The foundational economic concept is risk and volatility mitigation, and it's found everywhere from home insurance to leasing private jets. Real estate is just

The foundational economic concept is risk and volatility mitigation, and it's found everywhere from home insurance to leasing private jets. Real estate is just another asset. Ownership means responsibilities. Renting is great for those who want to minimize those responsibilities with the associated overhead and surprises, and lease terms vary wildly with some being as short as a few weeks. Arbitrary comparisons don't really challenge anything about the fact that renting and buying are just different financial operations that you can tailor to your specific situation. There's no right answer.