Why does no column win everything?

Because the measures genuinely conflict. A shorter term costs more every month and far less in total; a bigger deposit lowers both the payment and the interest but raises the cash you need on day one. Marking a single overall winner would mean choosing which of those matters to you, which is not the calculator's decision to make.

Nothing is marked as best. Is it broken?

No — it means nothing separates the options yet. The page opens with a scenario and its duplicate, so every row ties. Change something on one side and the marks appear.

Can I share a comparison?

Yes. The whole comparison lives in the URL, so copying the link carries every scenario with it, exactly as the single-scenario calculators do.

Past four columns nobody is comparing, they are browsing. Four fits the decisions people actually bring — two houses, or two rate quotes plus a variant of each.

Compare Mortgage Scenarios

Two houses, two rate quotes, two down payments. Change anything on either side and watch which measures move — because no single option usually wins them all.

Side by side

Nothing is marked best until something separates the options, and no single column wins outright — a shorter term costs more every month and far less in total. Which row matters is yours to decide.

Metric	Option A	Option B
Monthly payment	$2,618.46	$2,618.46
— principal & interest	$2,022.62	$2,022.62
— property tax	$416.67	$416.67
— insurance	$179.17	$179.17
— PMI	$0.00	$0.00
— HOA	$0.00	$0.00
Cash to get inDeposit plus typical lender and title fees. Excludes prepaid interest and escrow, which need a closing date.	$85,587	$85,587
Total interest	$408,141	$408,141
Paid off	Sep 1, 2056	Sep 1, 2056
Loan amount	$320,000	$320,000

Assumptions used

Assumption set 2026-09-07

Scenarios compared: 2user input
PMI rate above 80% LTV: 0.60%user input

Scenario Comparison

Generated … · Assumption set 2026-09-07

How this calculator works

Every other calculator on this site answers one question about one scenario. This one holds several at once, because the decisions people actually face are comparisons: this house or that one, this lender's rate or the other's, twenty percent down or ten. Each column is a whole purchase — price, deposit, rate, term, taxes, insurance and HOA can all differ — so the comparison covers the cost of the house rather than just the shape of the loan. The best value on each row is marked, but only when something genuinely separates the options: two identical columns get no marking at all, because a highlight that appears when nothing has been decided teaches you to ignore it.

Reviewed for calculation accuracy and clarity by the Mortgage Well Team · September 9, 2026

When to use this

You are deciding between two houses and want the running costs beside the prices.
You have competing Loan Estimates and want to see what the rate difference is worth every month and over the term.
You are weighing a larger deposit against keeping the cash, and want the payment and the upfront figure together.

Assumptions

Cash to get in is the deposit plus typical lender and third-party fees, shared with the cash-to-close calculator. It excludes prepaid interest and escrow, which depend on a closing date this page does not ask for.
PMI is charged above 80% loan-to-value at the site's default conventional rate, and stops being charged in the comparison the moment a deposit crosses that line.
Total interest and payoff date assume the scheduled payment with no extra payments. Use the payoff or extra-payment calculators for those.
Taxes and insurance are yours to enter here. The payment calculator resolves both from county data when you tell it where you are buying.

Frequently asked

Why does no column win everything?: Because the measures genuinely conflict. A shorter term costs more every month and far less in total; a bigger deposit lowers both the payment and the interest but raises the cash you need on day one. Marking a single overall winner would mean choosing which of those matters to you, which is not the calculator's decision to make.
Nothing is marked as best. Is it broken?: No — it means nothing separates the options yet. The page opens with a scenario and its duplicate, so every row ties. Change something on one side and the marks appear.
Can I share a comparison?: Yes. The whole comparison lives in the URL, so copying the link carries every scenario with it, exactly as the single-scenario calculators do.
Why only four?: Past four columns nobody is comparing, they are browsing. Four fits the decisions people actually bring — two houses, or two rate quotes plus a variant of each.

Sources and references

Helpful consumer references used to explain assumptions on this page. These are educational pointers, not regulatory endorsement.

CFPB — Loan Estimate explainer — consumer guidance on what a real lender Loan Estimate contains; this calculator is not one
CFPB — choosing a mortgage term — consumer guidance on the trade-offs between shorter and longer mortgage terms
Internal — standard amortization formula — fully-amortizing fixed-rate payment formula; identical math used throughout the engine

Estimates only. This calculator is not a loan offer, loan approval, official Loan Estimate, Closing Disclosure, tax advice, legal advice, or financial advice. Actual payments, rates, taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, closing costs, and loan terms may vary. Contact a qualified lender, tax professional, or financial advisor for guidance.