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Let's just say you could afford to live in one of the expensive cites(London, NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc...) would you live in one or would you live in the less expensive cities so you could save much more money than you already are.
Mind you. you're not struggling to live in the expensive cities.
I'd go for the London, NYC, Chicago lifestyle. I like the idea of being in a city that has good public transportation and a vibrant downtown. I have no problem with apartment/town home/condo living.
Stay right where I am. Not a big city, not a Suburb. Small town in a rural County, just the way I like it. If I want bigger city I can drive to one, I want Chicago type city I am only 4 hours away. Those trips don't happen very often really.
I have no problem with apartment living, either, but apartments/condo/townhouses are plenty expensive in cities like NYC; I'd choose NYC or London if I did indeed have the luxury of "not struggling to live," but for many of us that's not going to happen. (and the premise that less expensive city = "burbs" or lacks public transportation isn't accurate). My compromise in real life is to pick a city that offers as many "big city" amenities as possible at a price I can afford.
Nothing is expensive if you feel it is worth it. The payscale in "expensive areas" usually reflects the cost of living.
I used to live on the Northshore of Long Island, NY and Newport Beach, CA. Two of the countries more "expensive areas". I loved the lifestyle and all the amenities of living in these areas. I was payed well enough where I could afford it.
We now live in Lake Saint Louis, MO which is "inexpensive (I call it Ghetto-priced"" by NY/CA standards, but is regarded as "upscale" by local standards. Lake Saint Louis is a great community but once you get on the freeways you quickly realize that you are still in the bland, ugliness of Missouri and you would rather be back in CA or NY.
I am hoping we will be able to cash out on or home when property values rise and move to a more agreeable environment.
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna
Nothing is expensive if you feel it is worth it. The payscale in "expensive areas" usually reflects the cost of living.
I used to live on the Northshore of Long Island, NY and Newport Beach, CA. Two of the countries more "expensive areas". I loved the lifestyle and all the amenities of living in these areas. I was payed well enough where I could afford it.
We now live in Lake Saint Louis, MO which is "inexpensive (I call it Ghetto-priced"" by NY/CA standards, but is regarded as "upscale" by local standards. Lake Saint Louis is a great community but once you get on the freeways you quickly realize that you are still in the bland, ugliness of Missouri and you would rather be back in CA or NY.
I am hoping we will be able to cash out on or home when property values rise and move to a more agreeable environment.
never really viewed chicago as expensive... so would go with any that you named... that is where my work is, friends are, and my clients are.. plus i much prefer the lifestyle, not glamorous, just urban and lots of variety. I am called "fast paced", "workaholic" etc. ... go out of my mind in small towns if more than a few days. Also what do you mean by live *in* one...do you mean in one of the downtown expensive hoods? Or somewhere in the metro ? Often the best places and most wealthy just live somewhere in the metro area and are a quick ride into downtown for work and can still access everything on a daily basis.
Nothing is expensive if you feel it is worth it. The payscale in "expensive areas" usually reflects the cost of living.
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I wish I could agree with you, but things are "expensive" if you can't afford it. Pay scales are higher, but to what extent depends on the field (I had job opportunities with the exact same salary in NYC and in small town Virginia, for one extreme example). And for many people, even with adjusted pay, it still costs far more to live in an expensive city. It's much easier to do if you're single or married and without kids, but add kids into the equation and unless you are lucky enough to have bought a place to live long ago, have a good rent controlled option, or are making really, really good money, it's tough to afford to raise a family in the country's most expensive cities.
I love San Francisco, for example, but to live in the city long-term would mean giving up too many things in the long run. I don't mean things like owning a home or a car, either. It's the little things that can kill you. Not saving for retirement. Not being able to afford preschool. I don't mind giving up things like movies or babysitters or doing the bulk of my shopping at Goodwill, but at some point a lot of people do have to evaluate whether the expense really is worth it. The people who do think it's worth it (and have the money to be able to afford at least the basics) still think it's expensive.
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