Leasing vs. Buying a Phone Budget Comparison

Phone & General Inputs

Your Name (Optional, for PDF): Phone Model Name: Full Retail Price of Phone (Pre-tax, $): Expected Ownership/Usage Duration (Months): Sales Tax (%): Estimated Resale Value at end of Ownership Duration (% of Retail Price): OR Absolute Resale Value ($) (Overrides %):

Buying Option Details

Buy Outright

Retail Price: $0.00 (Pre-tax)

Sales Tax: $0.00

Total Upfront Cost: $0.00

Buy via Installment Plan

Down Payment ($): Monthly Installment Payment ($): Number of Installment Months: One-time Financing/Activation Fees ($):

Sales Tax (on full retail price): $0.00

Total Paid in Installments: $0.00

Total Acquisition Cost (Installments): $0.00

Leasing Option Details

Upfront/Down Payment for Lease ($): Monthly Lease Payment ($): Lease Term (Months): One-time Fees at Lease Inception ($) (e.g., activation): Anticipated Fees at Lease End (if NOT buying out, e.g., disposition, $): Purchase Option Price at End of Lease (Pre-tax, $):

Total Paid in Lease Payments: $0.00

Sales Tax on Buyout: $0.00

Total Cost for Lease Term (Return Phone): $0.00

Total Cost with Buyout (Keep Phone): $0.00

Comparison Summary

Comparison over 24 months of ownership/usage.

Feature	Buy Outright	Buy Installment	Lease (Return)	Lease + Buyout
Phone Retail Price (Pre-tax)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Sales Tax Paid (Initial Purchase/Buyout)	$0.00	$0.00	N/A (Taxes typically in monthly)	$0.00 (On Buyout Price)
Upfront Costs (Incl. Down Payments, Initial Fees)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total Monthly Payments (Over Acquisition Term)	N/A	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Other Fees (Financing/Lease End/Buyout Price)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Resale Value at end of 24 months (-)	$0.00	$0.00	N/A (Returned)	$0.00
Est. Total Net Cost (Over 24 months)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00 (For lease term: 0 mo)	$0.00
Est. Average Monthly Cost (Over 24 months)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00 (For lease term)	$0.00

General Considerations:

Buying Outright: Highest upfront cost, full ownership, freedom to sell/trade anytime.
Buying Installment: Spreads cost, full ownership after payments, may include 0% APR offers.
Leasing: Lowest upfront and monthly payments typically. No ownership unless buyout option is exercised. Good for frequent upgraders. Mileage/condition clauses apply.
Resale Value: This is an estimate. Actual value can vary significantly.
Costs like insurance, phone plan, accessories are not included here and are typically separate.
Sales tax on lease monthly payments is typically handled by the lessor and included in the quoted monthly payment. This calculator applies sales tax to the phone's retail price for buying scenarios and to the buyout price in a lease-to-own scenario.