what city/town in the US combines low COL and good public transport? (apartment, neighborhood)

[skytop]

any suggestions for towns that are cheap and can accommodate car free living?

[kyle19125]

There are many if one looks past the top-tier transit cities and can handle not having "24/7, every few minutes" service. My mind first went to Cleveland which actually has heavy rail service in addition to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), trolleys and traditional buses. It's a pretty comprehensive system and the cost of living in Cleveland is quite low. I would also throw St Louis into the mix which has a rail system in addition to buses. The cost of living in St Louis also tends lower than average. Salt Lake City is yet another option with a rather good system of rail, trolleys and buses plus a lower than average cost of living.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Metro Transit
Utah Transit Authority

[ckhthankgod]

Buffalo may be another as it has buses and rail.

Some college town areas may work, but it will highly likely involve buses. For instance, I know that the Lansing/East Lansing has a pretty good bus system.

[Maintainschaos]

For such a large city, Chicago has relatively low COL and one if the best overall transit systems in the country.

[Steve Bowen]

There are some college towns that would fit the bill, particularly if you're down to ride a bike and take the bus:

Davis, CA
Boulder, CO
Eugene, OR
Madison, WI

As far as major cities go, it's hard to beat Minneapolis - Saint Paul for COL relative to wages and public transit access. The Twin Cities may be too cold, not big enough, or not have quite good enough transit. In that case, Philadelphia and Chicago are the only major cities that possess a full-on subway system & regional commuter rail, and have housing costs that are not dramatically higher than the national average.

This site will help you determine which cities can be traversed relatively easy without a car. Then it's just a matter of looking up COL info for the ones that score well.

[costello_musicman]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

There are many if one looks past the top-tier transit cities and can handle not having "24/7, every few minutes" service. My mind first went to Cleveland which actually has heavy rail service in addition to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), trolleys and traditional buses. It's a pretty comprehensive system and the cost of living in Cleveland is quite low. I would also throw St Louis into the mix which has a rail system in addition to buses. The cost of living in St Louis also tends lower than average. Salt Lake City is yet another option with a rather good system of rail, trolleys and buses plus a lower than average cost of living.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Metro Transit
Utah Transit Authority

Ditto. I was able to live car free in Cleveland for years.

Best areas in Cleveland where this is possible:

- Little Italy http://clevelandlittleitaly.com/
- University Circle http://www.universitycircle.org/
- Ohio City http://ohiocity.org/
- Downtown http://www.downtowncleveland.com/
- Shaker Square/Shaker Heights http://www.visitshakersquare.com/

COL is very low. My apartment in Little Italy for a couple years was only $600 a month!

1) Here's a picture of the rail and BRT map: http://mapsof.net/uploads/static-map...map_(rail).png
2) Here's a map of the downtown trolleys http://www.riderta.com/sites/default...p_Trolleys.pdf

[skytop]

thanks everyone. I would have never thought about Cleveland but that seems like a great suggestion.

[nei]

Philadelphia might be a good choice as large cities go

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

Ditto. I was able to live car free in Cleveland for years.

Best areas in Cleveland where this is possible:

- Little Italy Little Italy Cleveland Ohio | Restaurants, Gallery and Event Guide
- University Circle University Circle | Cleveland Ohio | Arts & Culture, Education & Medical District
- Ohio City Ohio City | Cleveland's Complete Neighborhood
- Downtown - Downtown Cleveland Alliance
- Shaker Square/Shaker Heights Shaker Square : Night and Day

COL is very low. My apartment in Little Italy for a couple years was only $600 a month!

1) Here's a picture of the rail and BRT map: http://mapsof.net/uploads/static-map...map_(rail).png
2) Here's a map of the downtown trolleys http://www.riderta.com/sites/default...p_Trolleys.pdf

Ohio City is a great neighborhood! The West Side Market is amazing and wish I had it where I live now.
The West Side Market: Cleveland's oldest publicly owned market Little Italy is a great area as well and love the "old school" feel of it.

[skytop]

what about New Orleans? The city as a whole doesn't have a great transit score but if you staid within NOLA proper you could probably get by with public transport + walking/biking.