The NYT Rent v Buy calculator is pretty out of date at this point, but it's definitely not as straightforward as rent being throwing away money and a mortgage building equity. Upkeep is a non-trivial expense, opportunity costs of money put down, money still being not turned into equity via, e.g., property taxes and insurance (higher than renters), etc.
Add in the bigger intangible of the flexibility you gain from renting, and it's going to be a very individual decision.
Add in the bigger intangible of the flexibility you gain from renting, and it's going to be a very individual decision.