A lot of things are missed if you just compare hard numbers. A home brings distance from neighbors and size of place means you have privacy and a place to stretch out. Most apts are built on top of one another and price is high per square foot.

I also have an asset I can sell which doesn't exist when renting. Property taxes are generally lower relative to where I could rent and simply don't enter into it.

More important to me, a bought house is my home.