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Like Joe 11 dollars an hour wants to live in New York City or San Francisco but can't swing any of it... where does Joe 11 dollars an hour move for that cool, urban lifestyle he seeks? i.e. What's the broke-ass backup choice to New York City or San Francisco?
You can live in New York and San Francisco on minimum wage; the question is comfortably, usually not. It may be easier to manage on a 11 hour wage in Chicago, considering that the cost of living in the mid-west is cheaper.
Si, voce ter de viver no New York e San Francisco com menos dinheiro. Mas voce nao viver tudo bem porque New York e San Francisco casas muito dinheiro. Voce olhar no Chicago, Chicago e nao alto dinheiro, e os bem.
There's Las Vegas. The cost of living, last I knew, was exactly at the national average, so it'll seem expensive to an Indianan and cheap as hell to someone from Los Angeles. I know that's how I reacted when I moved there: "holy crap, a 1bdr for $640 a month and it's not deep in the ghetto!?!" Back in Los Angeleez you'd be renting the spare bedroom in some old cat lady's singlewide. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea.
Las Vegas doesn't have the cachet of Portland or Austin or whatever, and it doesn't compare to SF or NYC, but it beats the hell out of Pokadoke, South Dakota. Or Phoenix, for that matter. And it is uniquely cool in its own way. You can visit Brooklyn and say "Las Vegas" when they ask you where you came from, and more often than not they'll go "damn, really!?" with at least some real fascination.
This is a Cost of Living index for more cities than you would need to consider. Anything over 100 is higher than the national average. At $11/hr. you might want to shoot for a city in the 80s or 90s. Looks to me, the best bet is to head south.
That's a good question! I agree with Cleveland or Detroit (please don't judge but what you hear, come visit for yourself and give them a chance). I'd heard the same positive things about Louisville, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and KC. The "creme de la creme" in the Midwest would probably be Indianapolis, Columbus, Minneapolis and Chicago, but they get increasingly more expensive as they get bigger. Other, non-Midwestern, notables should also include: Baltimore, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Austin, SA, or New Orleans. Few of those are truly widely-regarded as urban though, except Baltimore and N.O.
My votes would be (in order), and assuming strongest needs are affordability, progressive people and feel, and at least semi-urbanism:
1. Chicago (might be over $200K, but super urban and progressive)
2. St. Louis (cheap and urban, fairly progressive)
3. Detroit (dirt cheap, urban, and becoming progressive)
4. Cleveland (dirt cheap, urban, and becoming progressive)
5. Minneapolis (Chicago-like costs, semi-urban, super progressive)
6. Columbus (cheap, semi-urban, very progressive)
7. Cincinnati (cheap, urban, fairly progressive)
8. New Orleans (cheap, semi-urban, fairly progressive)
9. Houston (semi-cheap, semi-urban, super progressive)
10. Milwaukee (Chicago-like costs, urban, and becoming progressive)
Interesting that you think Milwaukee is becoming progressive. It's the only large city in the country to have had 3 socialist mayors.
Any "Rust Belt" city in the Midwest and Interior Northeast could work. Upstate NY has plenty of areas where it Is possible. Even a small city like Auburn may be an option, as it has a walkable Downtown, with public transportation, minor league baseball, community and professional theater, museums, loft apartments, history, etc. Small cities with colleges could be a possibility due to events that a college may offer.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-27-2013 at 07:52 AM..
Any "Rust Belt" city in the Midwest and Interior Northeast could work. Upstate NY has plenty of areas where it Is possible. Even a small city like Auburn may be an option, as it has a walkable Downtown, with public transportation, minor league baseball, community and professional theater, museums, loft apartments, history, etc. Small cities with colleges could be a possibility due to events that a college may offer.
This sounds pretty accurate. Another option is moving abroad somewhere in Latin America or some of the cities of East and Southeast Asia. Some parts in the south such as Atlanta also have a pretty good urban part.
This is a Cost of Living index for more cities than you would need to consider. Anything over 100 is higher than the national average. At $11/hr. you might want to shoot for a city in the 80s or 90s. Looks to me, the best bet is to head south.
I think the thing to consider is if the OP would make that much an hour, as the pay may be adjusted by area and could an area with say average overall COL could still afford a cool/hip lifestyle while living under that basic overall COL measure. Some of the info on that list seems "interesting", as I saw that an area with a much higher median home price than the area I live in had a lower housing cost.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-27-2013 at 09:09 AM..
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