Starting with a rental is still the cautious choice when you barely know the city. Areas look very different once the tourist season ends, and nearby construction only becomes obvious after a few weeks. One rental cycle carries a much lower price than unwinding a bad purchase.
Purchasing becomes reasonable when the time horizon is long. The costs of buying and selling are significant, so a two-year plan almost never pays them back. The standard advice involves several years of ownership before ownership pays off.
Getting a mortgage changes the picture in both directions. Non-residents frequently meet larger deposit requirements and shorter terms than residents. Where local lending is unavailable, the deal means an all-cash transaction, which alters what else that capital could do.
A rental keeps flexibility. A shift in circumstances, family reasons or a new visa rule can be absorbed with a lease termination, instead of a property for sale in tosmur sale in a slow market. In markets where prices move slowly, this freedom has rouen real estate value.
Ownership gives what renting cannot: protection from rent increases, the right to alter the property, and an asset that may appreciate. In some countries, being an owner can also support a residency case. The practical answer for most people amounts to renting first and buying later.