Inflation Hedge vs Rent Increases

A fixed-rate mortgage locks your housing payment for 30 years, while rents have historically risen 3-5% annually — a trend that, over a decade, makes homeowners save 30-50% in real costs compared to renters. This outperforms #9’s renting logic in most markets: in cities with price-to-rent ratios under 20x, buying cuts long-term costs by 25% on average. For example, a $2,000 rent today could cost $3,000 in 10 years, while a $1,800 mortgage payment stays flat.