But a mortgage isn’t the cost of owning a house. Rent payments are the cost of renting.

If you want to compare the costs of renting and buying, you need to compare renting=(rent payments + renter’s insurance) vs. owning=(mortgage payments + property taxes + insurance + maintenance and repairs + equity appreciation / depreciation)

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cramsession a day ago | parent [-]

Landlords bake those costs into the rent price.

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Esophagus4 a day ago | parent [-]

Too hand waivey and doesn’t tell the whole story - even with the carry costs “baked in”, renting is generally cheaper in the short run because those costs are lower anyway.

> Average rents are cheaper than average mortgage payments (homeowners insurance and property taxes included) in all 50 of the largest U.S. metros in 2025, with the cost difference between the two growing in all but 12 of those metros since last year, according to Bankrate’s Rent vs. Buy Study.

> Over the last year, the study found average mortgage payments (including principal, interest, homeowners insurance and property taxes) increased while average rents either declined or remained stable in nearly all the metros we analyzed.

> Housing experts said the fact that it’s cheaper to rent in all 50 metros in 2025 is a broader reflection of rental and housing market conditions across the country.

[1] https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/rent-vs-buy-affordabili...

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cramsession a day ago | parent | next [-]

That compares average mortgage and average rent, but the average house you buy is going to be much bigger (and include a yard) than the average rental. They’d need to compare equal properties to have a meaningful study.

	▲	const_cast 17 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The average home is also going to be in a very suboptimal location. If you compare homes and apartments in the same location, the gap grows even wider. Yes, $4,000 a month in Manhattan is expensive. But $4,000 might be JUST the HOA cost for buying in the same area. Never mind the 10 million dollar mortgage. (Spoiler: fake numbers, actually do the math for your city)

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carlosjobim a day ago | parent | prev [-]

> Average rents are cheaper than average mortgage payments

The average mortgage is for a family, the average rent is for a broke young worker or student living in a much smaller and worse accommodation.

Renting is always more expensive than a mortgage for the same housing unit, because the landlord needs to make a profit from his tenants.

Cooking the numbers won't change reality. The truth beats all the lies, no matter how many lies.

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Esophagus4 a day ago | parent [-]

The median renter is 42 years old.

Even a basic Google search would have saved you needing to post that comment.

[1]https://www.zillow.com/research/renters-housing-trends-repor...

	▲	necovek a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> The median age of a renter is 42 years old and about half (46%) of renters are under the age of 40; only 10% of renters are in their seventies or older, and 15% are in their sixties. In other words, the age distribution of renters trends younger than the overall US population. Which tells us exactly what the GP brought up: renters are younger than buyers.
	▲	carlosjobim a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Age doesn't matter. The median renter has smaller and worse housing than the median mortgage payer. For the same accommodation, renting is always more expensive than owning.