I guess it's really better to just invest than to pay for a property that isn't yours. Well, there are many arguments that will rage on for eternity. One is whether it is cheaper to buy rather than rent a home. Real estate business Trulia, recently found in its annual study that purchasing is cheaper than renting in 98 of 100 large towns. According to CNN, the most recent survey has similarly found that buying is more cheaper than renting. And out of the top 100 real estate markets, it would be cheaper to rent than buy in only two of those locales. In fact, the two places that it would be cheaper to rent than to buy were Honolulu, Hawaii, and San Francisco, Calif. Whether it’s cheaper to buy or to rent based on cost per square foot is misleading, because it only deals with the purchase price of the home; it is said that the costs of home ownership are not included.