[skullone]

And the bay area apartment would cost $8k/MO for a 3br/2 bath to raise a single kid in.

[fooker]

Yes, it does.

You are likely not going to be renting an apartment with that kind of money, you are just making your landlord rich.

Instead, you put a 200k deposit, pay the same 8k per month as mortgage (approx 1/3rd of your salary is the rule of thumb), and sell the house or apartment after a while. That way, you are not losing any money.

Check https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/mortgage-calculator for confirming these numbers.

[cudgy]

… unless the price of properties goes … down

[fooker]

If it goes to zero, it is almost equivalent to have payed rent for 30 years! ;)

If it becomes half, you still have a home to live in rent free.

More likely it doubles every 10-15 years.

[danenania]

The bay area is expensive, but not that expensive. 4-6k/mo in rent will get you a 3-4br in all but the most expensive neighborhoods. You could also rent a house for that much in many nice bay area suburbs.