Canada

it typically doesn’t include hydro/water. Let alone Internet and cable.

I have literally never lived anywhere that had included utilities. Nowhere I have ever rented in 24 years of renting has done literally any maintenance per month. It's basically "Did you water heater explode?" They always use some family friend they pay 50 bucks to cut a hole in the wall, replace a plastic pipe, and then just screw in a cover over it.

Rather that renting can be significantly cheaper and less risky to your savings in the current market.

I can't tell if you're joking or not.

The value of owner-occupied homes grew by almost 40% between 2016 and 2021.

While both owning and renting come with a cost, those who own their home have been lucky enough to offset those costs by way of a significant increase in the value of their homes. That isn't the case for anyone who rents. Worse still for renters, the average cost of keeping a roof over their head has increased by more than what those who own have experienced. The average cost for shelter among renters grew by 17.6 per cent in the past five years, from $910 a month, on average, in 2016, to $1,070 in 2021.

Get out of here with that 'oh woe is the landlord' garbage.