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Honestly it is cheaper to live in Manhattan than it is to live in the Bay Area these days. And that is not an exaggeration! It is literally cheaper to get a one bedroom in Manhattan than Oakland right now.
Trust me, Boston's train system is not "great." Unless you consider taking 1 hour to travel 6 miles "great." That's at least how my public transit commute would be- on a bike, same trip takes me 30 minutes. Luckily, in my neighborhood (Brighton Center), I can easily walk everywhere.
I lived car free in Boston. I would agree that the train system is not "great" but it is better than almost any other US city. I lived at Cleveland Circle, which is more transit-adjacent than Brighton Center but still took me about an hour to get downtown. Overall transportation is better-than-average there, and I think having a bike would have been huge for me.
Believe it or not, there are a couple of areas in Los Angeles which having a car is completely optional (though unlike NYC there are no areas which it is downright uncomfortable to have one). I think the place I currently live, Pasadena (a mid-size city about 10 miles from DTLA) is a great example of one such place. I live near the intersection of Lake and Colorado Blvd and within a mile radius is just about everything and anything one would need for day-to-day life.
Honestly it is cheaper to live in Manhattan than it is to live in the Bay Area these days. And that is not an exaggeration! It is literally cheaper to get a one bedroom in Manhattan than Oakland right now.
I very much doubt it, maybe bad parts of uptown, or some not so great neighborhoods like alphabet city compared to nice areas of Oakland, but overall I'm pretty sure Manhattan is much more expensive.
I lived car free in Boston. I would agree that the train system is not "great" but it is better than almost any other US city. I lived at Cleveland Circle, which is more transit-adjacent than Brighton Center but still took me about an hour to get downtown. Overall transportation is better-than-average there, and I think having a bike would have been huge for me.
I loved the train system in Boston when I was there on vacation last year. I stayed @ a hotel outside the downtown area but could walk to the train. Using this, I could easily get to: museums, downtown, the beach, etc. If I lived in Boston & moved to the right neighborhood, I could easily see not having a car.
We are a family with children living in Somerville MA and we rarely drive except on weekends to head out of town. You really need to plan your life around a car-free life. Buy or rent near all of the basic amenities and needs - train station, groceries, pharmacy, restaurants, entertainment, schools, parks, doctors office, dentist, etc. With a family, we have a cargo bike (its called a Big Dummy) that carries 2 kids and goes a long way in reducing the need for a car when venturing beyond walkable distances but still within 1-3 miles. Once you get it all dialed in, its awesome and totally worth it. Life feels less like a rat race when you never deal with traffic and your commute is under 15 minutes!
The last year I lived in Nashville, I lived in the West End neighborhood which is one of few walkable neighborhoods in the city. The bank, several restaurants, light groceries, liquor, and gas were all within walking distance but for other things, getting in the car was necessary. There were dentists and doctors in the neighborhood but I was unfamiliar with them. If I did not have my own parking spot in the neighborhood, it would have gotten annoying quickly.
I live in South Philly and am thrilled to not own a car. Around here, it would be a major hassle. And while we have limited rail rapid transit (only three subway lines), we have amazing bus, trolley and commuter rail options that make getting around easily more extensive. And that's not considering walkability or biking.
But Philly is like any city, in that there are places within the city that are not conducive to car-free living.
I live in Minneapolis and I don't have a car. It takes me less than 10 minutes to bike to work. I have a small independent grocery store less than a block from my apartment, a CVS 5 minutes away, and two larger grocery stores and a Target within a 20-minute walk. There's a park right outside my front door, a ton of families and dogs in the neighborhood, and a great independent coffee shop on my block. I can walk downtown, I can walk to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, I can walk to Eat Street. There are 4 major bus lines within 2 blocks of my building and the both LRT lines are within 10 minutes by bike. My rent is almost exactly 30% of my income (and my income is not very much) and my building is secure. It's the best living situation I've ever had.
Honestly it is cheaper to live in Manhattan than it is to live in the Bay Area these days. And that is not an exaggeration! It is literally cheaper to get a one bedroom in Manhattan than Oakland right now.
That's definitely not true. Manhattan is much more expensive than SF, to say nothing of Oakland. And apartments are smaller, come with less amenities and have higher broker fees.
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