# Buy or rent in Luxembourg: compare the full cost of staying and moving

Compare the owner path and the renter path over a time horizon you choose. The calculator uses the purchase cash, the loan, the costs you enter and the investment return you assume.

[Buy or rent in Luxembourg: compare the full cost of staying and moving](https://chathome.lu/en/insights/acheter-ou-louer-luxembourg-cout-total)
Sources checked: 2026-10-14

## Key takeaways in 30 seconds

- The owner path builds equity through loan repayment and the value growth you enter. The renter path invests the upfront cash and any monthly saving compared with the owner's cash outflow, at the return you enter.
- The owner path adds the purchase costs to the upfront cash: a registration duty of 6 percent, a transcription duty of 1 percent, the Bëllegen Akt credit only when you confirm it, and any notary or bank quote you enter. The verdict uses the horizon you set and shows the month when the lead changes.
- The owner path includes the maintenance and insurance percentages, the annual property tax and the renter insurance you enter. The property tax does not grow with the home's value.

## Compare the same home and the same budget

Enter a purchase price and a comparable monthly rent. Do not turn a commune median into the rent of a specific home. The owner path includes loan repayment and running costs; the renter path can invest the upfront cash and any monthly saving. A lower mortgage payment alone is not a lower total housing cost.

## Make acquisition costs explicit

Use written notary and lender quotes and each eligible buyer’s confirmed remaining Bëllegen Akt balance. Leave unknown quotes empty rather than entering zero. The simulator withholds a final winner while applicable purchase costs are missing. The worked examples below are fictional complete scenarios, not fee quotes, forecasts or a recommendation to buy.

## Test your likely move date

Run a short and a longer stay, then vary the mortgage rate, resale costs and assumed returns. Selling expenses and remaining loan principal affect realizable equity. Property appreciation and investment returns can be negative and are not promised. Review the assumptions before calculating again; changing a field should withhold the old result until you update it.

## Worked examples

Fictional existing-home purchase: €500,000.00, base rent €1,800.00/month, down payment 20%, loan 25 years at 3.5%, maintenance 1% and owner insurance 0.15% of property value/year, property tax €500.00/year, renter insurance €15.00/month, selling costs 3%. Assumed property growth, rent growth, investment return, subsidies and capital-gains tax: zero. One main-residence buyer with confirmed zero remaining credit, no municipal surcharge. Fictional quotes: notary €5,000.00, disbursements €1,000.00, mortgage deed €1,000.00, lender €500.00, other professional fees zero. These are scenarios, not current market rates or quotes.

| Stay (years) | Owner net wealth | Renter net wealth | Owner minus renter | Monthly mortgage |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | €139,718.38 | €184,999.66 | -€45,281.28 | €2,002.49 |
| 10 | €204,884.85 | €227,499.31 | -€22,614.46 | €2,002.49 |
| 20 | €374,922.91 | €312,498.63 | €62,424.28 | €2,002.49 |

[Open the full tool and methodology](https://chathome.lu/en/financial-tools/buy-vs-rent)

## Frequently asked questions

### Does the verdict depend on how long I stay?

Yes. The calculator compares the two paths over the horizon you choose and shows the month when the lead changes, if it changes.

### How does the Bëllegen Akt change the comparison?

The calculator applies the credit only for a primary residence, and only to the acquirers and the balance you confirm. Without confirmation it applies no credit.

## Official sources

- [Administration de l'Enregistrement, des Domaines et de la TVA (AED)](https://pfi.public.lu/fr/citoyen/enregistrement/surtaxe.html)
- [Guichet.lu / Ministère du Logement](https://guichet.public.lu/en/citoyens/fiscalite/immobilier/achat-vente-donation/credit-impot-actes-notaries.html)
- [CSSF](https://www.cssf.lu/en/mortgage-credit-agreements/)

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