Repair vs Replace
Compare the cost of repairing an item against replacing it.
About Repair vs Replace
Compare the one-time repair cost against replacement, factoring how much of the item's useful life is already spent. An old item near end of life may not be worth repairing even if the repair is cheaper than replacing.
Formula
Repair vs Replace
Repairing saves replacement - repair; compare to age and life expectancy
- expected life
- How long the item normally lasts
Worked example
With the default values below, Repair vs Replace returns Savings Repairing of $420.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Repair cost
- 180
- Replacement cost
- 600
- Item ageminimum 0
- 4
- Expected lifeminimum 1
- 10
Results
- Savings Repairing
- $420.00
- Recommendation
- Repair is clearly cheaper
- Lifetime Used
- 40.00%
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Repair vs Replace
- 3Savings Repairing= 420.00
- 4Recommendation= Repair is clearly cheaper
- 5Lifetime Used= 40.00
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Repair vs Replace calculated?
Repairing saves replacement - repair; compare to age and life expectancy Compare the one-time repair cost against replacement, factoring how much of the item's useful life is already spent.
Why does Repair vs Replace matter?
An old item near end of life may not be worth repairing even if the repair is cheaper than replacing.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Repair cost, Replacement cost, Item age, Expected life. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.