Leasing vs. Buying a Phone Budget Comparison
Phone & General Inputs
Buying Option Details
Buy Outright
Retail Price: $0.00 (Pre-tax)
Sales Tax: $0.00
Total Upfront Cost: $0.00
Buy via Installment Plan
Sales Tax (on full retail price): $0.00
Total Paid in Installments: $0.00
Total Acquisition Cost (Installments): $0.00
Leasing Option Details
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.
Comparison over ${phoneCalcData.ownershipDuration} months of ownership/usage.
`; pdfHtml += `Key Inputs
`; pdfHtml += `Phone Retail Price (Pre-tax): $${phoneCalcData.retailPrice.toFixed(2)}
`; pdfHtml += `Sales Tax Rate: ${phoneCalcData.salesTaxPercent.toFixed(1)}%
`; pdfHtml += `Estimated Resale Value (at ${phoneCalcData.ownershipDuration} months): $${phoneCalcData.actualResaleValue.toFixed(2)}
`; pdfHtml += `Comparison Summary
`; pdfHtml += `| Feature | Buy Outright | Buy Installment (Term: ${buyInstallmentInputs.termMonths.value || 'N/A'} mo) | Lease (Return Phone after ${leaseInputs.termMonths.value || 'N/A'} mo) | Lease + Buyout (Own after lease) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront Costs | ${summaryDisplays.upfrontBO.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.upfrontBI.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.upfrontL.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.upfrontLB.textContent} |
| Total Monthly Payments (During Acq. Term) | N/A | ${summaryDisplays.totalMonthlyBI.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.totalMonthlyL.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.totalMonthlyLB.textContent} |
| Other Fees (Financing/Lease End/Buyout Price) | $0.00 | ${summaryDisplays.otherFeesBI.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.otherFeesL.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.otherFeesLB.textContent} |
| Sales Tax Paid (Initial Purchase/Buyout Price) | ${summaryDisplays.salesTaxBO.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.salesTaxBI.textContent} | N/A (Tax in monthly) | ${summaryDisplays.salesTaxLB_Buyout.textContent} |
| Resale Value at ${phoneCalcData.ownershipDuration} months (-) | ${summaryDisplays.resaleValueBO.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.resaleValueBI.textContent} | N/A | ${summaryDisplays.resaleValueLB.textContent} |
| Est. Total Net Cost (Over ${phoneCalcData.ownershipDuration} months) | ${summaryDisplays.netCostBO.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.netCostBI.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.netCostL.textContent} (for lease term) | ${summaryDisplays.netCostLB.textContent} |
| Est. Avg. Monthly Cost (Over ${phoneCalcData.ownershipDuration} months) | ${summaryDisplays.avgMonthlyBO.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.avgMonthlyBI.textContent} | ${summaryDisplays.avgMonthlyL.textContent} (for lease term) | ${summaryDisplays.avgMonthlyLB.textContent} |
Considerations
- Buying Outright: Highest upfront cost, full ownership, freedom.
- Buying Installment: Spreads cost, ownership after payments.
- Leasing: Lower monthly typically, no ownership unless buyout. Good for frequent upgrades. Mileage/condition clauses apply.
- All costs are estimates. Actual resale value can vary. Phone plan, insurance, accessories are 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.