Except that's not really saying much. If there was nothing more to owning a house than paying a mortgage instead of rent everyone would own a house and never rent.

The cost to live in the hostel when you include all factors is lower even if the daily rates were the same.

i thought it was common knowledge that real estate prices vary around the world. a lot. if Proud Aussie saying anything more than that? and that Proud Aussie has a mortgage?

GP's point was that their friend had to find a place to stay with one day's notice which seemed to be the limiting factor.

A mortgaged house, and short-notice, temporary housing are not in the same category. I was asking if there was some point that the person I was responding to was trying to make that I wasn't seeing.