All AI use cases Better decisions

Get 3 new AI use cases every weekday

One full use case with its copy-paste prompt, plus 2 quick picks. Free, and one click to unsubscribe.

You're in. Watch your inbox on weekday mornings.

Make smarter decisions

See whether renting or buying wins with your real numbers

You get the year buying starts to pay off for you, not for an average family in a news article.

About 15 minutes A few steps

A sketch of what you'll get back.

Your prompt

Fill in your details. Skip any you like.

Claude and ChatGPT open with your prompt already typed in. Perplexity can't be filled in from a link, so its button copies your prompt: paste it into the new chat.

The prompt that gets copied

Help me compare renting and buying with my own numbers. This is for my thinking, not financial advice, so show every assumption.

My situation:
- Current rent: [YOUR RENT, e.g. 2,100 a month]
- Monthly take-home pay: [MONTHLY TAKE HOME, e.g. 6,500]
- Savings I could put down: [DOWN PAYMENT, e.g. 60,000]
- Home price I'm looking at: [HOME PRICE, e.g. 420,000]
- Years I expect to stay: [YEARS YOU'D STAY, e.g. 7]

Look up typical current mortgage rates, property tax and insurance for a home like this, and tell me what you assumed. Then:
1. Build a year-by-year table of the total cost of renting vs buying, including upkeep, closing costs and what I'd pay to sell.
2. Show the year buying starts to come out ahead, if it does.
3. Show how the answer changes if the rate is 1 point higher, or if I move after 3 years.
4. List three questions I should ask a lender or a real person before deciding.

Give AI your rent, savings, income and the homes you're looking at. It builds a side-by-side rent vs buy comparison over the years you plan to stay, with every assumption shown.

Step by step

  1. Gather your rent, monthly take-home pay, savings and a home price you're eyeing
  2. Open Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and paste the prompt
  3. Fill in your numbers and how long you plan to stay
  4. Change one assumption, like the rate, and see how the answer moves

What you'll get

A year-by-year rent vs buy table with your numbers, the break-even year, what changes if things shift, and questions to bring to a lender.

Linking accounts uses Perplexity Computer's Personal CFO on a paid plan. Typing your numbers works on any free plan.

Made for
Everyone
Works in
Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini

Frequently Asked Questions.

Which AI tools does this work in?

It works in Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. On this page, Claude and ChatGPT open with your prompt already typed in. Linking accounts uses Perplexity Computer's Personal CFO on a paid plan. Typing your numbers works on any free plan.

How long does it take?

About 15 minutes. It's rated "A few steps". There are 4 steps, listed above.

What do I need before I start?

Just your details for 5 blanks: your rent, monthly take home, down payment, home price and years you'd stay. You can skip any, and your AI will ask for them.

What will I get back?

A year-by-year rent vs buy table with your numbers, the break-even year, what changes if things shift, and questions to bring to a lender.

Find more like this in Better decisions, For daily life, Claude prompts and Gemini prompts.

More ways to make smarter decisions.

See all 54 ways to make smarter decisions