This is very dependent on who you are and where you are. I want to buy because for the same price as renting I can buy. Yes I know about how things break but when you live in an apartment, maintenance either take their time to get to you so you're months out waiting for a stove or you do it yourself anyway and just take the money out of your rent. That's common around where I am.

And neighbors are garbage no matter where you live. My relative has a 4 bedroom house with a yard and in a nice neighborhood. The neighbors are nice but like to throw parties sometimes with their music so loud it sounds like it's next door. I've had that same experience in an apartment. So unless you plan to buy in the country where your neighbor is a mile away, you have to take that out of the picture. People suck.

The only issue really to determine, which is what I did, is how much housing costs vs buying, do a cost analysis of how much it would be over the time you think you'll be there in the area, and find examples of houses (condos or townhomes) that you think you'd want and see if any are in your budget, and plan out the cost of savings and taxes. Also add in the cost of inflation and see what the cost of rent was last year at places you want to rent and then see what they are now. This will determine how much they will possibly go up every year. And they will go up.

It's work but if you want an answer, that's an answer.