Always buy... rent is throwing money into the wind. Sure there is liability's or upkeep and maintenance costs with owning a home but its more of an investment. Your mortgage is going towards your principle and your building equity. Not to mention it depends the area you are purchasing in. In 10-20 years that homes value can increase significantly meanwhile rent will only increase thus your paying out more and more. You can always purchase a home in your means where the mortgage is almost the same as your rent. I would only see renting as a plus in certain situations or scenarios. If you have high income then you could rent to make life easier or maybe you travel a lot and don't need a big home or have the time to maintain and upkeep. SO yea some other users are right in whats the situation. As far as investment and return on investment obviously purchasing would make more sense.