I think it's implicitly assumed that anyone looking at the numbers is on the fence about buying vs renting to begin with, otherwise why would they care? This c

I think it's implicitly assumed that anyone looking at the numbers is on the fence about buying vs renting to begin with, otherwise why would they care? This can be true even if you've got strong opinions on lifestyle, in the case where you're pulled in multiple directions by different needs (e.g. you want to manage the risk of rent increasing at the same time as future house prices rise but you still value mobility, or you're frustrated with landlords but don't have a lot of project work planned, and so on).