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Comparison
APR vs Interest Rate Calculator
Your interest rate determines your payment. Your APR folds the cost of getting the loan into a single annualized number so two offers can be compared on equal footing.
A quarter-point lower rate with $6,000 more in fees is not a better deal. This shows the gap in both directions.
Your numbers
Origination, points, and other finance charges, not taxes or prepaids.
Your results
Offer B has the lower APR
0.074% apart
- Offer A, rate
- 6.5%
- Offer A, APR
- 6.658%
- Offer B, rate
- 6.25%
- Offer B, APR
- 6.585%
- 5-year cost, Offer A
- $126,557Payments plus fees
- 5-year cost, Offer B
- $129,218
- 5-year difference
- $2,661 more
| Offer A | Offer B | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 6.5% | 6.25% |
| APR | 6.658% | 6.585% |
| Fees | $5,200 | $11,000 |
| Monthly P&I | $2,023 | $1,970 |
| 5-year total | $126,557 | $129,218 |
What happens if you change this
Offer B has the lower rate (6.25% vs 6.5%) but $5,800 more in fees, which is why its APR is 6.585%. Over five years, closer to how long most people actually keep a loan, Offer A costs $2,661 less. APR assumes you keep the loan the full 30 years, so on a shorter hold the five-year comparison is the more honest one.
Keep these numbers
Your results are yours already. If it helps, send them to yourself, or have Corie look at the same scenario and tell you what she would change.
Related calculators
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- Mortgage Payment CalculatorSee your full monthly payment: principal, interest, taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance, not just principal and interest.
Questions people ask
- Why is my APR higher than my rate?
- Because APR spreads your loan costs (origination, points, and certain fees) across the loan term. A higher gap means higher upfront cost.
- Should I always pick the lower APR?
- Not necessarily. APR assumes you hold the loan for the full term. If you'll move or refinance in five years, compare total five-year cost instead.
Estimates for education only, not a loan approval, rate quote, or commitment to lend. Actual figures depend on credit, property, program guidelines, and market conditions at the time of lock. Corie Adams · NMLS #1875205 · Network Funding, LP · NMLS ID #2297 · Equal Housing Opportunity.
In plain English
It separates the rate you are quoted from the cost of getting it.
When to use it
- You have two quotes and cannot tell which is better
- A rate seems unusually low
- You are comparing lender credits against lender fees
Common mistakes
- Shopping rate without fees
- The same rate can carry thousands of dollars of difference in cost.
- Comparing APR across different terms
- APR only compares fairly between like structures.
- Assuming APR captures everything
- It does not reflect how long you will actually keep the loan.
Recommended next steps
Turn the estimate into real numbers.
A pre-approval replaces the assumptions above with your actual income, credit, and the terms available to you today.
Related calculators
Other numbers worth running.
Costs
Rate Buy-Down Calculator
Decide whether paying points to lower your rate is worth it, and when you'd get the money back.
Costs
Closing Cost Estimator
Estimate lender fees, title, transfer tax and prepaid escrows, the costs that surprise buyers most.
Comparison
Refinance Calculator
Find your true break-even point, the month the savings finally outrun the cost of refinancing.
Payment
Mortgage Payment Calculator
See your full monthly payment: principal, interest, taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance, not just principal and interest.
After the math
Where this number leads.
- EducationLearning CenterPlain-language answers organized by learning path, not publication date.
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- Case studiesHomeownership storiesReal Pennsylvania files, from the first question to the closing table.
- JournalThe Beautiful Living JournalArchitecture, neighborhoods, and the craft of living well in Pennsylvania.