Second Home Cost Calculator
Add up the annual cost of a second property and divide it by the nights you actually use it, to see the real cost of each stay.
💼 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 →A second home is bought for the weekends and paid for every day of the year. The mortgage, taxes, insurance, standing utility charges and maintenance all continue whether anyone is there or not, and the number that makes this concrete is the cost per night actually used.
It is frequently several hundred per night — often more than a good hotel in the same place. That does not make it a bad decision, since a second home is not only a hotel substitute, but it should be a decision made with the figure in view.
The calculation
Add every monthly cost and multiply by twelve, then divide by the nights you actually stay. Costs continue whether or not anyone is there, so the fewer nights used, the higher the cost of each one.
Worked example
A mortgage of 900, 200 of property tax, 60 of insurance, 130 of utilities and 120 of maintenance is 1,410 a month, or 16,920 a year. Used for 40 nights, each night costs 423 — and the 325 nights it stands empty account for about 15,065 of the annual cost.
Letting it changes the arithmetic completely
Even modest letting income transforms the cost per night, but it brings management, wear, restrictions in some jurisdictions and a different tax treatment. Work out the letting case properly rather than assuming income will simply appear.
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
Should mortgage principal be included?
For a cash cost per night, yes, because it leaves your account. If you want the wealth cost rather than the cash cost, use interest only, since principal builds equity you keep.
Does a second home cost more to insure?
Usually. Periods of unoccupancy raise the risk and many standard policies restrict cover after 30 to 60 days empty. A specific second-home or unoccupied policy costs more but actually pays out.
Is capital growth not the point?
It can be part of it, but growth is uncertain while these costs are certain and immediate. Treat the running cost as the price of use and any growth as a separate, unguaranteed return.