Renting is generally just about enough to maintain a mortgage. The premium if any can be though of as option value should you need to move in near ish future, o

Renting is generally just about enough to maintain a mortgage. The premium if any can be though of as option value should you need to move in near ish future, or otherwise from appreciation. A renter who rents the equivalent property and puts their savings into the stock market can generally expect the same or better risk adjusted returns though real estate generally alows you to take on more leverage than with equity bc of lower volatility and there are some tax advantages if you're in a high tax bracket bc interest can be deducted.