Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Cash-on-cash return
4.75%
Total return incl. appreciation and paydown
21.69%
Annual cash flow
$5,040
Total cash invested
$106,000
Total annual return in dollars
$22,990
Years to recover your cash
21.0
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter down payment ($).
- 2Enter closing costs ($).
- 3Enter rehab / make-ready ($).
- 4Enter monthly cash flow ($).
- 5Enter annual appreciation (%).
- 6Enter property price ($).
- 7Enter annual principal paydown ($).
- 8Read your cash-on-cash return on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Cash-on-cash is the metric leveraged investors live by: it measures return on the cash invested, not on the purchase price, so financing terms change the answer dramatically.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Down payment: 85000 $
- Closing costs: 9000 $
- Rehab / make-ready: 12000 $
- Monthly cash flow: 420 $
- Annual appreciation: 3 %
- Property price: 425000 $
- Annual principal paydown: 5200 $
Results
- Cash-on-cash return: 4.75%
- Total return incl. appreciation and paydown: 21.69%
- Annual cash flow: $5,040.00
- Total cash invested: $106,000.00
- Total annual return in dollars: $22,990.00
- Years to recover your cash: 21
What each field means
Inputs
- Down payment ($)
- The down payment used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 85000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Closing costs ($)
- The closing costs used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 9000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Rehab / make-ready ($)
- The rehab / make-ready used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Monthly cash flow ($)
- The monthly cash flow used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 420 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual appreciation (%)
- The annual appreciation used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 3 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: -10–20 %.
- Property price ($)
- The property price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 425000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual principal paydown ($)
- The annual principal paydown used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5200 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Cash-on-cash return
- Returned as a percentage and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total return incl. appreciation and paydown
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual cash flow
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cash invested
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total annual return in dollars
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Years to recover your cash
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the cash-on-cash return calculator work?
Cash-on-cash is the metric leveraged investors live by: it measures return on the cash invested, not on the purchase price, so financing terms change the answer dramatically. The underlying maths is: CoC = Annual pre-tax cash flow ÷ Total cash invested × 100.
What do I need to enter?
7 values: down payment, closing costs, rehab / make-ready, monthly cash flow, annual appreciation, property price, and annual principal paydown. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the cash-on-cash return result mean?
It is returned as a percentage and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Cash on Cash Return Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cash-on-cash-return
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cash-on-cash-return" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cash on Cash Return Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Cash on Cash Return Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cash-on-cash-return) (2026).