Decision tools
Move-Up Calculator
Does moving to a larger or more expensive home make financial sense? What you'd pay, why it changes, how much equity transfers, and what changes over time.
Direct answer:enter your current home and mortgage, what selling would net you, the larger home you’re considering, and how you’d use your equity. This tool shows the monthly cost change, exactly why it changed — rate, term, loan size, or other recurring costs — how much equity would transfer, and what happens to your mortgage balance over time. It never tells you whether moving is a good decision.
Considering a smaller, less expensive home instead? Use the Downsizing Calculator →
Current rate context
30-year national average
6.66%
As of August 27, 2026
The new home's rate field below defaults to this national average and stays fully editable — your current mortgage's rate is a separate input, never replaced by this figure.
Explore rate history & payment impact →The big picture
What you pay now, what the larger home would cost, and the difference — before getting into why.
Staying
$2,081
per month, total housing cost
- P&I
- $1,741
- Property tax
- $250
- Insurance
- $90
- HOA
- $0
- Mortgage insurance
- $0
- Other
- $0
Moving up
$5,167
per month, estimated new total housing cost
- P&I
- $4,627
- Property tax
- $400
- Insurance
- $140
- HOA
- $0
- Mortgage insurance
- $0
- Other
- $0
Monthly housing-cost difference
+$3,086
Your estimated monthly housing cost would increase by $3,086 under these assumptions.
Why the payment changes
Why it changes
- Rate effect
- +$66/mo
- Term effect
- -$200/mo
- Loan-size effect
- +$3,020/mo
- Taxes, insurance, HOA & other
- +$200/mo
About $66 of the P&I change comes from the interest rate.
About $200 comes from changing the loan term.
About $3,020 comes from borrowing more.
About $200 comes from property taxes, insurance, HOA, mortgage insurance, and other recurring housing costs.
Total change: +$3,086/mo — the four effects above always add up to this total.
What happens to your equity
How much of your current home’s equity would transfer into the new down payment, how much you’d keep, and whether you’d need to bring additional cash.
Equity after selling
$410,250
Equity used
$180,000
Cash retained
$50,000
Additional cash needed
$9,000
Transaction & equity economics
Selling costs and buyer closing costs are one-time costs, not part of the monthly numbers above.
- One-time transaction costs
- $48,400
- New loan amount
- $720,000
Monthly housing cost is higher under these assumptions, so transaction costs are not recovered through monthly housing-cost savings.
What changes over time
Over the years ahead
- Cumulative housing-payment difference over 5 years
- +$185,155
- One-time transaction costs (separate, not summed with the above)
- $48,400
Current mortgage principal reduction
Starting balance: $250,000
Ending balance: $180,787
$69,213 reduced
New mortgage principal reduction
Starting balance: $720,000
Ending balance: $675,226
$44,774 reduced
Difference in principal reduction: -$24,439
What’s driving this result
What's driving this result
- Borrowing more+$3,020/mo
- A longer loan term-$200/mo
- Property tax difference+$150/mo
- A higher interest rate+$66/mo
- Insurance difference+$50/mo
Separately, $180,000 of equity from selling would transfer into the new home’s down payment.
This does not state that you would be better or worse off — that would require assumptions this tool deliberately excludes: home-price appreciation, opportunity cost on retained cash, taxes, and the value of anything you gain or give up that isn’t a dollar figure. It shows what changes financially under the assumptions you entered.
What this means
Assumptions used
- Your current mortgage payment is either entered directly or estimated from your loan's original amount, rate, and term — never re-derived from today's remaining balance
- Property tax, insurance, HOA, and mortgage insurance are whatever you enter for each home — nothing is estimated or defaulted for you
- Selling costs, buyer closing costs, and moving expenses are one-time costs, never amortized into the monthly comparison
What could change this
- An actual sale price different from the estimate entered, which changes net proceeds and how much equity is available
- A different final interest rate on the new mortgage than the editable assumption entered here
- Real closing costs differing from the itemized or lump-sum estimate entered
A low rate has a real cost
Giving up a low mortgage rate is rarely the whole story.
A higher rate is usually only part of why a move-up payment is larger — borrowing more and a different loan term both matter too, and often matter more. This tool splits all three apart so a low current rate’s real cost is visible on its own, not buried inside one combined number.
Methodology
How this is calculated.
This tool reuses the same shared Stay vs. Move engine as the general calculator — the same current-payment resolution, seller-proceeds math, equity allocation, and four-effect decomposition, just arranged around the move-up question specifically. Monthly housing cost = principal & interest + property tax + insurance + HOA + mortgage insurance + other recurring cost. The change between homes is split four ways — rate, term, loan size, and non-P&I costs — that always add up to the total monthly difference, then ranked by dollar impact in the “what’s driving this result” summary.
Selling your current home is estimated with the same itemized net-sheet math as the Seller Net Proceeds Calculator. You then decide how much of that goes toward the new down payment, how much you keep liquid, and how much (if any) goes elsewhere — nothing is assumed to automatically become a down payment.
Downside cases
- A larger loan at a higher rate can produce a payment increase well beyond what the rate difference alone would suggest.
- If payoff and selling costs exceed your current home’s sale price, net proceeds go negative — meaning you may need to bring funds to closing rather than receive any equity to transfer.
- Transaction costs are real, one-time dollars this tool never hides inside the monthly comparison.
Author: Todd McClean, Realtor® | Real Estate Investment Strategist, Mountainland Realty, Inc.. Reviewed August 14, 2026. This tool provides general real estate information and is not legal, tax, accounting, lending, securities, commodities, or financial-planning advice.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this calculator.
Does this tool tell me whether I should buy a bigger house?
I have a low mortgage rate. Does moving mean giving that up?
How much more will my payment actually be?
Can I use my current equity toward the new home?
Does entering my numbers here send them anywhere?
Related
Keep evaluating the decision.
Next step
Want to see this with real property numbers?
This calculator uses the numbers you enter. Want to see what selling your current home and buying the next one could look like with real property numbers? A move strategy review adds a market-position, timing, and financing assessment specific to your situation.