Cost of Living Comparison (sales, real estate, apartment)

[stumpkat]

Can anyone let me know the difference between cost of living in LA vs Nashville? I'm in Jersey now, relatively high, and I know that LA is a bit higher but very close to what I pay in NJ ($850-$1250 a month for a 2 bdroom apt, approx). But I'm having trouble discerning what Nashville is. Is it cheaper? The same? Does anyone have experience with Nashville and LA to let me know? Thanks.
-Justin

[Mike in TN]

CNN Money's Cost of Living Calculator

[hln917]

Great tool Mike. Thanks. I'm also from New Jersey and definitely looking forward to relocate to TN now. Especially after the snow storm we're having right now!

[mjtinmemphis]

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

[Mike in TN]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

'Tis true. The calculator would probably say that moving from somewhere like San Francisco to Nashville housing would be about 75% less. But in reality, a similar house would probably be 400% more in San Fran.

Maybe the housing factor compares median sales prices?

[MontanaGuy]

I really studied every aspect of the cost of living in a number of states before I moved here and there's one factor that has a huge difference from place to place and that's the cost of housing. California and most of the big east coast cities are extremely expensive and Nashville doesn't even come close to those prices. It's gotten to the point that a young couple can't afford to buy a house in many parts of California and they're moving to other states. Most of California's population increase is due to immigration from other countries which tends to offset the large number of people who are moving away due to ridiculous real estate prices. There's no comparison between LA and Nashville. Just look up realtor.com and you'll see that houses that are affordable in Nashville at a certain price won't even bring up any listings at all unless it's in the middle of a crime ridden neighborhood. As far as rent is concerned the prices of real estate tend to push rental prices higher due to supply and demand.

[shaynaciao]

Nashville is much more affordable than LA... you could find a place in LA for $1250 a month but would be in a terrible neighborhood, versus Nashville where you could find a nice apartment for that price. I recently moved from Orange County, which is close to LA and can just say I never realized how overinflated the houses are back home. It's definitely more affordable in Nashville, but the difference in price is for a reason. LA has much better weather than here and you have access to beaches, mountains, anything and everything. Nashville is not without it's snow, ice and tornados! I'll take earthquakes any day over that!

[Isaiah30:18]

Stumpkat - try this site, too, for it also carries info about salaries. PayScale - Salary Survey, Salaries, Wages, Compensation Information and Analysis

Once you create an account (free) scroll down a bit till on the right-hand side you see *NEW!* Cost of Living Calculator in a gray area called "Tools & Calculators". I found this site through one of the credit bureaus...think Experian...so they are trustworthy and have LOTS of info, in general.

[Isaiah30:18]

Originally Posted by shaynaciao

Nashville is much more affordable than LA... you could find a place in LA for $1250 a month but would be in a terrible neighborhood, versus Nashville where you could find a nice apartment for that price. I recently moved from Orange County, which is close to LA and can just say I never realized how overinflated the houses are back home. It's definitely more affordable in Nashville, but the difference in price is for a reason. LA has much better weather than here and you have access to beaches, mountains, anything and everything. Nashville is not without it's snow, ice and tornados! I'll take earthquakes any day over that!

Shaynaciao - do you know if I might be able to get a more-than-decent 1b rental for 800-900 in a nice area? I've worked in Defense, Health and other industries, hoping to get an top salary for the Nashville market, but still...want to rent due to the housing market and other reasons. I know from a decade ago when I lived there, I had a nice studio in the $500's, but just curious what 800/mo gets one now. Of course, I'm checking around, but just thought to ask. Thx.