I think your example is more realistic if the numbers are more like 3000/mo to buy and 1500/mo to rent. If rental prices were as close to mortgage rates as 200

I think your example is more realistic if the numbers are more like 3000/mo to buy and 1500/mo to rent. If rental prices were as close to mortgage rates as 2000/1500, then not only would buying be obvious, it would not even be a much larger financial commitment. The extreme case is when rent equals mortgage.