Looking into purchasing a rental property Dayton, Ohio out of state

[Mitchell Truong]

Hello and thank you in advance for any advice! I'm really new to investing out of state. I'm looking into purchasing a rental property in the Belmont area of Dayton, OH and wanted to get any insight for this market as it seems concerning that the average rent is higher compared to the actual costs of houses in the area. Wondering if the vacancy rate is higher in the area as it seems more advantageous to just buy a house and pay mortgages rather than renting. Thank you again for all your time! 

[Remington Lyman]

Quote from @Mitchell Truong:

Hello and thank you in advance for any advice! I'm really new to investing out of state. I'm looking into purchasing a rental property in the Belmont area of Dayton, OH and wanted to get any insight for this market as it seems concerning that the average rent is higher compared to the actual costs of houses in the area. Wondering if the vacancy rate is higher in the area as it seems more advantageous to just buy a house and pay mortgages rather than renting. Thank you again for all your time! 

What do you mean the average rent is higher than the actual cost of the houses?