Having lived in an affordable apartment and a house I don’t understand how living in a rented box in a building which you have no right to significantly modify is less cookie-cutter than owning a home which you can renovate and decorate to your liking, inside and outside, have a garden, host guests, etc.
(Before you talk about homeowner’s associations restricting decoration: they are the problem, not the homes. I live somewhere without one)
You think people in Vienna don't decorate their homes to their liking or host guests?
I'm from Vienna, and stuff like getting a permit for a mini split AC is a pain.
Sure. But it's reductive to make this an either/or situation. Renters are more limited in what they can do; they can still do plenty of things. Owners are also limited in what they can do, I'm sure Vienna has zoning regulations. Try adding a balcony to the house you own without getting a permit.