Compare the true long-term cost of renting vs buying a home in Australia, including opportunity cost of the deposit, transaction costs, and capital growth.
| Metric | Buy | Rent & Invest |
|---|
This is one of the biggest financial decisions Australians make. The maths depends heavily on your time horizon, local property growth, and investment returns. For stays under 5 years, renting often wins due to high transaction costs (~5% of property value for stamp duty, conveyancing, and agents). For longer horizons in growth markets, buying typically comes ahead.