Renting is often seen as throwing money away, but when I crunched the numbers for my city, buying a median-priced home with a 20% down payment costs about 40% more per month than renting an equivalent apartment, once you factor in property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. That gap doesn't even include the opportunity cost of tying up my down payment in an illiquid asset. Are we romanticizing homeownership while ignoring that renters can invest the difference and stay flexible for career moves?