Downsizing budget calculator
Line up what your home costs now against a smaller one, then decide where the freed-up money goes.
What you pay now
Monthly. Rough is fine.
Living small
If you sell
Every month you'd have
Loan paid off in . After that, the payment disappears too.
Redo the budget: where does the freed money go?
Life (travel, hobbies, time off):
How this works
It adds up what your current home costs each month, then builds the same list for a small home: a loan payment (standard amortization on the price minus your down payment), lot or park rent, utilities, insurance and upkeep. The difference is what downsizing frees up. The 10-year number assumes you invest that difference every month at the return you pick, compounded monthly. It's an assumption, not a promise.
The pre-filled small-home numbers are real published figures, not guesses: EIA's average energy bill for U.S. homes under 1,000 square feet, HomeAdvisor's tiny house insurance and maintenance estimates, a Florida credit union's posted RV loan rate, and KOA Clearwater's long-stay rates. Your numbers will differ, so change them.
What people forget
- Lot rent replaces the mortgage, it doesn't vanish. If you don't own land, the park or landlord is your new housing cost. If you or family do own land, a permitted backyard unit can remove lot rent; see Tampa Bay ADU rules.
- RV-style loans run shorter and cost more than mortgages. A tiny house on wheels usually can't get a 30-year mortgage. See how to finance a tiny house.
- Selling a house costs money. Use what you'd actually walk away with, not the Zillow number.
Next: how to downsize your home and what living small really saves.
Where the numbers come from
- EIA — 2020 RECS household energy by home size (ce1.1)
- EIA — 2020 RECS energy by state (Florida)
- HomeAdvisor — Cost to build a tiny house (insurance, maintenance)
- Suncoast Credit Union — RV loan rates
- KOA Clearwater/Lake Tarpon — extended stays
- SpareFoot — Self-storage industry statistics (Yardi Matrix rents)
Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere. Close the tab and it's gone.
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