I've never owned a house in the US, but my understanding is that the interest portion is tax deductible (whereas rent is not), which at the kind of salaries nec

I've never owned a house in the US, but my understanding is that the interest portion is tax deductible (whereas rent is not), which at the kind of salaries necessary for this housing is likely to make a sizable dent in this payment. I must admit that I had forgotten how high property taxes in the US can be, though. HOA surely depends a lot on what exactly you'd be buying.