what's actually left.
Same money, two paths. Overpaying is a guaranteed return equal to your mortgage rate. Investing aims higher — but it's uncertain and the gains get taxed. Here's which one actually wins for you.
Keep your emergency fund, clear any high-interest debt first, and check your mortgage even lets you overpay for free (Germany caps it). Tax here is applied to gains at the end — some countries tax along the way (Germany's Vorabpauschale, Ireland's 8-yr deemed disposal, NL's Box 3), so treat this as a gut-check.