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Actually if you compare cost of living to income Seattle isn't that bad, it is expensive but the pay scale is high too. I have a friend who is a line cook in a restaurant in Seattle, we were talking about rent vs pay for cooks in Seattle vs Minneapolis. It is a wash - rent was higher but pay was also higher by the same margin.
Chicago is cheap for a major city but it also has major issues with crime and the economy. Illinois and Wisconsin aren't coming out of the recession with the same sort of momentum as other places. Both states still have high unemployment.
Seattle is NOT affordable for the average person. Neither is San Fran.
Nor is Portland without a bunch of roommates and/or a really good job. That's why I asked him what was affordable for him. Usually people suggesting Seattle and Portland, which are great cities, do not live there and are unaware of this.
Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle can be affordable if you live in the right neighborhoods, but they're still significantly more expensive than most US cities. I really wouldn't call any of those cities affordable, except when compared to expensive places like NYC, SF, Boston, etc.
Minneapolis is probably the most affordable city out of the places that I consider to have decent public transportation. Atlanta could work too, that is, if you live right by the train since relying on buses in Atlanta would probably be extremely inconvenient.
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