Compare two apartment offers using rent, concessions, recurring fees, parking, utilities, commute cost, move-in cash and the optional value of commute time.
Model reviewed September 4, 2026 · Inputs stay in your browser
Decision model
The formula
Lease cash cost = lease months × recurring monthly costs − concessions + one-time costs + prorated rent. Refundable deposits are shown in move-in cash, not counted as lease cost.
This tool is designed to combine assumptions that are usually split across several simpler calculators. Every real-world rate is editable.
Enter your assumptions and calculate.
Why advertised rent is not enough
Two apartments with nearly identical base rent can have very different lease economics after mandatory fees, parking, utilities, concessions and commute costs. This comparison keeps those pieces visible instead of hiding them inside one rent number.
Move-in cash is a different question
A refundable deposit may not be a long-run expense, but it still affects whether you can get the keys. That is why the tool separates move-in cash from modeled lease cost.
Optional time-adjusted comparison
If a location changes the hours you spend commuting, you can assign those hours a value. Leave the time value at zero if you want a pure cash comparison.
Why this calculator exists
There are many good single-formula calculators. This one is intentionally more complex: it helps answer a decision where several risks and costs interact. Complexity is useful only when the extra inputs change what you would do.
Spreadsheet version
Want to save or modify this model?
Use the matching Apartment Lease Offer Comparator Google Sheets template to keep scenarios, change assumptions or extend the model.