Real Estate Calculators
Free real estate calculators for cash flow, ROI, and mortgage analysis.
What is a real estate calculator?
Real estate calculators are free tools that estimate cash flow, ROI, cap rate, mortgage payments, and long-term returns for rental, Airbnb, and investment properties. Investors use them to screen deals quickly before doing full underwriting.
Pick a calculator
Cash flow and ROI
Rental Property Calculator
Estimate rental property cash flow, ROI, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, DSCR, and 30-year projections for a long-term rental.
- Monthly cash flow
- Cash-on-cash return
- Cap rate
- DSCR
Short-term rental returns
Airbnb Calculator
Estimate Airbnb revenue, expenses, cash flow, RevPAN, break-even occupancy, and ROI for a short-term rental.
- Monthly cash flow
- Cash-on-cash return
- RevPAN
- Break-even occupancy
Hold-period returns
Real Estate Investment Calculator
Project investment property profit, annualized ROI, equity multiple, and IRR-style returns over a hold period.
- Total profit
- Annualized ROI
- Equity multiple
- Cumulative cash flow
Monthly payment estimate
Mortgage Calculator
Estimate principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, PMI, and a year-by-year amortization schedule.
- Monthly PITI
- Principal & interest
- Loan-to-value
- Total interest
Defer capital gains tax
1031 Exchange Calculator
Estimate the federal capital gains, depreciation recapture, NIIT, and state tax that a 1031 exchange may defer when you sell a rental or investment property.
- Tax savings via 1031
- 1031 reinvestment cash
- Cash after tax
- Tax as % of gain
Real estate metrics and formulas at a glance
| Metric | Formula | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Cap rate | Annual NOI / purchase price | Compare unleveraged property income across markets. |
| Cash-on-cash return | Annual cash flow / cash invested | Measure annual yield on the cash you put into the deal. |
| NOI | Effective rent − operating expenses | Calculate income before debt service. |
| DSCR | Annual NOI / annual debt service | Show whether NOI covers mortgage payments with cushion. |
| 1% rule | Monthly rent / purchase price | Quick screen on whether rent is high enough versus price. |
| 50% rule | 50% of gross rent → operating expenses | Rule of thumb for expenses before you have actuals. |
| 70% rule (flips) | 70% × ARV − rehab cost | Maximum offer on a fix-and-flip given after-repair value. |
| RevPAN | ADR × occupancy | Core revenue-per-available-night metric for short-term rentals. |
| Equity multiple | (Cash invested + total profit) / cash invested | Total dollars returned per dollar invested over a hold. |
| Annualized ROI | ((1 + total ROI)^(1/years)) − 1 | Yearly equivalent of a multi-year hold-period return. |
Which real estate calculator should you use?
Long-term rental
If you are screening a buy-and-hold deal
Start with the Rental Property Calculator. It covers monthly cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, DSCR, the 1% rule, and 30-year projections.
Short-term rental
If you are underwriting an Airbnb or vacation rental
Use the Airbnb Calculator to model ADR, occupancy, RevPAN, cleaning costs, platform fees, management fees, break-even occupancy, and cash-on-cash return.
Long-hold investment
If you want total profit and annualized ROI
The Real Estate Investment Calculator projects total profit, annualized ROI, equity multiple, and sale proceeds across a multi-year hold.
Financing only
If you only need a monthly mortgage payment
The Mortgage Calculator estimates principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, PMI, total interest, and a year-by-year amortization schedule.
Selling a rental
If you are weighing a 1031 exchange
The 1031 Exchange Calculator estimates federal capital gains, depreciation recapture, NIIT, state tax, and the cash difference between selling and exchanging.
Real estate calculator FAQs
- What is the most useful real estate calculator for new investors?
- For most new investors, a rental property calculator is the most useful starting point. It combines cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR in one place, which covers the questions almost every buyer needs to answer before making an offer on a long-term rental.
- How accurate are real estate investment calculators?
- Calculators are only as accurate as their inputs. Use realistic rent comps, vacancy, taxes, insurance, repairs, and management fees. Stress-test by lowering rent and raising expenses by 10% to 20% to see if the deal still works in a softer market.
- What numbers do I need to use a rental property calculator?
- You need purchase price, monthly rent, monthly operating expenses, vacancy rate, property management fee, plus loan terms (down payment, interest rate, and loan term). The more accurate your inputs, the more accurate the cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return.
- How is an Airbnb calculator different from a rental property calculator?
- An Airbnb calculator works in revenue terms (average daily rate and occupancy) instead of monthly rent. It also has to account for cleaning, platform fees, and higher management fees. Long-term rental calculators assume a steady tenant and lower expense ratios.
- Are these calculators free?
- Yes. Every calculator on Lofty is free, requires no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. We do not save your inputs or send them anywhere. If you want to share a scenario, every page has a Share scenario button that copies a link with your numbers.
Skip the analysis paralysis
Don't want to buy a whole property?
Lofty lets investors browse fractional U.S. rental properties with listed cash flow, rent history, and projected returns. Buy in for as little as $50 instead of a full down payment.