Over three years, buying a MacBook usually costs less than renting it. For one MacBook Air 13-inch M5 at today's Apple India price, buying costs about ₹80,000 in today's money after GST credit and income tax. Renting it at our published rate costs about ₹1.62 lakh. Renting still wins some decisions, and this is how to tell whether yours is one of them.
The device and the two routes
The device is the MacBook Air 13-inch M5 with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, at an Apple India MRP of ₹1,49,900.
| Buy | Rent | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹1,38,658 including GST, at 7.5% below MRP | ₹6,746 a month plus GST, 4.5% of MRP |
| Term | Yours to keep | 36 months |
| Deposit | None | ₹22,485, refundable |
| GST | 18%, claimed as input tax credit | 18% each month, claimed as input tax credit |
What each route costs in today's money
Both routes below are after GST input credit and income tax, and every rupee is discounted to today at a 12% cost of capital. The tax rate is 25.17%, depreciation is 40% a year on the written-down value, and the Mac is assumed to sell for 20% of MRP after three years.
| Buy | Rent | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash out in month one | ₹1,38,658 | ₹30,445 |
| Price or rent paid, ex-GST, today's money | ₹1,17,506 | ₹2,06,837 |
| Income tax saved | − ₹19,253 | − ₹51,572 |
| Resale after three years | − ₹18,084 | none |
| Cost of holding the deposit | none | ₹6,481 |
| Three-year cost, today's money | ₹80,169 | ₹1,61,746 |
Why buying wins on the total
Thirty-six months of rent at ₹6,746 is ₹2,42,856, or 162% of the Mac's MRP. GST does not change the answer, because a registered business recovers it on a purchase and on rent alike. Rent is deductible as it is paid, which helps, but not enough to close a gap of that size.
On a running total, renting overtakes buying in month 17. From then on, every month of rent is money the bought Mac would not have cost.
When renting still wins
- Cash in month one. Renting needs ₹30,445 in month one against ₹1,38,658 to buy, so ₹1,08,213 stays in the bank per Mac. For a 10-person team that is ₹10.8 lakh.
- A headcount you cannot predict. Rented Macs follow the hiring plan. When someone leaves, the device is collected and goes to the next hire instead of sitting in a cupboard.
- Expensive capital. At a 25% cost of capital, with no resale and AppleCare+ bought separately for the bought Mac at Apple India's price of ₹22,900 for three years, counted before GST, buying costs ₹1,20,725 against ₹1,45,503 for renting. The gap shrinks from about double to about a fifth.
- Work you would rather not run. Delivery to homes, enrolment in Apple Business Manager, collection at exit and redeployment all sit with the rental company.
What other calculators get wrong
Some rent-or-buy calculators add an opportunity cost on the full purchase price to the buying side, then count it again as a saving for renting. That is how a calculator shows renting saving 70% or more. Discount both routes once, at your own cost of capital, and the picture above is what comes out.
Run it with your numbers
Every assumption above is a slider in our rent-or-buy calculator: your tax rate, your cost of capital, the resale you expect and the discount you would get when buying. It says plainly when buying costs less.
Send the roles and headcount and we will price the rental and the purchase side by side, on one quote: rentals.adalwin.com/quote.
Questions
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a MacBook for a company in India?
Over three years, buying is usually cheaper. For a MacBook Air 13-inch M5, buying costs about ₹80,169 in today's money after GST credit and tax, against about ₹1,61,746 to rent at 4.5% of MRP a month. Renting needs far less cash in month one: ₹30,445 against ₹1,38,658.
When does renting MacBooks make sense?
When first-year cash matters more than the three-year total, when headcount is uncertain, when capital is expensive, or when you would rather not run delivery, enrolment and collection yourself.
Does GST make renting more expensive?
Not for a GST-registered business. The 18% GST on rent is claimed as input tax credit each month, just as the GST on a purchase is.
How much does it cost to rent a MacBook Air in India?
At Adalwin Rentals, the MacBook Air 13-inch M5 with 16GB and 512GB is ₹6,746 a month plus GST on a 36-month term, with a refundable deposit of ₹22,485. See every configuration.
12+ years in corporate procurement, gifting, and IT supply-chain in India. Leads an authorised Apple DPP Partner and Logitech Enterprise Partner serving 110+ enterprises. About Sameer K Singh →
