Free rental property cash flow calculator

Analyze rental deals before you buy.

Use this rental income calculator to test rent, financing, vacancy, and operating expenses in one view. You will see monthly cash flow, annual cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and the break-even rent needed to keep the property from bleeding cash.

If you are comparing multiple deals, this page works as both a rental property ROI calculator and a break-even rent calculator. Adjust assumptions and share the scenario URL with your lender, partner, or agent.

Quick start

1. Enter purchase price, rent, and vacancy assumptions.
2. Add financing terms and expense reserves.
3. Click Analyze This Deal to see cash flow and break-even rent.

Analyze This Deal Read the Formula Guide

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Rental Property Calculator Inputs

Use realistic assumptions and update the form to recalculate your rental property cash flow instantly.

Purchase price

Contract price or expected acquisition cost.

Monthly rent

Current or projected gross monthly rent.

Vacancy rate (%)

Expected vacancy and credit loss.

Closing costs

Loan fees, title, and acquisition costs.

Rehab budget

Initial make-ready or renovation budget.

Financing

Toggle between financed and cash-purchase scenarios.

Use financing

Down payment

Cash paid up front when financing is enabled.

Loan term (years)

Amortization term for the mortgage.

Interest rate (%)

Annual note rate for the loan.

Loan terms are currently included in monthly expenses.

Annual property tax

Annual tax bill converted to monthly expense.

Annual insurance

Annual landlord policy premium.

Maintenance reserve (%)

Reserve held back for repairs and turnover.

Capex reserve (%)

Longer-term reserve for big-ticket replacements.

Management fee (%)

Use 0 if the property is self-managed.

HOA dues

Monthly HOA, condo, or association costs.

Other monthly expenses

Utilities, lawn care, pest control, and similar costs.

Reset to defaults

Shareable scenario link

Copy this URL to share the exact assumptions and results with your team.

Open compact URL

Negative cash flow

Cash flow results

This scenario needs about $557 more monthly rent, or the same amount in expense cuts, to reach break-even.

Monthly cash flow

-$412

Pre-tax cash left each month after vacancy, debt service, and recurring operating expenses.

Effective rent: $2,470
Total expenses: $2,882

Annual cash flow

-$4,948

Twelve months of projected pre-tax cash flow.

Cash invested

$81,500

Down payment, closing costs, and rehab budget.

Cash-on-cash return

-6.1%

Annual cash flow divided by total cash invested.

Break-even rent

$3,157

Monthly rent needed to land at $0 cash flow.

What this calculator helps you decide

Can this deal survive a normal vacancy year?

The calculator reduces rent by your vacancy rate first, then applies fixed and variable expenses. This gives you a more realistic monthly number than gross-rent math alone.

How much rent do you need to break even?

Use the built-in break-even rent calculator output to set a rent floor before you make an offer. If market rent is below break-even, negotiate price or walk away.

Is the return worth your cash invested?

Cash-on-cash return turns this into a rental property ROI calculator by comparing annual cash flow against down payment, closing costs, and rehab spend.

Can you share and stress-test quickly?

Every input lives in the URL. Keep one link for your base case, then duplicate and change rent, rate, or repairs to run fast optimistic and conservative scenarios.

How to use this rental income calculator in 10 minutes

Start with conservative rent from actual comps, not listing highs. Keep vacancy at 5% to 8% unless your local data supports lower. Add management, maintenance, and capex reserves even if you self-manage. Then compare the result to your minimum monthly cash-flow target.

Example: a $325,000 duplex at $2,600 rent can look profitable on gross numbers, but vacancy plus realistic reserves can erase most of that margin. Run a second scenario with a $200 repair reserve increase and a 1% higher vacancy rate to see if the deal still works.

Need the full formula walkthrough? Read how to calculate cash flow on rental property for step-by-step math. If you want a broader rental margin screen, start with the cash flow calculator , or jump to cash flow calculator for rental property for a quick decision screen, or jump to cash flow calculator rental for a focused underwriting shortcut, or jump to single-family vs multifamily cash flow if you are choosing between property types.

Common analysis mistakes

Ignoring seasonal vacancy: one empty month can remove a full year of expected cash margin on thin deals.
Using only current rent: verify what you can collect after turnover, concessions, and market softness.
Skipping capex reserves: roofs, HVAC units, and appliances are not monthly bills, but they still hit your return.
Forgetting cash required at closing: a deal with positive cash flow can still have a weak return if total cash invested is high.
Treating one scenario as final: always run best-case, base-case, and downside-case versions before making an offer.

Rental Property Cash Flow Calculator FAQ

What is a good monthly cash flow on a rental property?

A good target depends on your market and risk tolerance, but many investors look for at least $100 to $300 per door after vacancy and reserves. The key is consistency: a smaller but stable margin often beats an aggressive projection that ignores repairs or vacancy.

Does this rental property cash flow calculator include mortgage payments?

Yes. Leave financing enabled to include principal and interest in monthly expenses. If you are buying with cash, turn financing off and the mortgage payment drops to $0 so you can compare financed and all-cash scenarios.

How is break-even rent calculated?

Break-even rent is the monthly rent required to hit $0 cash flow after vacancy, debt service, taxes, insurance, reserves, and other recurring costs. If your expected rent is below this number, the deal is likely negative unless you cut expenses or improve terms.

What is the difference between a rental income calculator and a rental property ROI calculator?

A rental income calculator usually focuses on gross or net monthly income. A rental property ROI calculator adds invested cash and return metrics like cash-on-cash return so you can compare deals with different down payments and rehab budgets.

Can I share my assumptions with a partner or lender?

Yes. Every field in this tool can be saved in the URL query string. Click the share link block, copy the URL, and anyone opening it will see the same scenario inputs and results.