I agree it's inconceivable that the incremental cost of cooking a meal couldn't possibly exceed the price of a restaurant meal. Presumably the author is thinki

I agree it's inconceivable that the incremental cost of cooking a meal couldn't possibly exceed the price of a restaurant meal. Presumably the author is thinking of the kind of people who buy a bigger home to have space for entertaining, and/or upgrade their home to impress their guests. If you brought a bigger house to have a dining room for guests? Or brought a house with a bigger kitchen and more storage space, to store your vast collection of glasses and chairs that usually go unused? If you don't have guests often, that might not be very cost-effective.