House Hacking Calculator

How to use this calculator

Enter the purchase price, your owner-occupied down payment, and loan terms, then the number of units and the rent for each unit you’ll lease. Add operating costs. The calculator returns your true monthly housing cost, how much of the mortgage the rent covers, and the cash flow once you move out.

What the metrics mean

• Net housing cost — your full mortgage and expenses minus the rent collected while you live in one unit.
• Rent coverage — the share of your mortgage payment the other units’ rent covers.
• Owner-occupied financing — low-down-payment loans available because you live in the property.
• Move-out cash flow — monthly cash flow once you leave and rent every unit.

Frequently asked questions

What is house hacking?

House hacking is buying a 2–4 unit property, living in one unit, and renting the others. The rental income offsets your mortgage, often letting you live for little or nothing while building equity.

How does house hacking lower my housing cost?

Your true monthly cost is the full mortgage and operating expenses minus the rent you collect from the other units. This calculator computes that net figure and shows what share of your mortgage the rent covers.

What financing can I use to house hack?

Because you live in the property, you can use owner-occupied financing — FHA at around 3.5% down or conventional at around 5% — which is far less than the 20–25% a pure investment property requires.

What happens when I move out?

When you move out, the unit you lived in also rents. The calculator shows the monthly cash flow once every unit is leased, so you can see the property as a standalone rental.

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