This is only true when price-to-rent ratios are abnormally low. It shouldn't be true most of the time: why would anyone own? On a per-month basis, renting shou

This is only true when price-to-rent ratios are abnormally low. It shouldn't be true most of the time: why would anyone own? On a per-month basis, renting should be more expensive than owning, especially when taking into account tax deductions that favor owning. The upside of renting is that you didn't have to unload a down payment and can in turn invest that money in something that gives higher rate of returns than property. Generally, renters pay more per month before opportunity costs are taken into account and less so (possibly even strictly less) when opportunity costs are taken into account.