How to use the rental yield calculator
- Enter the purchase price and purchase costs such as stamp duty or transfer tax, legal fees and inspections.
- Enter the rent per week or per month and a vacancy allowance.
- Enter annual expenses: property tax or council rates, insurance, management fee %, maintenance, strata or HOA and other costs.
- Optionally add a loan to see cash-on-cash return.
- Compare gross yield, net yield and net operating income.
Worked example
$500,000 property, $500 per week rent, 4% vacancy
Gross rent $26,000 a year gives a gross yield of 5.20%. After 4% vacancy, $24,960 is collected. Expenses of $2,000 rates, $1,500 insurance, 7% management ($1,747.20), $1,000 maintenance and $500 other total $6,747.20, leaving NOI of $18,212.80. On $525,000 total cost (price plus $25,000 purchase costs) the net yield is 3.47%. With a $400,000 interest-only loan at 6%, cash flow is −$5,787.20 and cash-on-cash is −4.63%. Expenses are example values.
How it works
Annual rent = weekly × 52 or monthly × 12. Gross yield = annual rent ÷ price. Collected rent = annual rent × (1 − vacancy). Operating expenses = fixed expenses + management % × collected rent. NOI = collected rent − expenses. Net yield = NOI ÷ (price + purchase costs). With a loan: debt service = interest-only (loan × rate) or 12 × the level P&I payment; cash-on-cash = (NOI − debt service) ÷ (price + costs − loan).
Assumptions
- Rent, vacancy and every expense are your own estimates; starting values are examples.
- Net yield uses price plus purchase costs; the result on price alone is also shown because definitions vary.
- Loan repayments are first-year figures with a fixed rate.
- No income tax, depreciation, land tax thresholds or capital growth are modelled.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gross and net yield?
Gross yield is annual rent divided by price, before any costs. Net yield subtracts vacancy and operating expenses and, here, includes purchase costs in the denominator.
Should loan repayments reduce net yield?
No. Yield describes the property’s return regardless of how it is financed. The cash-on-cash figure shows the effect of your loan on the cash you put in.
Weekly or monthly rent?
Use whichever you are quoted. Australian rents are usually weekly (× 52), US rents monthly (× 12). Switching converts the amount for you.
Limitations
- Single-year snapshot; use the property cash flow calculator for a multi-year projection.
- No tax modelling.