What is good cash flow on a rental property?

Many investors target $200–$400 per month per unit after ALL expenses including maintenance and capex reserves. A deal that only cash-flows when you skip reserves isn't really cash-flowing.

What's the difference between cap rate and cash-on-cash return?

Cap rate measures the property's unlevered yield (NOI ÷ price) and ignores your loan. Cash-on-cash measures YOUR return (annual cash flow ÷ cash invested) and changes with financing terms.

Is the 1% rule still realistic?

In most coastal and high-appreciation metros, no. Midwest and Southeast markets still produce 0.8–1.1% deals. Below 1%, the deal needs rent growth or appreciation to perform — run the 10-year projection to see if it pencils.

Rental Cash Flow

Rental Property Cash Flow Calculator

The full long-term rental analysis — every expense line including maintenance and capex reserves — with cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash, GRM, the 1% rule, and lender DSCR in one view.

Your deal

Purchase price

Down payment

$80,000 down · $240,000 loan

Closing costs?

Interest rate

Loan term

years

Monthly rent

Property taxes (monthly)

Insurance (monthly)

HOA dues (monthly)

Other costs (monthly)?

Vacancy?

Property management

Maintenance reserve?

CapEx reserve?

Monthly cash flow

$2,650 rent − $1,010 expenses & reserves − $1,637 P&I · $39/yr

Cap rate

6.6%

NOI $21,276/yr

Cash-on-cash

0.0%

on $89,500 invested

GRM

10.1

price ÷ annual rent

1% rule

0.83%

below 1% — needs strong appreciation

DSCR

1.30

rent ÷ PITIA (lender view)

PITIA / mo

$2,037

incl. $1,637 P&I

Monthly expense breakdown

Vacancy: $133
Management: $212
Maintenance: $133
CapEx reserve: $133
Taxes: $290
Insurance: $110
HOA: $0
Other: $0
P&I: $1,637

DSCR of 1.30 — see what rates this could qualify for.

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Full investor report

Amortization breakdown, multi-year projections, sensitivity tables, and lender matches for this exact deal.

10-year wealth projection

Equity build (appreciation + principal paydown) plus cumulative cash flow. Adjust the growth assumptions:

Appreciation / yr

Rent growth / yr

Year	Cash flow	Cumulative CF	Property value	Loan balance	Equity	Total wealth
1	$39	$39	$329,600	$237,677	$91,923	$91,962
2	$433	$472	$339,488	$235,180	$104,308	$104,780
3	$835	$1,307	$349,673	$232,496	$117,177	$118,484
4	$1,244	$2,551	$360,163	$229,611	$130,552	$133,103
5	$1,662	$4,213	$370,968	$226,509	$144,459	$148,672
6	$2,088	$6,302	$382,097	$223,175	$158,922	$165,223
7	$2,523	$8,825	$393,560	$219,591	$173,969	$182,793
8	$2,966	$11,791	$405,366	$215,738	$189,628	$201,419
9	$3,419	$15,210	$417,527	$211,597	$205,931	$221,140
10	$3,880	$19,089	$430,053	$207,145	$222,908	$241,998

At 3.0% appreciation and 2.0% rent growth, your $89,500 investment becomes $241,998 of total wealth in 10 years.

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Timeline

0–3 months (active deal)3–6 monthsJust researching

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The analysis most spreadsheets get wrong

Most "cash flow" estimates skip the two lines that wreck real-world returns: maintenance and capital expenditures. A roof, an HVAC unit, and a water heater will all fail eventually — reserving 10% of rent for them now is what separates a real analysis from a hopeful one. This calculator includes every line, then shows the metrics lenders and buyers actually negotiate on: cap rate, cash-on-cash, GRM, and DSCR. Want to find markets where the numbers work? Browse the DSCR hot-cities leaderboard or compare loan options in the DSCR loan guide.