Whether you see rental rates cheaper than a personal mortgage is extremely dependent on where you live. Many 'hot' housing markets have a big anticipation of fu

Whether you see rental rates cheaper than a personal mortgage is extremely dependent on where you live. Many 'hot' housing markets have a big anticipation of future capital gains already priced in (rationally or otherwise) and house prices are not remotely in line with rental returns (Sydney, Australia is an example of this). I would imagine things would be quite different and more like you say in more normal markets.