> simply astonished at how affordable it is to have your own land and a house, all while being well within commuting distance of the city

This depends on the city and its planning regime. I'll agree that in many cities ownership+mortgage is much cheaper than rent, but I'd be interested to know where you can "just" buy land and build a house.

(Also, not having buildings insurance, which is not actually all that expensive, is a very big bet on your fire safety)