Buying or renting your own home? Buying a home is one of the biggest dreams of Brazilians. We learn from an early age that owning a place of our own is the best way to ensure a secure life, but achieving this dream requires a lot of effort.

To buy a home, you first need to have the necessary funds, have chosen the place where you want to spend the rest of your life, and ensure that this place will be convenient for your daily life. But when we set all of this aside, a fundamental question remains.

After all, financially speaking, is buying a home truly the best strategy, or could renting be a better long-term solution? In this article, we’ll analyze this question and weigh the advantages of each option.

Renting is not the same as throwing money away

This is a common belief—people often think that by renting a home, they are throwing money away every month. That amount is paid in rent and will never return to their hands, so renting would be seen as losing money.

However, this thinking is limited. When you rent a property, you’re not tied to it. Renters can move at any time and explore new opportunities without financial loss from leaving the physical space.

In this way, we can say that the costs of renting are lower than the costs of buying or building, and it offers greater flexibility—something that owning a property may not provide.

Homeownership Expenses

Naturally, rented homes also come with certain expenses depending on the contract. These can range from painting to repairs due to normal wear and tear. However, owning a home involves larger and more specific costs.

When you invest in your own home, you become fully responsible for its maintenance, and at the same time, the homeowner develops a stronger attachment to the property. Real estate usually has a high value, but it’s often difficult to sell. Once you invest in something like a home, it becomes harder to relocate.

It’s also important to remember that, in addition to taxes and the difficulty of selling a property, there are ongoing maintenance costs due to natural wear and tear. In this sense, we could say that owning a home can also be a way of continuously throwing money away.

The Right Time to Buy or Rent

Naturally, there needs to be a balance—a right time to buy or rent—that should be considered when making your decision in order to get the best value for your money and time.

Buying a home is only advisable when you’re sure you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time in that location. It’s also worth noting that owning a home tends to be more practical for a family than for a single individual.

Likewise, renting a property is useful when rental prices allow for greater financial flexibility, enabling you to use part of your monthly budget to invest—saving money while building long-term wealth.