what do you hate about columbus (incomes, cost of, cities)

[coach123]

Originally Posted by Clevelander17

Based on some quick and dirty research, I don't think this really true at all. San Antonio seems close, but still more expensive than Columbus, and Austin is much more than both.

I would be curious about your source and if you are comparing $$/sq ft.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by coach123

I would be curious about your source and if you are comparing $$/sq ft.

I was using Zillow and no, I didn't break it down for $$/sq ft. Just looked quickly at median housing prices in each city (I don't think it was metropolitan area).

Looking at some other things that compare cost of living, again I'm seeing that Austin may really be an "apple" while Columbus and San Antonio might be "oranges," although I'm seeing a lot of inconsistencies between many different sites.

What were you using?

[coach123]

You have to look at $/sq ft. The median price may be higher, but the house is much larger. You can use each city's board of realtors website.

[other1]

Yes, the bigger the house, the better it must be.... The cheaper the $$/sq ft. isn't always a good thing. If you think Columbus is McMansion central, TX rules that game. More value engineered developer housing than one would have ever thought imaginable.

[coach123]

Originally Posted by other1

Yes, the bigger the house, the better it must be.... The cheaper the $$/sq ft. isn't always a good thing. If you think Columbus is McMansion central, TX rules that game. More value engineered developer housing than one would have ever thought imaginable.

That isn't the point. We are talking about affordability in terms of real estate and $/sq ft is the best measure.

[Tenzo]

Originally Posted by coach123

That isn't the point. We are talking about affordability in terms of real estate and $/sq ft is the best measure.

You are missing a variable.

It needs to be Average Pay / ($/sq ft.)

The houses can be 20% cheaper than the average. But if the pay is 30% less than the average, the net is more costly housing for the residents.

[NewToCA]

Actually, when I've relocated between metro areas I didn't use cost per square foot nor median price as a measure.

What I have found more useful is size point and price point.

By this, what I mean is that I take a look at homes in a "reasonable" size range, say 2,000-2,500 square ft, with some secondary requirements such as at least 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2 car garage, then look at the prices in that range. Also, I'll pick a specific price point, say $250-$275K, and look at what that buys you in a market. If you have kids, or are very concerned about area, you can add stuff like school scores into the equation too, as a supplemental filter.

I have found this to be of more use than the other tools discussed.

[coach123]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

Actually, when I've relocated between metro areas I didn't use cost per square foot nor median price as a measure.

What I have found more useful is size point and price point.

By this, what I mean is that I take a look at homes in a "reasonable" size range, say 2,000-2,500 square ft, with some secondary requirements such as at least 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2 car garage, then look at the prices in that range. Also, I'll pick a specific price point, say $250-$275K, and look at what that buys you in a market. If you have kids, or are very concerned about area, you can add stuff like school scores into the equation too, as a supplemental filter.

I have found this to be of more use than the other tools discussed.

That is pretty much the same thing as $$/sq ft, you just aren't doing the math to get you there. If you are comparing a 2000sq ft house that is 255k compared to a 2000 house that is 265K in a similar school district it is the same as saying $127.5/sq ft vs. $132.5/sq ft.

Tenzo is right, income is an important factor. Though my intuition tells me that both San Antonio and Austin has similar income to Columbus, although I haven't done any research on that.

[Tenzo]

Cost of Living Indexes San Antonio Columbus
Overall 75 86
Food 87 103
Housing 47 56
Utilities 82 111
Transportation 90 104
Health 87 97
Miscellaneous 100 103
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[coach123]

Originally Posted by Tenzo

Cost of Living Indexes San Antonio Columbus
Overall 75 86
Food 87 103
Housing 47 56
Utilities 82 111
Transportation 90 104
Health 87 97
Miscellaneous 100 103
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

Thanks Tenzo. You should probably qualify that the lower the number the lower the cost lof living. San Antonio has about 13% lower cost of living.