In the US, median homeowner tenure is about 12 years. If the local price-to-rent ratio is high, (greater NYC metro for example) then you may have to stay 20 years to come out ahead financially. In a case like that, renting can be a very attractive strategy for building wealth.

It's more complicated than that. If you sell-to-buy then the tenure only affects the costs related to the purchase itself. I suspect many homeowners live in a house they own for much more than 20 years. I've owned since 2007, but my mean tenure is less than 12 years since I moved.