Not everyone is striving to get a mortgage and spend 20-30 years slaving away to pay it off though. I live in a city where an average house costs $1 million, and I’ll gladly move away in the next few years somewhere where it’s 10 times cheaper. Some choose to avoid getting a mortgage because renting is easier. As for retiring early, I imagine it’s quite boring to not work at all. I’m sceptical about the “barista FIRE”, but I can totally see why some early retirees end up getting a part-time job or starting a business / charity.

Some folks just decided to say “F that” to the rat race and a mortgage slavery, so they moved away, travel and enjoy life instead. If they ACTUALLY financially stable - good for them.