The Economist: Atlanta among least expensive cities to live (Cleveland: real estate, new home)

[Airforceguy]

The Worldwide Cost of Living survey is conducted twice each year by the publication's “Economist Intelligence Unit." The survey compares more than 400 prices on 160 products and services that include: food, clothing, household supplies, personal care items, home rents, transport, utility bills, private schools, domestic help and recreational cost.The most expensive city in the world in which to live in 2016 is Singapore, followed by Zurich, Switzerland and Hong Kong in a tie for No. 2.

The most expensive U.S. city is New York (which is No. 7 on the world’s most expensive city list), followed by Los Angeles at No. 2 (No. 8 on the world list) and Chicago at No. 3 (No. 21 on the world list).
(One important caveat: The index does not include the cost of shelter, which helps explain why some expensive U.S. cities, such as San Francisco, don’t rank higher in the index, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of the report).
Of 16 U.S. cities reviewed as part of the survey, Atlanta and Cleveland are deemed the least expensive, the WSJ says.
The cost of living in both cities is 31 percent less than New York, according to the survey.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/m...ve-cities.html

[bhammaster]

It all balances out in the end when you consider pay. It's all relative.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by bhammaster

It all balances out in the end when you consider pay. It's all relative.

Is average pay that much less in Atlanta, though?

[bhammaster]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Is average pay that much less in Atlanta, though?

Yes.



//www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...rents-but.html

[Hokiehaven]

All depends what you do, my job's pay is the same wherever I go, but I work from home.

[JoeTarheel]

I would rather live somewhere with lower pay/lower cost of living...the cost of real estate and other expenses borders on ridiculous in some places, and it doesn't seem like a $10,000/year raise in pay covers the difference.

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

I would rather live somewhere with lower pay/lower cost of living...the cost of real estate and other expenses borders on ridiculous in some places, and it doesn't seem like a $10,000/year raise in pay covers the difference.

Anecdotal but I know people that could never afford to buy in LA that moved to Atlanta, got very similar jobs to the ones they left, and bought new homes within a year. Atlanta is one of the few major cities that's not in decline where working class people can still afford to buy a home.

[Spade]

How in the world did Chicago make it number 3? Especially when you have San Francisco (even without the shelters), Boston, and DC existing in the same country.

[No2Monsanto]

Really? Least expensive compared to what?