HomeBuyVsRent

Property Investment Calculator — Chennai (2026)

Rental yield, cash flow, and return on cash for a buy-to-let in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Planning to live in it instead? Use the Chennai rent vs buy calculator.

Thinking about buying property to rent out in Chennai? This calculator models a Chennai buy-to-let the way an investor should look at it — not just the EMI, but the gross rental yield, monthly cash flow, the full 12.0% of upfront transaction costs (Tamil Nadu stamp duty, registration, and brokerage), and your return on cash if you sell in any of the next 30 years.

On the worked example of a ₹1,20,00,000 property (assuming 30% down at 8.5% over 20 years, all editable), the EMI is ₹72,897 and you need ₹50,40,000 of upfront cash. A typical rent of ₹32,000/month is a gross rental yield of 3.2% and a monthly shortfall of ₹40,897 that you fund until rents rise.

Selling after 10 years under the default 7% property-growth and 5% rent-growth assumptions, the modelled net gain is ₹85,32,530 — a return on cash of about 169% on your ₹50,40,000 outlay. The investment breaks even on sale around year 3. Rental yields and price growth vary a lot by locality and are not guaranteed — use the calculator to test conservative cases before you commit.

Chennai property investment calculator

Your scenario
₹1,20,00,000
Transaction cost assumptions (Tamil Nadu)

Key outputs

Monthly EMI
₹72,897
Upfront cash needed
₹50,40,000
Gross rental yield
3.2%
Monthly cash flow
-₹40,897
You top up monthly
Break-even (on sale)
Year 3
10-yr ROI on cash
169%
Sell in year 10

On a ₹1,20,00,000 property in Chennai, the gross rental yield is 3.2% and monthly cash flow is -₹40,897 (you top this up each month). You need ₹50,40,000 upfront, and it turns net-positive on sale around year 3.

Compare home loan ratesA lower rate than 8.5% could cut this EMI — compare lenders.

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30-year projection

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Full year-by-year projection

Year-by-year projection for buying in Chennai
YearProperty valueAnnual rentAnnual EMIOutstanding loanHome equityNet (rent − EMI)Cumulative net cashNet gain if sold
1₹1,28,40,000₹3,84,000₹8,74,766₹82,32,821₹46,07,179-₹4,90,766-₹4,90,766-₹10,51,987
2₹1,37,38,800₹4,03,200₹8,74,766₹80,50,864₹56,87,936-₹4,71,566-₹9,62,332-₹4,51,784
3₹1,47,00,516₹4,23,360₹8,74,766₹78,52,825₹68,47,691-₹4,51,406-₹14,13,737₹2,46,949
4₹1,57,29,552₹4,44,528₹8,74,766₹76,37,280₹80,92,272-₹4,30,238-₹18,43,975₹10,51,001
5₹1,68,30,621₹4,66,754₹8,74,766₹74,02,683₹94,27,937-₹4,08,011-₹22,51,987₹19,67,644
6₹1,80,08,764₹4,90,092₹8,74,766₹71,47,350₹1,08,61,414-₹3,84,674-₹26,36,660₹30,04,666
7₹1,92,69,378₹5,14,597₹8,74,766₹68,69,448₹1,23,99,929-₹3,60,169-₹29,96,829₹41,70,406
8₹2,06,18,234₹5,40,327₹8,74,766₹65,66,982₹1,40,51,252-₹3,34,439-₹33,31,269₹54,73,801
9₹2,20,61,511₹5,67,343₹8,74,766₹62,37,781₹1,58,23,730-₹3,07,423-₹36,38,692₹69,24,423
10₹2,36,05,816₹5,95,710₹8,74,766₹58,79,481₹1,77,26,335-₹2,79,056-₹39,17,747₹85,32,530
11₹2,52,58,223₹6,25,496₹8,74,766₹54,89,511₹1,97,68,713-₹2,49,270-₹41,67,018₹1,03,09,113
12₹2,70,26,299₹6,56,770₹8,74,766₹50,65,071₹2,19,61,228-₹2,17,996-₹43,85,013₹1,22,65,952
13₹2,89,18,140₹6,89,609₹8,74,766₹46,03,114₹2,43,15,026-₹1,85,157-₹45,70,170₹1,44,15,674
14₹3,09,42,410₹7,24,089₹8,74,766₹41,00,325₹2,68,42,085-₹1,50,677-₹47,20,847₹1,67,71,814
15₹3,31,08,378₹7,60,294₹8,74,766₹35,53,093₹2,95,55,285-₹1,14,472-₹48,35,319₹1,93,48,882
16₹3,54,25,965₹7,98,308₹8,74,766₹29,57,492₹3,24,68,473-₹76,457-₹49,11,776₹2,21,62,437
17₹3,79,05,783₹8,38,224₹8,74,766₹23,09,244₹3,55,96,538-₹36,542-₹49,48,318₹2,52,29,162
18₹4,05,59,187₹8,80,135₹8,74,766₹16,03,697₹3,89,55,490₹5,369-₹49,42,949₹2,85,66,949
19₹4,33,98,330₹9,24,142₹8,74,766₹8,35,787₹4,25,62,544₹49,376-₹48,93,573₹3,21,94,987
20₹4,64,36,214₹9,70,349₹8,74,766₹0₹4,64,36,214₹95,583-₹47,97,990₹3,61,33,861
21₹4,96,86,748₹10,18,866₹0₹0₹4,96,86,748₹10,18,866-₹37,79,124₹4,03,70,757
22₹5,31,64,821₹10,69,810₹0₹0₹5,31,64,821₹10,69,810-₹27,09,314₹4,48,83,859
23₹5,68,86,358₹11,23,300₹0₹0₹5,68,86,358₹11,23,300-₹15,86,014₹4,96,91,481
24₹6,08,68,403₹11,79,465₹0₹0₹6,08,68,403₹11,79,465-₹4,06,549₹5,48,13,171
25₹6,51,29,192₹12,38,438₹0₹0₹6,51,29,192₹12,38,438₹8,31,890₹6,02,69,789
26₹6,96,88,235₹13,00,360₹0₹0₹6,96,88,235₹13,00,360₹21,32,250₹6,60,83,603
27₹7,45,66,412₹13,65,378₹0₹0₹7,45,66,412₹13,65,378₹34,97,628₹7,22,78,376
28₹7,97,86,060₹14,33,647₹0₹0₹7,97,86,060₹14,33,647₹49,31,275₹7,88,79,475
29₹8,53,71,085₹15,05,330₹0₹0₹8,53,71,085₹15,05,330₹64,36,605₹8,59,13,979
30₹9,13,47,061₹15,80,596₹0₹0₹9,13,47,061₹15,80,596₹80,17,201₹9,34,10,791

Chennai property investment FAQs

What is the rental yield in Chennai?

At a rent of ₹32,000/month on a ₹1,20,00,000 property, the gross rental yield in Chennai is about 3.2% per year (before maintenance, tax, and vacancy). That is the annual rent as a share of the purchase price.

Is a buy-to-let property cash-flow positive in Chennai?

Not initially. At ₹32,000 rent against a ₹72,897 EMI (30% down at 8.5% over 20 years), you top up about ₹40,897 a month; rent growth narrows this gap over time.

What return could a Chennai property give if sold in 10 years?

Selling after 10 years (default 7% property growth, 5% rent growth, 1.0% resale cost), the modelled net gain is ₹85,32,530 on ₹50,40,000 of upfront cash — a return on cash of about 169%. These are assumptions you can change.

How much upfront cash do I need to invest in a ₹1.20 Cr property in Chennai?

To invest in a ₹1,20,00,000 property in Chennai you need roughly ₹50,40,000 upfront: a 30% down payment of ₹36,00,000 plus ₹14,40,000 of stamp duty, registration, and brokerage.

When does a Chennai property investment break even?

Under the default assumptions, a Chennai purchase turns net-positive on sale around year 3 — before that, appreciation has not yet covered your transaction and holding costs.