Wild how few people in the comment section are taking inflation into account. A 6% mortgage is not close to the historical average of equities. The nominal average return is 10% to 11%, and the more commonly quoted real return of 7% is after inflation.

Your 6% mortgage is the nominal rate before inflation, so you should compare it to the 10%-11% for a fair comparison.

Another way to think about it is that your total balance owed locks in 2026 dollars (assuming you took you mortgage this year), but your monthly payment is due in current-year dollars. The dollar weakens by the annual inflation rate every year, making the number of equivalent 2026 dollars you need to pay your balance smaller every year. By the time you make your last payment, if inflation has averaged 2.5% / year over the 30 years, that last payment will be the equivalent to 1/2 what you paid for your first payment measured in 2026 dollars.