finance calculator
Car Lease vs Buy Calculator
Compare lease payments against car purchase financing costs.
Inputs
Vehicle & Down Payment
$
$
Lease Option Details
months
$
$
$
Buy Option Details
%
Results
Financial Recommendation
Buying saves $237 over leasing
Total Lease Cost$19,375
Total Buy Out-of-Pocket$37,612
Buy Net Cost (After Resale)$19,612
Buy Monthly Payment$906
Formula
Lease vs buy formulas
Lease Cost = (Monthly Payment × Term) + Down + Fees. Buy Net Cost = Purchase Cost - Residual ValueCompares total lease out-of-pocket costs with amortized loan payments minus residual vehicle equity.
Step by step
How the calculation works
- 1Enter the vehicle MSRP / selling price and down payment.
- 2Provide the lease details: term months, monthly payment, acquisition fee, and residual value.
- 3Specify the interest rate for purchase financing to calculate monthly loan payments.
- 4Compare the total lease cost against the net purchase cost (total loan payments + down payment - residual value).
Related guides
Learn more about this calculation
Guide
Lease vs Buy: A Complete Financial Analysis of Car Ownership
A detailed comparison of auto leasing versus purchasing and financing a vehicle, highlighting long-term costs, depreciation, and equity.
Site Guide
Saving and Exporting Calculations: How to Keep Your Results
Learn how to save calculation results using browser bookmarks, local storage, screenshots, and export options for future reference and comparison.