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NYC is all encompassing for a car free life. You could do anything and everything you want to do here without one for the most part. Every other city in this country not to the same degree.
Then it becomes a discussion of what's most important to you in an urban experience.
This is not one of them. You can live in a central neighborhood in Chicago, with immediate access to the L, buses, and more than enough walkability for daily function.... Gym, grocery stores, bars, coffee shops, etc.
Seems like you could do this in plenty of other American cities also.
I think the cost disparity is also going to have a lot to do with what your line of work is in and how much you're making and how much you intend to make.
I also don't know if there are all that many people who say NYC is the *only* place (in the US, right?) where a car-free life is possible. I think it's probably the place that offers the most in many respects though. If you are making the same amount of money / doing as well in your industry no matter which one you choose though, you do get more bang for your buck with Chicago and Philadelphia which are quite nice. Also consider things like cabs/rideshares and trips away might be more manageable and affordable if on net you're saving a lot more money in terms of housing prices. That being said, there are cheaper and very urban parts of the Tri-State Area. I think a large chunk of Hudson County with a bit of Bergen County and Essex County are a lot cheaper than most of NYC proper and quite easy to live car-free. Same, though generally pricier or grittier, with several outer borough neighborhoods.
You can live in a central neighborhood in Chicago, with immediate access to the L, buses, and more than enough walkability for daily function.... Gym, grocery stores, bars, coffee shops, etc.
That's a low bar. You can do that even in Seattle and Denver, and some of the larger sunbelt cities. But you will hit a limit in all those cities very quickly. In NYC, it just feels endless even without a car.
Out of those three cities, NYC is the only one I would consider this for about 80-90% of the city.
In Chicago, you can get by car-free, even while living in desolated and borderline food desert neighborhoods on the south and west side. I've known people that done it for a large portion of their lived Personally, for my sanity and safety, I would only try that lifestyle if I were to live downtown and the Northside, and maybe a select fewh south and west side communities such as Chinatown, Bridgeport, Pilsen, and Hyde Park.
This is not one of them. You can live in a central neighborhood in Chicago, with immediate access to the L, buses, and more than enough walkability for daily function.... Gym, grocery stores, bars, coffee shops, etc.
I think this is partially part of the premium. The larger ones would be because of occupation/industry and family if you have family in the area, but it doesn't mean this other part doesn't exist.
Wrong. Millions of New Yorkers would disagree with you.
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