House hacking advice please

[Seona Joung]

Hello, I work remotely and currently live with my sister who is in medical school. We will be moving to Columbia, MO in June after her graduation for 1 year+ internship. 

 Considering that we don't know if she will be there after a year, is it better to househack by renting than buying a property? I am not sure if buying one in the midwest near collegetown is an opportunity to get into investing and save money as well. I want to eventually move to coastal cities like New Jersey (near NYC), San Diego or Seattle. I am pretty much open to new cities since I can work remotely. So my options are:

1) Buy a multifamily house in Columbia, MO and househack

2) Rent a house in Columbia, MO and househack

3) House hack in another coastal city with short term rents like Airbnb

4) Attempt to buy a house in another coastal city and househack to pay for my mortgage.

I think #2 is the best option at this point in time so that I can save to buy a house in another city in about a year. But if there is anything else that I should consider, I would really appreciate anything the community can share. Thank you so much!