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I guess general poverty isn't much a concern to people. Or the South has much more to offer than just COL that attracts people from the rest of the country.
And don't say weather. If anyone is moving to Texas for weather, well, I wouldn't really look highly upon the choice.
The thread is about the South not being necessarily cheaper not about every subjective reason people tell themselves it's awesome.
The South is great for some people and for others it is misery. I mean there were massive migrations OUT of it so it can't be awesome for everyone. Anyway, as this thread has proven, it is not universally the most fiscally responsible option for everyone.
Everyone's situation is different, and you can't paint entire regions with such a broad brush.
If I moved here from Pig's Knuckle, Maine, I would likely regard it as more expensive. But I moved here from DC, where the cost of living is bananas unless you rent a 1 bedroom shoebox and never intend to buy property. Not to mention, my salary went up when I moved. That is my own personal experience and in no way would apply to ANYONE, EVER.
That being said, moving somewhere primarily to escape a place with a high cost of living is not wise.
Everyone's situation is different, and you can't paint entire regions with such a broad brush.
If I moved here from Pig's Knuckle, Maine, I would likely regard it as more expensive. But I moved here from DC, where the cost of living is bananas unless you rent a 1 bedroom shoebox and never intend to buy property. Not to mention, my salary went up when I moved. That is my own personal experience and in no way would apply to ANYONE, EVER.
That being said, moving somewhere primarily to escape a place with a high cost of living is not wise.
The OP started this thread in response to people randomly suggesting that they should move to FL or other parts of the South because of the lower COL. These people do exist and they are as guilty of generalizing financial situations as the people who say the move doesn't necessarily make financial sense.
That said I doubt there are many people who actually moved to the South just because of they heard people say the COL is lower. Maybe a few retirees.
The OP started this thread in response to people randomly suggesting that they should move to FL or other parts of the South because of the lower COL. These people do exist and they are as guilty of generalizing financial situations as the people who say the move doesn't necessarily make financial sense.
That said I doubt there are many people who actually moved to the South just because of they heard people say the COL is lower. Maybe a few retirees.
I think a lot of people are trying to also point out that the perception that everyone living below poverty level is poverty stricken is incorrect. Just because someone earns less than X amt of wages doesn't mean they can't have the same standard of living as someone elsewhere in a higher COL area earning more. I think a lot of people hear the phrase poverty level and their brains immediately go to run down mobile homes and cars on blocks and they just stop there, without taking into consideration the COL.
I swear it's like some people think the very fact of moving to the south and earning less means an automatic reduction in their quality of life, and it just ain't so.
I think a lot of people are trying to also point out that the perception that everyone living below poverty level is poverty stricken is incorrect. Just because someone earns less than X amt of wages doesn't mean they can't have the same standard of living as someone elsewhere in a higher COL area earning more. I think a lot of people hear the phrase poverty level and their brains immediately go to run down mobile homes and cars on blocks and they just stop there, without taking into consideration the COL.
I swear it's like some people think the very fact of moving to the south and earning less means an automatic reduction in their quality of life, and it just ain't so.
If someone makes less than the poverty level I have a really hard time believing their quality of life is that of those who don't. When you make so little you end up without a basic necessity like personal safety.
Can you show me examples of someone earning less than the poverty level and having the same quality of life as say 43k per year? I don't mean amenities or luxuries, I mean being able to afford living in a safe area not rife with property and/or violent crime.
If someone makes less than the poverty level I have a really hard time believing their quality of life is that of those who don't. When you make so little you end up without a basic necessity like personal safety.
Can you show me examples of someone earning less than the poverty level and having the same quality of life as say 43k per year? I don't mean amenities or luxuries, I mean being able to afford living in a safe area not rife with property and/or violent crime.
That's exactly my point, that is not logical to compare some random amt pulled out of a hat and compare it to poverty level, and not at all what I said.
Try this, poverty level fo 2 people is roughly 16k. That's not going to get you much anywhere, however 16k in Dothan AL will buy you basically the same lifestyle that cost 22K in Hartford CT, 26K in DC, 25K in Seattle WA, etc. You think the couple in WA aren't just as poor as the one in Dothan simply because they make above the official poverty rate?
My 30K salary would be laughed at in a lot of places, but it allows me to own my modest home in a nice safe n'hood with decent schools, etc, how does that make me any worse off than someone living in a higher COL area and paying more for the same lifestyle I have?
That's exactly my point, that is not logical to compare some random amt pulled out of a hat and compare it to poverty level, and not at all what I said.
Try this, poverty level fo 2 people is roughly 16k. That's not going to get you much anywhere, however 16k in Dothan AL will buy you basically the same lifestyle that cost 22K in Hartford CT, 26K in DC, 25K in Seattle WA, etc. You think the couple in WA aren't just as poor as the one in Dothan simply because they make above the official poverty rate?
My 30K salary would be laughed at in a lot of places, but it allows me to own my modest home in a nice safe n'hood with decent schools, etc, how does that make me any worse off than someone living in a higher COL area and paying more for the same lifestyle I have?
The problem is that the South in general is less safe. It has very high crime and has the highest rates of violent deaths. So being poor in the South is probably a bit worse than being poor in Seattle. This is of course a generalization but there's no arguing that in the South being poor is just harder. Consider the fact that at least in many major Northern you have good public transportation whereas in the South that is a rarity.
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