Sometimes they do charge you less, because they can’t find anyone to cover their investments completely. They prefer to recover 80% of their investment, rather than 75 or 0. That’s less common today, but it happens in normal times.

Not being able to move for work could end up costing a lot more than the lost equity building, depending on your career and if you have to stay in town for family reasons.

There also bulk rates for the manager and economies of scale in apartments that make them cheaper.

The current rate hikes did change the logical financial decision for some people. It’s not always best to buy, it depends on many factors.