In my opinion, it's always better to buy, unless you are buying something that is going to require a lot of repairs that can break the bank. And sometimes, you never know what is going to come up, with home ownership. Personally, although I live in a very small, cut-de-sac townhouse development, I don't like having to see my neighbors come and go, knowing their daily routines, etc. I know, it's weird, but after 25 years of living in somewhat secluded neighborhoods, it is different. It's not noisy at all and everyone behaves, but I haven't lived this close to neighbors since I left AZ in 1990. I guess that's why all the houses there have block walls around the backyards. I truly only knew the people on either side of me.