I think that’s actually the big problem with the CPI - it treats a house purchase as a speculative investment, rather than a separate category of housing on equal footing with rent. I think the median housing payment (mortgage + interest) should be included in the CPI.

As someone who is looking to start a family, renting vs owning is not simply a financial question, they are totally different goods which are not interchangeable

I totally agree that they are not the same. However, the CPI isn't supposed to capture everything.

If someone wants to talk about the cost of buying and homeownership rates, there is tons of data on that to point at.

Do you live in a slow real estate market? In the area I'm in, rent is basically equal or slightly higher than a 30 year mortgage with 20% down - if you can find a house to buy in the first place.

Bay area. It is a hot real estate area, hence the high purchase price

In Toronto, our mortgage is ½ to ⅔ of the equivalent rent these days. The startup costs for it, though, are killer — and most people's mortgages starting today would be closer to ¾ to ⅞ of rent, not counting the cash downpayment required.