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Chicago is still the most affordable. SF is lower than Chicago because more wealthy people rent in San Francisco. Chicago is only 55% renters, Philly is 47% renters. San Fran is 65% renters. Boston is also 64% renters but a big portion of that 65% is students. So for actual residents I’d think it’s lower in the 60% range.
Philly is so high because the middle class largely doesn’t rent.
When you factor in Taxes, Insurance and indirect housing costs.. wouldnt Philly come out cheaper than Chicago? IIRC, Chicgao has absurd taxes that my mates in Chicago complain about. Rent is similar in both.
Cost of living Philadelphia
Purchasing power (wages compared to COL) Philadelphia
Traffic
Pollution Boston
Crime LA
Weather SF
Quality of housing
People LA
Public transportation Chicago
Chicago is still the most affordable. SF is lower than Chicago because more wealthy people rent in San Francisco. Chicago is only 55% renters, Philly is 47% renters. San Fran is 65% renters. Boston is also 64% renters but a big portion of that 65% is students. So for actual residents I’d think it’s lower in the 60% range.
Philly is so high because the middle class largely doesn’t rent.
okay, but even if we look monthly housing costs for homeowners, SF is still less than NY and LA and only marginally more expensive than the others.
MEDIAN SELECTED MONTHLY OWNER COSTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS FOR HOUSING UNITS WITH A MORTGAGE, 2019
27.8% Los Angeles, CA
25.5% New York, NY
24.5% San Francisco, CA
22.4% Chicago, IL
21.6% Philadelphia, PA
21.0% Washington, DC
20.4% Boston, MA
Median Value, Owner Occupied Housing Units, 2019
$1,217,500 San Francisco, CA
$697,200 Los Angeles, CA
$680,800 New York, NY
$646,500 Washington, DC
$627,000 Boston, MA
$275,500 Chicago, IL
$183,200 Philadelphia, PA
So the median value of an owner occupied housing unit in SF is $1.2 million, but the median monthly housing cost in SF amounts to 24.5% of the household income? Not too bad if you ask me.
okay, but even if we look monthly housing costs for homeowners, SF is still less than NY and LA and only marginally more expensive than the others.
MEDIAN SELECTED MONTHLY OWNER COSTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS FOR HOUSING UNITS WITH A MORTGAGE, 2019
27.8% Los Angeles, CA
25.5% New York, NY
24.5% San Francisco, CA
22.4% Chicago, IL
21.6% Philadelphia, PA
21.0% Washington, DC
20.4% Boston, MA
Median Value, Owner Occupied Housing Units, 2019
$1,217,500 San Francisco, CA
$697,200 Los Angeles, CA
$680,800 New York, NY
$646,500 Washington, DC
$627,000 Boston, MA
$275,500 Chicago, IL
$183,200 Philadelphia, PA
So the median value of an owner occupied housing unit in SF is $1.2 million, but the median monthly housing cost in SF amounts to 24.5% of the household income? Not too bad if you ask me.
So what I’m seeing in LA is the worst and all the rest are pretty comparable in terms of housing/income for all housing.
But like you said SF proper is different than those other cities. SF’s Mattapan for example is in Oakland.
Boston wages are higher and COL is lower than NYC. Also the quality of amenities (Parks accessibility, etc) are higher in Boston. So what exactly makes NYC higher? Also whhy is SF and LA at the top of your list and not DC or Phil? Even Chicago.
I do have Chicago, Philly, DC and Boston ranked at the top. Read my first reply in this thread. The post that you're quoting was in reference to a different talking point. Just curious how are the parks/accessibility/amenities higher in Boston? NYC has Central Park, Bryant Park, the High Line, Prospect Park, Riverside Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and on and on. Along with cool public spaces galore.
If you ignore weather I think Chicago would be the clear winner for me.
COL knocks SF and NYC down, so overall I'm left with DC, altogether, not far from the calculation that led me to move to DC. I'd love living in any of them; remove COL and SF would probably be my first choice.
People earn 10k more per year per household in Boston than NYC and its ever so slightly cheaper on average. It s probably ahead of LA and NYC there. Especially if you're including urban cities that touch Boston but arent the City of Boston (Lynn Quincy etc)
Wages to CoL is better than just looking at the straight CoL. But, really salaries are all over the place. It should be conditional on a given occupation. How much does a CPA, teacher, bar tender, IT specialist make relative to CoL.
Chicago is still the most affordable. SF is lower than Chicago because more wealthy people rent in San Francisco. Chicago is only 55% renters, Philly is 47% renters. San Fran is 65% renters. Boston is also 64% renters but a big portion of that 65% is students. So for actual residents I’d think it’s lower in the 60% range.
Philly is so high because the middle class largely doesn’t rent.
Disagree. Philly is the most affordable. Chicago would be a close second though.
Gotta put DC before Philly IMO. For a lot of people the filth, grime, structural density, blight and crime of Philly makes it unlivable.
No way. Philly has so many nice neoghborhoods and an extensive downtown core. The blight is relegated to certain neoghborhoods and sections of the city. Many people would be able to afford not being anywhere near those neighborhoods. Philly also has the advantage of being a real big city urban experience with skyscrapers, high rises, and more a more traditional urban city than DC at a much more affordable price. This is not to knock DC, but for city lovers, I think many would rank Philly above DC.
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