We keep discussing what is “rich” and what is “poor”. We are all living in different areas of the country. Thus our ideas of what is affordable and unaffordable is very different. I had forgotten why I wanted to leave the area I’m currently living in until I read this article in MSN comparing cost of living areas.
Living in the top 5 cost of living area means it costs a $100k more for a comparable lifestyle in a lot of areas I think are nice. I could bear to live in Colorado, Fresno, or Albuquerque. Honestly, I think where I live sucks because the cost of living is high and the weather is poor. I could deal with one or the other but both? Yuck.
What about you? Do you think that the cost of living where you live is reasonable? Do you want to move because of the cost of living or other reasons?
6 responses so far ↓
1 Fabulously Broke // Dec 27, 2008 at 11:05 am
Yep. I want to move because the cost of living here is much lower than in the States, barring the whole healthcare thing that people are warning me about.
But I worked it out, and I could make more money in the long run. Besides, Montreal is dying.
Fabulously Broke in the City
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver…
2 Revanche // Dec 27, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Where I live now it’s pretty reasonable, but my next job is likely to be located in one of most expensive areas (SF) which means that I’d pretty much be taking a pay cut. That’s what happens when you work for a non profit, I guess!
3 FruWiki Meg // Dec 27, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I live in Gainesville, FL — named by various media as the best place to live, best place to retire, etc. and we have one of the top universities in the nation (if not the world). The summer weather is a bit steamy but the COL is excellent here. Live in the rural area outside the city, or in the neighboring county where I grew up, and the COL is dirt cheap. Taxes are low (there is no state income tax), land is cheap, housing is cheap, and there are plenty of bargain stores and farmers markets.
Of course, there is a downside. It’s a great place to live if you’re in college or retired, but there aren’t a lot of high paying jobs outside of the medical profession and some jobs at the university. My husband does as well as he does because he does a mix of working from home and traveling for a company that is based elsewhere.
4 FruWiki Meg // Dec 27, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Perhaps I should add, though, that even with the travel, highly specialized knowledge, computer/business degree, and a high level management position, my husband still makes a good chunk less than 6 figures. So, even in Gainesville, we are far from “rich”, even if we are making more than our friends as most of them struggle through college. Perhaps, though, it’s time for us to consider moving elsewhere where my husband could earn what he’s worth.
5 patience // Dec 28, 2008 at 7:27 pm
My city, a college town on the East Coast is too small to make that list, but a few years ago, our local paper trumpeted that the cost of living here is officially more than in Washington, DC, the closest large city and number four of the top five most expensive places to live in the US. One on hand, I like the amenities that come with living in a nice area–good restaurants, culture, a fabulous university library that is open to all community members for free–but on the other hand we seem to pay more for some things like gas and food simply because merchants know they can charge more because many people here can afford it. When gas was $4.00/gallon, we had the most expensive gas in Virginia for no apparent reason other than the Rich Man’s Tax.
6 LivingAlmostLarge // Dec 31, 2008 at 7:06 pm
The weather is killing me.
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