Rental Yield Calculator
Work out gross and net rental yield, and the cash return on the money you actually put in, for a rental property in any market.
💼 Are you a real estate agent or broker? Send this calculator to your buyers on your own branded listing page — every enquiry comes straight to your WhatsApp. Create free agent page →Gross yield is the number quoted in advertisements and the least useful of the three. Net yield subtracts the cost of running the place. Cash-on-cash return answers the question an investor actually cares about: what does the money I put in earn?
The three numbers
Gross yield is annual rent divided by total purchase cost. Net yield uses rent actually collected after empty periods, minus running costs. Cash-on-cash divides what is left after the mortgage by the cash you personally put in.
Worked example
250,000 plus 15,000 of costs, rented at 1,400 a month with three empty weeks and 3,600 of yearly running costs: about 6.3% gross and 4.9% net. With 65,000 of your own cash and 12,000 a year of mortgage payments, the cash-on-cash return is roughly 3.5%.
What people forget
Empty weeks between tenants, and the year something large breaks. A property that is only viable at 100% occupancy with no repairs is not viable.
Turn a calculation into an enquiry
Buyers who run these numbers are ready to talk. Give every listing its own page with your photo, phone and WhatsApp on it — leads land straight on your phone.
Create your free property pageFrequently asked questions
What is a good yield?
It varies enormously by market — expensive cities often show low yields and rely on price growth, while cheaper areas show high yields with more risk and management. Compare against local alternatives, not a global rule.
Should I count my own time?
If you manage it yourself, yes. Price it at what an agent would charge and you will see whether self-management is actually paying you.
Why is cash-on-cash lower than net yield?
Because the mortgage is paid out of the rent. Leverage raises the return when yields exceed the borrowing rate and destroys it when they do not.