Honestly wanted to say neither, but it's more complex. Compounding that money in mutual funds, T-bills or even BTC would likely fetch more value, but life is fickle and short. You could invest everything and still get wiped out by a health crisis, or buy the house and watch life change positively. We all have different realities even on the same path. Nothing wrong with owning a house/car in your 20s–30s if you can afford it, and nothing wrong with investing, renting and making it bigger before doing all these. To each his own really.