Build vs rent calculator

Put your own hardware price, electricity cost, monthly hours and a rental plan into one calculation, and see the month where owning becomes cheaper.

Updated 19 October 2026Free, and it runs in your browser

Your numbers, one horizon, a break-even month · nothing here is a price we set

Build Hardware cost Resale value at the end, % of cost Power draw while working, W Power draw idle, W Electricity price per kWh Hours idle-but-on per day

Rent Monthly plan GPU hours included Extra hour rate

You GPU hours you actually use per month Horizon, months Currency symbol

Build, total over horizon

Rent, total over horizon

Build total = hardware − resale + electricity (working hours at load + idle hours at idle draw). Rent total = plan × months + extra hours × rate. Not included on purpose: your time, a failed GPU, upgrades, and the value of having the box offline. Add them in your head; they usually cut both ways.

How to use it honestly

Hours per month is the number that decides everything. Be honest: count the hours a GPU is actually working, not the hours the machine is on.
Idle hours matter for a home build. A server that stays on all day draws power while you sleep.
Resale is real for graphics cards and near zero for the rest of the machine. Put the whole build price in, and a resale percentage that reflects only the card.
Horizon of 24 to 36 months is realistic. Beyond that, the card you bought is two generations old and the model you want will not fit it.

For the rental side, today's on-demand prices for each card, from 13 providers, are in the cloud GPU price guide. Background and the three build tiers are in local AI server: build or rent?. To check whether a model fits the card you are pricing, use the VRAM calculator.

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