[AlexandrB]

One very important thing to keep in mind with these kinds of comparisons: are you actually going to be investing the money you save by renting? I think for most people the answer is no, and that money will just be spent on stuff. In that sense, homeownership is more of a "life hack" that forces you to save rather than a superior investment.

[bottlerock]

I was always a little puzzled by this concept and I think it gets more silly every decade. How can someone routinely spend money on goods given how insanely cheap goods have become?

There's maybe a small percentage of the population addicted to buying brands beyond what they could possibly use, but most people run out of the ability to buy a significant amount of stuff every year. I.e. even a thousand a month habit is insane to maintain and nothing compared to bad housing choices.

[rich_sasha]

There's services too. Schools, universities, theatres and cinemas, going out to restaurants bars and clubs.

Also some goods are not at all cheap. Cars, clothes, shoes, hardware - you can spend as much as you like on these.

[AlexandrB]

Maybe I should have used a word other than stuff, but it's easy to spend a lot of money on travel, pets, entertainment, etc. Some of these categories have infinite sinks - e.g. gambling or gatcha games for entertainment.