<prompt> Human: Im 22 years old, work full time, make about 2800mo after taxes and after 457 Plan contribution I work for the gov. I have free very good health insurance. I have no student loans, no car loan, no debt of any kind, and never had. Ive had a credit card since I turned 18 and use it for all my purchases, and pay it off completely every month, never missed a payment, never owed anything on it. I have 30k in the bank and about 17k worth of stocks. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.So now my question - should I rent or buy a housecondo? Either way Id be living with a roommate or two. I would most likely rent or buy either in the Sunset area of SF, or more likely in Daly City or San Bruno.I feel like renting would be throwing my money away with nothing to show for it after I move out. Would it make sense in my financial position to buy a small house probably 600k or condo probably 300k? Would that even be possible with my savings I can and probably will sell the stocks in terms of down payment and still having a nice emergency fund?  <response>: I recently dealt with the same question being in a relatively similar position as you are, so maybe the conclusion I drew can help you.Im a young guy like yourself, working in a government-dense area where housing both renting and buying is a kick in the teeth. I take home about 3300 a month after taxes and 401k, but I have some loans so Id say after all that Im probably bringing home right around the same as you after all that.My first concern is your price range. When I was looking at buying, my upper limit was under 250k I believe. I dont think were in the salary range to live in half million dollar houses, my friend.With that comes my next realization. Assuming I did find a place in the lower price range, it was bound to be... rough around the edges. House maintenance is expensive, and I realized I was in no way prepared to deal with the hassle and upkeep of a home at my age and income level.Finally, youre young. During my search I realized I may not even want to live in this area anymore in the near future, let alone if a great job offer arose in another area. Why tie yourself to a home so early?I decided on renting, obviously. I used to also believe renting was throwing away money, but it isnt. Youre paying for a service that allows you to be flexible with your life until youre ready to buy your first home.I hope this helps you. And PLEASE, for the love of god dont cash out your investments at this age unless you absolutely need to! 