Rental Property Investment Calculators
Free, private, 100% browser-local tools to analyze cash flow, cap rate, BRRRR, Airbnb ROI, IRS depreciation, 1031 exchanges, and more. Pick a calculator to begin.
Long-Term🔄BRRRR Strategy Calculator
BRRRR Method🏖️Airbnb ROI Calculator
Short-Term📋IRS Depreciation Calculator
Tax Deprec🏢Multi-Family Calculator
Multi-Family🔎Quick Screen Calculator
1% / 50% Rule🔄1031 Exchange Calculator
Tax Deferral📊Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Deals💰Max Offer Calculator
Reverse Calc🏦Loan Comparison
Loan Types⚖️Rent vs Sell Calculator
Hold or Sell
How to evaluate a rental property before you buy
Before running a single number, anchor on the question every landlord actually answers each month: after all costs, how much cash does this property put in my pocket — and what return do I earn on the money I put in? A sound analysis separates the property's own economics (rent minus operating costs) from the financing you layer on top.
- Estimate gross rent. Use market comparables for similar units, not the seller's pro forma. For short-term rentals, model occupancy, not a flat rate.
- List operating expenses. Property tax, insurance, HOA, management, repairs, vacancy, and capital reserves. Plan for the real bills, not the optimistic ones.
- Compute net operating income (NOI). Gross rent minus operating expenses. NOI ignores your mortgage — that is intentional, so you can compare properties regardless of how each is financed.
- Subtract the mortgage. NOI minus debt service equals monthly cash flow, the number that pays your bills.
- Translate cash flow into returns. Cap rate (NOI ÷ price) and cash-on-cash return (annual cash flow ÷ cash invested) tell you whether the deal clears your threshold.
- Stress-test it. A vacancy, a roof, or a rate change can flip a positive month negative. Run the downside before you close.
Every calculator on this site is built around that same workflow, so the numbers you see map directly to the steps above.
The 4 metrics every rental investor should know
Cash Flow
Money left after rent is collected and every bill — mortgage, tax, insurance, repairs, vacancy — is paid. Positive cash flow is what keeps you solvent month to month.
Cap Rate
Net operating income ÷ property price. A property-level return that ignores financing, ideal for comparing deals in the same market.
Cash-on-Cash
Annual pre-tax cash flow ÷ cash you actually invested (down payment, closing, rehab). The return on your money, not the bank's.
Total ROI
All returns — cash flow, loan paydown, and appreciation — divided by total invested. The big-picture number for hold decisions.
Featured guides & calculator walkthroughs
Deeper, worked-example articles from the RentalInvestCalc editorial team — each tied to the calculator it explains.
Rental Analysis for Beginners
A 7-step framework to screen any deal before you submit an offer — income, expenses, financing, and the questions worth asking the seller.
Read guide →Cap Rate vs. Cash-on-Cash Return
The two metrics investors confuse most. Learn what each measures, when to use which, and why a high cap rate can still lose money after financing.
Read guide →The BRRRR Method, Step by Step
Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. We walk the refinance math that decides whether your capital actually comes back out.
Read guide →Best U.S. States for Landlords in 2026
How property tax, insurance, and rent growth shape real cash flow — plus the markets where landlords keep the most per door.
Read guide →1031 Exchange: Defer Capital Gains
The 45-/180-day clock, what counts as 'like-kind', and how a 1031 defers both gain and depreciation recapture.
Read guide →Airbnb vs. Long-Term: Tax & Profit
Occupancy taxes, furnishings depreciation, and self-employment tax — model which strategy wins in your market.
Read guide →Why investors use RentalInvestCalc
- No signup, no data upload. Every calculation runs on your device.
- 12 specialized calculators covering income, tax, strategy, and comparison.
- State-specific guides with real property-tax rates across all 50 states + DC.
- Guides & FAQ explain the math behind every metric.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. A higher cap rate usually signals higher risk — weaker neighborhoods, older buildings, or thinner tenant demand. Use cap rate to compare similar properties in the same market, then confirm with our cash flow calculator and a full cash-flow check.
A common rule is to hold 5%–10% of rent for repairs and another 5%–10% for vacancy, on top of a separate capital-expense (capex) reserve for roofs, HVAC, and appliances. Our cash flow calculator builds these into net operating income automatically.
The 1% rule screens a deal by checking that monthly rent is at least 1% of the purchase price. The 50% rule estimates that roughly half of rent goes to operating expenses (excluding the mortgage). Both are quick filters, not a substitute for a full model — try the quick screen calculator.
Yes. Rent is ordinary income, but you deduct mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, repairs, and depreciation. Depreciation in particular can shelter much of your cash flow. See our depreciation calculator and the IRS sources we cite.
Yes. The Airbnb ROI calculator models occupancy, cleaning, furnishing depreciation, and local occupancy taxes so you can compare an STR against a long-term lease side by side.
How we keep these tools accurate
RentalInvestCalc is built by an independent editorial team, not a lender or broker. Our calculators follow standard real-estate finance definitions, and our guides cite primary sources — IRS Publication 527, IRS Tax Topic 414, Census housing data, and NMHC benchmarks — which you can review on our References page. Figures are estimates for education only; confirm anything you act on with a licensed CPA or real estate professional.
Disclaimer: These tools provide estimates for education only. They are not tax, legal, or financial advice. Confirm figures with a licensed CPA and real estate professional before acting.
Contact & corrections
RentalInvestCalc is an independent editorial project. Spot a data error or want a source added? Email 18999737@qq.com or read our About page. We publish estimates and guides, not tax, legal, or financial advice — always confirm figures with the county assessor and a licensed CPA or attorney.