Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator
What your actual cash yield looks like AFTER mortgage. The number that tells you whether the deal beats keeping cash in the bank.
Inputs
Annual figures. We'll calc the mortgage payment for you.
Breakdown (monthly)
What cash-on-cash actually tells you
Cash-on-cash = annual cash flow ÷ total cash invested. It tells you what your money actually earns this year, in cash, with the leverage you used to buy.
Why this is the most useful single number: it's apples-to-apples with every other thing you could do with your money. Treasury bill is at 4.5%. S&P long-run is 7%. If your cash-on-cash is 6%, the rental is barely beating a bond — and you're working for it, illiquid, and exposed to tenant risk. If it's 12%+, that's why people buy rentals.
What it misses: appreciation, principal paydown, depreciation tax shield. Those typically add 4%–8% in "phantom" returns on top of cash-on-cash. So a 6% cash-on-cash + 5% appreciation + 3% paydown = ~14% total return, just with much of it locked in equity rather than your bank account.
Brown County rule of thumb: aim for 8%+ cash-on-cash on financed single-family or duplex. 10%+ on small multi. If you can't get there at current rates, either the property is overpriced or interest rates are about to come down.
Underwriting a deal in Brown County?
Send the listing to (920) 306-2330. We'll text back a hard rent number and op-ex range within 1 business day.