r/RupeeStories · Free Tool

NRI Home Decision Tool

Not just EMI math. A full buy-vs-rent analysis built for every scenario an NRI actually faces — visa risk, India return plans, forced exits, and opportunity cost.

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· Enter all inputs in USD
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Income & Savings

Your financial snapshot

$
$
Checking + savings + liquid investments. Not 401k.
$
6 months of expenses. This is NOT available for down payment.
$
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Current Living

Where you are now

$
For context only. The buy vs rent comparison uses the market rent for the target home, not this number.
4%
National avg ~4%. HCOL cities often 5-8%.
7%
S&P 500 historical ~7% real. Use 5-6% if conservative.
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Purchase Details

The home you're considering

$
$
6.8%
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Ongoing Costs

The costs beyond the mortgage

1.2%
Varies by state. CA ~1.1%, TX ~1.8%, NJ ~2.2%
$
1.5%
Rule of thumb: 1-2% of home value/year. Older homes: higher.
3.5%
US historical avg ~4%. HCOL metros 5-7%. Rural 1-2%.
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Tax & Transaction Costs

Often underestimated

2.5%
Typically 2-4% of price. Includes origination, title, escrow.
6%
Realtor fees ~5-6%. Can be lower with flat-fee agents.
Used to calculate mortgage interest deduction benefit (if you itemize).
Most taxpayers take standard deduction now post-TCJA.
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Rental Market

Comparable rent in the area

$
What would you pay to rent THIS home. Check Zillow/Redfin.
— calculating —
Below 15 = buy favored. 15-20 = neutral. Above 20 = rent favored. Above 25 = significantly overpriced to rent.
$
Monthly rent you could charge if you leave the US. Used in India return scenario.
20%
Vacancy (8-10%) + property mgmt (8-12%). Real cost of being an NRI landlord.
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Local Market Assumptions

What you expect over time

HCOL: high P/T ratios (20–30x) are normal and less penalized. LCOL: P/T above 15x is a red flag.
$
~0.3-0.5% of home value. Higher in FL, TX (hurricane/tornado risk).
$250k/$500k exclusion requires 2-of-5 year primary residence rule. If you sell as NRI, FIRPTA 15% withholding applies.
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Visa & Immigration

Your biggest unknown

NRI reality: This is the factor most tools ignore. A forced exit is the single biggest financial risk of buying as a non-citizen.
For H-1B/L-1: job loss = visa loss = forced sale. Weight this carefully.
Used in forced-exit risk: 60 days to sell a home is nearly impossible in most markets without a deep discount.
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Life Timeline

How long and what next

7 yrs
Be realistic. This is the single biggest driver of whether buying makes sense.
Buying in both countries significantly changes financial picture.
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Stress Test Parameters

What if things go wrong?

30%
What if you lose your job or change to a lower-paying one?
+2%
If you ever refinance into a higher rate or have ARM.
2 yrs
If you had to sell this quickly. Models the worst-case loss.
Summary Costs Chart Scenarios Stress Why Next Steps
NRI Home Decision
BUY
Your numbers support buying with manageable risk.
78 / 100 Decision Score
Medium Confidence
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Monthly Cost Comparison

True monthly cost of each path

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Risk Assessment

What's working for and against you

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Cumulative Cost Over Time

Buying vs Renting vs Investing down payment

Buy (net cost after equity)
Rent (cumulative)
Invest down payment
"Invest Alt." = down payment + closing costs invested upfront at your assumed return rate, adjusted each year for the rent-vs-buy cost gap.
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Break-even Analysis

When buying becomes cheaper than renting

Break-even Point
Year 6
You plan to stay 7 years. Buying starts paying off around year 6. It's close — any forced exit before then means you likely lose money.
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Year-by-Year Projection

True cost of buying vs renting at each exit point

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Scenario Analysis

Three outcomes based on how your US story ends

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Stress Test Results

What happens if income drops or rates rise

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NRI-Specific Considerations

What most calculators miss

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Why This Decision

Plain-language explanation of your result

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How Fragile Is This Decision?

What changes if appreciation is lower or higher than assumed

Assumes all other inputs stay constant. Real outcomes depend on many variables — run this tool twice with optimistic and pessimistic assumptions.
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What To Do Next

Concrete actions based on your result

Real NRI Scenarios
Three archetypes we see most in r/RupeeStories. Find the one closest to your situation.
✓ Buy — Score 78
Ravi & Priya, Atlanta
GC holders · $210k income · 10+ year US plan
Home price$520,000
Down payment$104k (20%)
Mortgage rate6.9%
Market rent equiv.$2,800/mo
P/T ratio15.5x — neutral/buy
Break-evenYear 5
Decision Score78 / 100
Why it works GC removes forced-exit risk entirely. Atlanta's P/T ratio still makes buying viable. 20% down eliminates PMI. Mortgage is 27% of gross income — comfortably under 28%. 10-year US timeline clears break-even by year 5 with 5 years of upside. Even a mild home price correction at year 3 wouldn't create a loss by year 10.
⚠ Caution — Score 54
Karan, Bay Area
H-1B · $280k income · Maybe 5-7 more years
Home price$1,350,000
Down payment$270k (20%)
Mortgage rate7.1%
Market rent equiv.$4,800/mo
P/T ratio23.4x — favors renting
Break-evenYear 9
Decision Score54 / 100
Why it's complicated High P/T ratio (23x) means renting is fundamentally cheaper here. H-1B creates a 60-day forced-exit window that can't cover a home sale. Break-even is year 9 but he plans to stay only 5-7 years — he'd likely exit at a loss. The math could work if he plans to rent it out and India rental income covers the gap. Needs a firm exit plan before signing.
✗ Wait — Score 31
Deepa, New Jersey
H-1B · $155k income · India return in ~3 yrs
Home price$680,000
Down payment$68k (10%)
Mortgage rate7.0%
Market rent equiv.$3,200/mo
P/T ratio17.7x — neutral
Break-evenYear 7
Decision Score31 / 100
Why it doesn't work Planning to return to India in 3 years but break-even is year 7 — she exits 4 years before buying pays off. Only 10% down triggers PMI (~$425/mo). After PMI + property tax + maintenance, true monthly cost is $6,100 vs $3,200 rent. NJ property tax is 2.2%. Plus: $68k down + $20k closing costs leaves her with under $30k liquid — dangerously thin. The honest answer is: save more, return to India, buy there.
✓
What this tool does
  • Calculates your true monthly cost of buying — not just EMI, but tax, maintenance, insurance, HOA, and PMI
  • Compares buying vs renting vs investing your down payment over 20 years
  • Models your break-even point — the year buying becomes cheaper than renting
  • Stress-tests a forced exit (job loss, visa revocation) and shows the financial damage
  • Runs three NRI scenarios: stay as planned, forced early exit, and rent-it-out if you return to India
  • Flags FIRPTA withholding, RNOR window planning, and capital gains exclusion eligibility
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What it doesn't do
  • Does not predict the future — appreciation rates, rent growth, and interest rates are your assumptions
  • Does not account for state-specific tax laws, SALT deduction limits, or local rent control
  • Does not replace a CPA or CFP — cross-border tax (India+US) needs a licensed advisor
  • Does not factor in emotional value, school districts, or quality-of-life considerations
  • Does not model ARM resets, jumbo loan pricing, or co-borrower scenarios
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How to read the report
  • Decision Score is 0–100. Above 70 = Buy. 50–70 = Caution. Below 50 = Wait. It's a starting point, not a verdict.
  • Break-even chart shows when cumulative buying cost dips below cumulative rent. The gap matters more than the verdict.
  • Year-by-year table — find the row matching your planned stay. That's your real comparison.
  • Red flags are blockers. Amber flags are risks to manage. Green flags are strengths to lean on.
  • Run it twice — once optimistic (high appreciation, low rate), once pessimistic. The truth lives between them.
Built with 💛 for r/RupeeStories  ·  Not financial advice. Consult a CPA/CFP for your specific situation.  ·  rupeestories.substack.com