See whether a rental actually makes money before you buy. Enter the purchase price, your financing, the rent, and your operating costs — and get your cash-on-cash return, cap rate, and monthly cash flow.
Estimate only — a screening tool, not investment advice. It ignores appreciation, loan paydown, tax benefits, and closing-cost financing. Confirm real taxes, insurance, and rents before you buy.
Price alone tells you nothing about whether a rental is a good investment. Two ratios do the real work:
Cap rate = (Rent − Operating expenses) × 12 ÷ Price · Cash-on-cash = Annual cash flow ÷ (Down payment + Closing costs)
The fastest way to fool yourself is counting only rent minus mortgage. Real operating expenses include property taxes, insurance, maintenance, property management (~8–10% of rent even if you self-manage today), and a vacancy allowance (~5–8%). Leave those out and a "positive" deal can quietly lose money.
Many investors target 8%+ cash-on-cash, though it varies by market and strategy — appreciation-focused buyers accept less, cash-flow buyers want more. The point of this calculator is to see the number honestly before you buy, not to hit a magic figure.
Cap rate ignores your loan — it's the property's return if you paid all cash — so it's best for comparing properties. Cash-on-cash includes your financing and shows the return on the actual cash you invested. A leveraged deal often has a lower cap rate but a higher cash-on-cash return.
No. Operating expenses are taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, and vacancy — the costs of running the property. The mortgage is a financing cost; this calculator handles it separately so your cap rate stays comparable across deals.
Related: break-even calculator · Rental Property Analysis Calculator · Landlord Spreadsheet.
More free real estate & rentals tools — no signup, works on any device.
Yes. The Real Estate ROI Calculator is completely free, runs in your browser, and never asks for a signup, email, or download. Enter your numbers and the result updates instantly.
It uses standard formulas and recalculates the moment you change a value, so the math is exact for the inputs you enter. Treat the result as a reliable planning estimate; for decisions with legal or tax consequences, confirm the figures with a qualified professional.
Yes. The calculator is mobile-friendly and works on any phone, tablet, or computer — there is no app to install and nothing to save.
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Last reviewed: September 2026. Free to use, no signup — Real Estate ROI Calculator by ToolWise Digital.
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