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Wanting to ditch my car and live in a low cost city with good public transportation. A place where public transportation takes you to all the major sites around town. A place where you can have a drink and not worry about being pulled over. High gas prices, insurance, maintence and parking who needs it.
I've been car-free for almost 9 years now and have lived in some varied places without a car. It's possible in a whole lot of places but it really depends on your situation, what sort of city you prefer, and how much inconvenience you're willing to put up with. I don't have kids but i'm still a creature of convenience so I live in Philadelphia. I use transit to get to work but for running errands or going out on the town I walk or ride a bike (unless it's raining.) For big shopping trips or for going somewhere in the suburbs that's not easy to take the train to I use PhillyCarShare. Living close to a grocery store and rail stop is key.
If you're like me then I would look for a big city with rail transit and a carsharing service. Here's my list:
Expensive:
New York
Boston
DC
San Francisco/Oakland/Berkeley
Seattle
Los Angeles
San Diego
Less Expensive:
Chicago (number #1 in my book)
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Portland
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Salt Lake City
Atlanta
Minneapolis
I could put together a huge list of smaller cities that have all the basic ammenities and decent buses but no rail - places like Milwaukee, Madison or Boulder (which all have car sharing) and places like Asheville or Charleston that have mediocre to poor bus service and no carsharing but have full-service downtowns with a lot of residents.
I'd also like to add that, with the most expensive cities, you can find cheaper neighborhoods, you just have to travel further to get to the grocery store or the movie theater. Also, in the less expensive cities, you'll pay dearly to live where the action is.
Chicago is actually more on the expensive side....not at the same tier as NYC yet, but still pretty dang pricey. The public transportation is available, but the city isn't what I'd call low-cost, honestly.
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Atlanta, and even Philadelphia is going to be more truly affordable. Perhaps not as cosmopolitan, but you get more for your money, when budget is a factor.
Wait a second - I just realized that this was from a year ago. Why the heck was it bumped?
Chicago for sure. The transportation system there is very hard to beat. You can get almost anywhere in the city's core on the CTA. And the Metra will go to even the most remote suburbs. Not terribly cheap place to live, but probably on par with every other city as urban is it is, if not cheaper.
Milwaukee has no rail but decent bus service. It's a pretty compact town so getting around w/o a car would be possible I guess.
Chicago is actually more on the expensive side....not at the same tier as NYC yet, but still pretty dang pricey. The public transportation is available, but the city isn't what I'd call low-cost, honestly.
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Atlanta, and even Philadelphia is going to be more truly affordable. Perhaps not as cosmopolitan, but you get more for your money, when budget is a factor.
Wait a second - I just realized that this was from a year ago. Why the heck was it bumped?
I was considering a move to Chicago and spent a while looking for apartments. The price range in Chicago seems to be bigger and, of course, Chicago is twice the size of Philly so it's hard to compare apples to apples but otherwise I found you can find similar apartments in similar neighborhoods for similar prices.
In NYC, well, In Brooklyn or Hoboken you can find a 2-bedroom apartment that's only twice what you would pay in a comparable neighborhood in Philly but then you get there and you realize that's it's half the size of what you're used to.
The better the transportation the more expensive the city. As gas prices rise this disparity will only increase as more and more people will be willing to pay a premium for walkability and subway access. Some people spend 20 to 25 percent of their monthly income on transportation. At those prices, even New York City real estate starts to look affordable if you don't have to own a car.
When anyone finds one in a warm sunny climate let me know, I want out of Portland by this time next year. Transit is a huge part of my particulars for where I retire to.
When anyone finds one in a warm sunny climate let me know, I want out of Portland by this time next year. Transit is a huge part of my particulars for where I retire to.
A few of these places are outside of the sunbelt but they're all warmer/sunnier than Portland (ME or OR)
Here's how i'd rank them
1. Washington, DC
2. San Francisco/Bay Area
3. LA (yes, LA)
4. Dallas
5. Atlanta
6. St. Louis
7. San Diego
8. Houston
9. Miami
10.Charlotte
Most of these cities are rapidly expanding their rail systems so the order could shift by the time you're ready to move.
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