All those costs are baked into your rent by your landlord (who had/has to pay them). The difference is that after 30 years you can own the house and have a low

All those costs are baked into your rent by your landlord (who had/has to pay them). The difference is that after 30 years you can own the house and have a low-cost place to live in your old age (not free, you still have prop taxes, repairs, etc.), whereas with rent you have nothing. That is significant. But really, the biggest benefit of paying a mortgage is related to the value of money. Over 30 years your rent will increase substantially in then-current dollars, while your mortgage remains fixed. Which means that it essentially gets cheaper over time. Consider that the US national average rent in the US was ~$550-$600 30 years ago, and is ~$1700-$1800 today.