What does housing really cost?

Most housing comparisons only look at the monthly payment. This calculator shows the full picture — down payments, closing costs, taxes, maintenance, utilities, and the opportunity cost of money tied up in a purchase — minus any equity you'd build.

Co-op Casa's monthly fee covers maintenance, insurance, and utilities. Adjust the inputs below to match your situation and see which option comes out ahead over your chosen time horizon.

⚙ General Assumptions
🏠 Renting
🤝 Co-op Casa

Monthly Co-op Dividend
🏡 Buying

For illustrative purposes only. Not financial advice. Opportunity cost represents what the down payment and closing costs would have grown to if invested at the given return rate. Home equity is subtracted from total buying costs to arrive at true cost.

Appliance load
--
kWh/day
lights + appliances
Heat pump load
--
kWh/day
-- kW × -- hrs
EV charging load
--
kWh/day
-- cars
Solar array
-- panels
-- kW output
Battery bank
-- kWh
appliances, EV, 1-day
Net system cost
$--
after 30% incentive
Resident savings/yr
$--
avg per unit vs grid
Units & Residents
units
112
Heat Pump & Solar
Air-to-water heat pump
kW
1 kW10 kW
Typical 4-unit: 3–6 kW electrical draw
hrs
4 hrs8 hrs
EV Charging
cars
012
kWh
5 kWh30 kWh
~10 kWh = ~40 miles of range. Nissan Leaf: 40 kWh total; Tesla Model 3: 75 kWh.
Solar Array Summary
Battery Configuration
days
0.55 days
%
50%100%
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries support 90–100% DoD. Heat pump is powered live from solar during peak hours — no battery required for HP. Battery covers lights, appliances, and EV overnight.
Battery Sizing Results
Cost Inputs
$/W
$1$5/W
$/kWh
$200$800/kWh
%
0%40%
IRA 30% Investment Tax Credit applies to solar + storage. Additional AZ state incentives may apply.
System Cost Breakdown
Your Household Profile
$/kWh
$0.08$0.30
%
0%8%/yr
Resident Savings vs. Grid