Oh yes, exactly! I rented for a little while aswell, but it did indeed feel like throwing money away. My mortgage for the first house I bought was basically around the same price, but that eventually led to a nice amount I can now put in our new house! With interest very low right now, combined with that extra money I can put in, our new mortgage will be much lower than any kind of rental place.
Sure, rental means less to worry about, but financially, I'd much rather own.