Rental Property Calculator for U.S. Investors
Use this free rental property calculator to estimate income, operating expenses, monthly cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return and a long-term exit scenario. Every assumption is editable.
Holding-period scenario
10-year projection
Rent, recurring expenses and property value grow at your selected rates. Mortgage balances follow the amortization schedule.
Exit equity
$210,097
Projected total ROI
235.7%
| Year | Monthly rent | NOI | Debt service | Cash flow | Property value | Loan balance | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | $24,054 | $17,963 | $6,091 | $309,000 | $222,714 | $86,286 |
| 2 | $3,090 | $24,776 | $17,963 | $6,812 | $318,270 | $220,264 | $98,006 |
| 3 | $3,183 | $25,519 | $17,963 | $7,556 | $327,818 | $217,636 | $110,182 |
| 4 | $3,278 | $26,284 | $17,963 | $8,321 | $337,653 | $214,818 | $122,835 |
| 5 | $3,377 | $27,073 | $17,963 | $9,110 | $347,782 | $211,796 | $135,986 |
| 6 | $3,478 | $27,885 | $17,963 | $9,922 | $358,216 | $208,556 | $149,660 |
| 7 | $3,582 | $28,722 | $17,963 | $10,759 | $368,962 | $205,082 | $163,880 |
| 8 | $3,690 | $29,583 | $17,963 | $11,620 | $380,031 | $201,356 | $178,675 |
| 9 | $3,800 | $30,471 | $17,963 | $12,508 | $391,432 | $197,361 | $194,071 |
| 10 | $3,914 | $31,385 | $17,963 | $13,422 | $403,175 | $193,078 | $210,097 |
Exit property value
$403,175
Selling costs
$24,190
Cumulative cash flow
$96,120
Projected total profit
$198,027
Stress test
Change one risk at a time
These scenarios do not predict performance. They show how the same model reacts to lower rent, more vacancy or higher operating costs.
Your assumptions
Current inputs
$507.57
monthly cash flow
Lower rent
Monthly rent −10%
$259.62
monthly cash flow
More vacancy
Vacancy +5 points
$377.07
monthly cash flow
Higher expenses
Operating costs +10%
$423.02
monthly cash flow
Transparent formulas
How the rental property calculator works
Methodology version: August 9, 2026. See the full methodology for assumptions and limitations.
From scheduled rent to NOI
EstateCalc first subtracts vacancy from scheduled rent, then adds other recurring income. Operating expenses include property taxes, insurance, HOA, owner-paid utilities, recurring costs, maintenance and management. The result is net operating income, or NOI.
From NOI to cash flow
Mortgage principal and interest are calculated with fixed-rate amortization. Debt service is excluded from NOI and subtracted afterward to produce pre-tax cash flow.
Cap rate and cash-on-cash return
Cap rate measures the property before financing by dividing NOI by purchase price. Cash-on-cash return includes financing by dividing annual pre-tax cash flow by the down payment, closing costs and upfront repairs.
Long-term property ROI
The projection compounds your rent growth, expense growth and appreciation assumptions. At exit, it subtracts selling costs and the estimated remaining mortgage balance. It does not include income taxes, depreciation recapture, refinancing, irregular capital expenditures or transaction-specific rules.
Editable example
A worked rental analysis
The starting example is for interface demonstration only. Replace every number with property-specific evidence.
A $300,000 property with 25.0% down, $3,000 monthly rent and 5.0% vacancy produces an estimated $507.57 monthly cash flow under the remaining default assumptions.
- NOI
- $24,054
- Cap rate
- 8.0%
- Cash-on-cash
- 7.3%
Questions
Rental property calculator FAQ
Does rental property cash flow include principal payments?
Yes. Owner cash flow subtracts scheduled principal and interest after NOI. Appreciation and future sale proceeds belong to the separate long-term return scenario.
How do you calculate ROI on a rental property?
Year-one total ROI in this calculator adds pre-tax cash flow, mortgage principal paid down and projected appreciation, then divides that total by the initial cash invested. The long-term projection also estimates net sale proceeds after selling costs and the remaining loan balance.
How do you calculate monthly rental property cash flow?
Monthly cash flow is annual net operating income minus annual mortgage debt service, divided by 12. Net operating income includes vacancy and recurring operating expenses but excludes mortgage payments, depreciation and income taxes.
Which rental income and operating expenses should I include?
Include scheduled rent and recurring other property income. For expenses, enter property taxes, insurance, HOA, owner-paid utilities, maintenance, management and other recurring costs. Treat major one-time repairs as upfront repairs or analyze them separately.
Does the calculator include a mortgage?
Yes. Enter the down payment, fixed annual interest rate and loan term. EstateCalc calculates principal-and-interest payments with standard amortization and tracks the remaining balance through the holding period.
How do vacancy, taxes and management fees affect returns?
Vacancy reduces collected rent. Taxes, insurance and recurring costs reduce net operating income. Maintenance and management are modeled as percentages of collected rent, so their dollar amount changes with occupancy and rent growth.
What is the difference between cap rate and cash-on-cash return?
Cap rate divides net operating income by purchase price and ignores financing. Cash-on-cash return divides pre-tax annual cash flow after debt service by the actual cash invested, so loan terms directly affect it.
Does appreciation count toward rental property ROI?
Appreciation is included only in the projected total return metrics, using the annual rate you enter. It is not included in NOI, cap rate or cash-on-cash return. Appreciation is uncertain and should be stress-tested.
Is EstateCalc free, and does it require signup?
EstateCalc is free and does not require an account or email address. Your draft can be stored locally in your browser, and the Copy link button creates a URL that restores the same inputs and results on another device.
Rental property cash flow and financing boundaries
Monthly rental property cash flow is effective recurring income less operating expenses and scheduled loan payments, expressed on a monthly basis. Loan principal and interest reduce owner cash but remain outside NOI. Do not subtract taxes or insurance twice when they are already included as operating expenses.
The long-term ROI scenario separately includes appreciation, annual growth assumptions, selling costs and remaining mortgage principal. It does not turn those exit proceeds into current monthly rental cash. Compare operating cash, original invested cash and future equity as distinct amounts when reviewing a property’s financing.
Continue the analysis
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