Renting vs. Buying a Home: What People Get Wrong

Why HN readers recommended it

Recommended as detailed math on rent versus buy, showing the choice is often roughly a wash.

This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.

Video & recommendation details

Creator / channel

Ben Felix

Topic

rent versus buy

Format

explainer

Level

general

HN recommenders in dataset

3

HN mentions in dataset

4

Recommendation years in dataset

2025–2026

These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.

From the original HN conversations

Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.

• Sure, but that's demonstrably more to do with the actual financial position than the ownership status. If you own the house and no longer pay a mortgage then you're ipso facto wealthier — although you presumably do still pay property tax. During the period of …

• You’re right, the math is slightly more complicated than rent v. mortgage payment. Ben Felix, a popular financial YouTuber, made many a video about the math: [VIDEO] [LINK]

• Ben Felix, a Canadian portfolio manager that does personal finance videos and podcast, has been arguing for years that rent versus buy is often a wash financially, and that you should make the decision for non-financial resasons. * recent 2026 video: [LINK] * 2025a: [VIDEO] …