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I'm only gonna go off by the cities I've lived in the longest and in no order.
1.Miami: Overpriced but not the most expensive city I lived in. I lived in SoBe and Brickell and although they have activities and are urban, I still find it overpriced in ratio to offerings. Plus transit is expensive even though there is a free metromover (but is inefficient and dangerous), it's still too expensive for the lack of coverage and inefficiency. Groceries are expensive as well, but this is a common problem everywhere. Even "ghetto" areas have an average of $1500/month rents which is insane and I can find apartments in other cities downtowns for that price.
2. Toronto: insanely overpriced. I lived in downtown Toronto and yeah it's a very very expensive city. Of course, it makes sense since it's the largest city in Canada and all the HQ's are there, but it is insane. Transit is also very expensive and the TCC has been quite crappy the past few years. At least downtown has a lot of amenities so in relation to rent it does make sense, but Toronto is in a crisis mode cause it's becoming priced out now, and only the rich will be able to live downtown. Of course, the city has been booming non-stop for a decade now and there are at least 250+ projects downtown going on right now.
3. Montreal: Underpriced, but changing. Montreal is very affordable for such a large city. Transit is affordable and efficient, so is rent. The past few years groceries have become very expensive and property taxes have increased way too damn much. The city is booming and because of this, the city is catching up on where it should be on average rents and is also another factor why property taxes have increased a lot the past three years. Downtown is still cheap in some areas, but now you're seeing very high prices in the new condos. For example Roccabella in downtown, some units have rents from $6-7.5k a month (two bedrooms) and rentals in a Marriott went from $2.5k in 2014 to $6K a month this year. The downtown has a lot of amenities, lots of schools and N.A largest entertainment district, but rent increases there have never been seen before in the city.
That reason: housing is scarce, and people with a lot of money have a vested interest in being there. That’s it.
People act as if the high cost of living signifies that a city offers more, but it simply isn’t true.
True. It's not about a city being better or offering more.
Does Austin really offer more than Houston or Dallas? It's more about basic supply and demand which is what drives prices. The more people want to live somewhere, the more expensive it makes the area.
Yup! largest in terms of concentration of venues and cultural offerings, Quartier des Spectacles is the largest in N.A. It's a pretty big size too (1km^2) and goes from rue councillors to rue St. Hubert.
That reason: housing is scarce, and people with a lot of money have a vested interest in being there. That’s it.
People act as if the high cost of living signifies that a city offers more, but it simply isn’t true.
How succinct.
Anyhow, just to refresh your memory, you said: There are literally a dozen other places in the United States that are superior to The Bay Area.
For some odd reason you failed to name them. I'm sure it was a simple oversight on your part so I request that you list this immaculate dozen because after decades of traveling to every major metro area in the United States on several occassions, for the life of me I can't even name 1 that offers the combination of topography+climate+urban experience that the Bay Area offers in a single location. You must be referring to magical places hidden behind some secret invisble passage that I have never heard of. The lost city of Atlantis maybe? Shangri-La? The Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz? Coruscant? IDK.
Anyhow, just to refresh your memory, you said: There are literally a dozen other places in the United States that are superior to The Bay Area.
For some odd reason you failed to name them. I'm sure it was a simple oversight on your part so I request that you list this immaculate dozen because after decades of traveling to every major metro area in the United States on several occassions, for the life of me I can't even name 1 that offers the combination of topography+climate+urban experience that the Bay Area offers in a single location. You must be referring to magical places hidden behind some secret invisble passage that I have never heard of. The lost city of Atlantis maybe? Shangri-La? The Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz? Coruscant? IDK.
Doesn't COL factor into a places value? It does for most of us, I'd say. Irregardless, I wouldn't say the Bay (as a whole) is overrated. One of the best blends of topography, urbanity and people that I've seen. However, 2.5k to rent something crappy in Richmond or 750k to buy a small house in Oakland... yes, that is wayy overrated imo.
Definitely SF and NYC are the most overpriced. NYC offers a lot, don't get me wrong, but at least a lot (not all) of Manhattan is very overpriced. I think a lot of people who visit here just basically stay in 1 area and think that's how it is everywhere. The reality is that unless you make a lot of money you either aren't going to be experiencing something super cultural everyday, at least in Manhattan..or you probably aren't saving much money at all. When you have to actually work somewhere and you aren't making a ton of money, but want to also save some money, you realize this.
Of course, that's your deal in the end. NYC is best in 2019 if you make a lot of money especially since 75% of everything you do here is going to cost you $$$. There's a reason why parts of Brooklyn and now Queens and even places like Jersey City have seen an uptick in development the last 10 or 15 years.
For entire US standards, my fiance and I together are in the top 2% or 3% household income wise, but it doesn't feel even close to it here. We are comfortable but still easy to spend way too much. In regards to everything, it's only partially worth it but still way overpriced.
Last edited by marothisu; 03-10-2019 at 01:51 PM..
True. It's not about a city being better or offering more.
Does Austin really offer more than Houston or Dallas? It's more about basic supply and demand which is what drives prices. The more people want to live somewhere, the more expensive it makes the area.
Does anybody acutally think this? Wow, I know Austin gets hyped, but that would be hyper-hyped.
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