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Why do people assume that the South is cheaper? It is definitely more expensive than the Midwest, at least the working class areas no one ever talks about. I always hear about the South being cheaper on this forum, usually in the pejorative, but nonetheless stop giving out incorrect information!
I've been in Virginia for 15 years. It is not cheaper than the North. The entire state is expensive. There are a few small towns here and there with like 10,000 people that are cheaper than the larger cities but overall it is more expensive than the North. If you want a decent place that is not in some rural area you are going to have pay $600 or more. If you move to the larger urban areas, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Northern Virginia, you can live in a really sketchy area for $600 but the appropriate rent for those cities is more like $1,200. Plus they continue to build these huge homes. If you can't afford a new big home, there are plenty of old homes falling apart you can acquire but you need to have the money available to invest in them to keep them going.
Atlanta is supposed to be cheap. Some say that Georgia is cheaper than Virginia. But what do you get for the same money in Atlanta? Is it smaller than what you would find somewhere else? Is it in the city proper, or out 20 miles away in some distant suburb? Is the neighborhood safe?
Texas is supposed to be cheap but I've heard many say that prices have risen there as well.
What cheap real estate exists in the South? The Carolinas? Northern Florida? I think that the South is still cheaper than the North or the West but overall this may not make things affordable if considered relative to income. If you're making $15 an hour it is expensive everywhere. And once you do find something "affordable", you have the inconveniences of not living in desirable areas. Not necessarily from a crime aspect or anything but areas that simply do not have the amenities you would enjoy in a more expensive area. If you're struggling somewhere else, you're probably going to struggle in the South. Although you will get the benefit of getting more for your money, nicer people, generally, and nicer weather, assuming there aren't any tornadoes or hurricanes you have to deal with.
The South and Midwest are much cheaper in mid to large metros than the Northeast and West. But Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston, the capitals of large metros/cheap housing, are all getting more expensive.
It's cheap only if you don't care about your children having access to good schools and low crime. A lot of people are shocked to realize how expensive the nice areas of the Atlanta metro and the city itself are.
It's cheap only if you don't care about your children having access to good schools and low crime. A lot of people are shocked to realize how expensive the nice areas of the Atlanta metro and the city itself are.
What cheap real estate exists in the South? The Carolinas? Northern Florida? I think that the South is still cheaper than the North or the West but overall this may not make things affordable if considered relative to income. If you're making $15 an hour it is expensive everywhere. And once you do find something "affordable", you have the inconveniences of not living in desirable areas. Not necessarily from a crime aspect or anything but areas that simply do not have the amenities you would enjoy in a more expensive area. If you're struggling somewhere else, you're probably going to struggle in the South. Although you will get the benefit of getting more for your money, nicer people, generally, and nicer weather, assuming there aren't any tornadoes or hurricanes you have to deal with.
There are a number of places in the South where one can live with affordable rent on a lower salary.
Its cheaper, but its not cheap. People still have that old south, 1940's rural backwater with farms and cotton fields, and laid back, sweet tea on the porch image in their heads of the whole south.
And while its cheaper, you also have to take into account lower wages. If you're up north making $50,000 and paying $1,000 in rent, its no different than being down south making $25,000 and paying $500 in rent. That $500 looks better on paper, but adjust for your COL, its the same.
And thats just rent, not taxes, insurance, or other expenses.
What salary? The places you've listed should still be the top of someone's budget, if they're going by 3 times their income. Referring to someone making $15 an hour or less. No roommates.
Its cheaper, but its not cheap. People still have that old south, 1940's rural backwater with farms and cotton fields, and laid back, sweet tea on the porch image in their heads of the whole south.
And while its cheaper, you also have to take into account lower wages. If you're up north making $50,000 and paying $1,000 in rent, its no different than being down south making $25,000 and paying $500 in rent. That $500 looks better on paper, but its the same.
And thats just rent, not taxes, insurance, or other expenses.
Exactly. Not to mention the fact that an automobile in the South is an absolute necessity because public transportation is not as frequent as it is elsewhere.
What salary? The places you've listed one should still be the top of someone's budget, if they're going by 3 times their income. Referring to someone making $15 an hour or less. No roommates.
Hardly anyone goes by 3X the income requirements any longer, and if they did half the population would be homeless. The breakdown on a full-time $15 an hour job works out to a net income just shy of $2000 per month which allows plenty of room for a $500-$600 a month rental, if one isn't living beyond their means with a high car payment or other expenses.
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