It used to be the case that NYC was expensive, but most of the rest of the country was cheap. If you didn't want to pay the ridiculous rent in New York, you could always move to a "second tier" US city like Seattle, Austin, or Denver, and enjoy a cool urban environment at a comparatively very reasonable price.
That no longer seems to be the case. Yeah, it is expensive here, but when I talk to my friends living in those other cities, they aren't paying that much less! Their rent is cheaper or they get more for the money, but it isn't a whole different ball game like it used to be.
I’m paying $1600 for a 3 bed in one of chicagos hottest neighborhoods. The trick is density, Chicago is made up of 3/4 flats and apartment blocks with solid public transport, so supply meets demand at a reasonable price. Of course the shitty weather and corruption helps lower demand too, but I’d say $600 a month housing cost is worth it.
And you have a yard? A parking spot? A walkable food thing? A friend networks whereby you loan tools? Rent Tools? A network of people who will help you when down/sick/hurt/displaced?
You're paying for an accentuated CELL in urban hell.
Just because you have a "dope spot to show how urban your display is"
You dont have shit.
Cut off all your power, access to food stuffs, equipment, necessities (pwr, wtr, fd, transport)
I was paying $2k for a very nice apartment in a very nice DC suburb within walking distance to my office. I moved to an even cheaper house (in a very walkable neighborhood) just outside Richmond. No people are not paying anywhere near NYC rent for urban living elsewhere.
That no longer seems to be the case. Yeah, it is expensive here, but when I talk to my friends living in those other cities, they aren't paying that much less! Their rent is cheaper or they get more for the money, but it isn't a whole different ball game like it used to be.