Detroit "worst city in US" per Daily Mail

[Meddle]

COL basically means housing costs.

Cost of Living includes food, gas, utilities, taxes, insurance, entertainment, transportation and pretty much everything else NOT housing related.

[Richard]

COL basically means housing costs. Housing costs are cheap in areas with poor housing appreciation.

I would MUCH rather pay for a more expensive house if I am virtually assured of long-term appreciation, as opposed to Michigan-style cheap housing with minimal appreciation. Bay Area homeowners are in a vastly more secure spot.

It's like saying Sears stock is better than Amazon stock because it costs less. Hell, no.

That is you,a person of great wealth.

They say the millinials are driving the movement,how many do you know that are coming out of collage and starting their life in a new city that can jump into a $3500 a month apartment?

Unless they have a job lined up they would have to have $25,000 just to move,get set up and carry while looking for work.

What is the adverage milinial on their own,right out of collage paying for rent in Detroit?

Serious question.

[Bham1982]

Cost of Living includes food, gas, utilities, taxes, insurance, entertainment, transportation and pretty much everything else NOT housing related.

But housing is, by far, the biggest expense, and all these other variables are basically the same, so irrelevant.

An apple or pair of shoes or airline ticket costs the same in NYC or Kansas. The difference is housing.

[Bham1982]

That is you,a person of great wealth.

They say the millinials are driving the movement,how many do you know that are coming out of collage and starting their life in a new city that can jump into a $3500 a month apartment?

I've lived in very expensive urban neighborhoods. No college grad is living in a $3,500 month apartment, unless Daddy is paying.

Twenty-somethings in NYC and SF are paying, more or less the same rent as in Michigan. They just share apartments, and pay like $800 each. I've been there. You get a tiny room and share a kitchen. You socialize outside your apartment.

Even highly compensated Wall Street bros are in apartment shares in their initial years. Even if they could afford their own place, they generally share with college or work buddies, to form social networks, meet girls, etc. There's a whole industry built around configuring apartments for shares [[fake walls and the like).

Older folks often have their own apartments, but shares are the norm probably until mid-30's or so. It's a different world.

[Richard]

It was hyperbole, but my main point is still true. Many people would rather deal with the insane COL in places like San Francisco than live in a place with a very low COL like Detroit.

To an extent but after awhile one tends to want some personal growth and not spend thier lives working for a roof.So if the majority of ones income goes to housing what is left over for entertainment or being able to enjoy the quality of life.

Austin is on the list but yet the cost of housing is 8% over the adverage income,maybe my thought pattern is different where I prefer to own things and not have them own me.

I would get frustrated working everyday to pay living expenses and not being able to enjoy life.

You say Orlando is vibrant because of the growth,the growth is in the service sector,I have a house there sitting empty,I paid $89,000 for it in 1992 and it is valued at $250,000 now.

I was offered $600 a month by somebody that wanted to put a shed in the back yard to live in,one can say a vibrant city is desirable but that is subjective to ones income level.

Orlando is vibrant but yet has the highest concentration of gangs in the south,Miami is vibrant but unless you speak Spanish you would be hard pressed to enjoy that vibrancy.

It is plagued by gangs of auto theft,staged accidents,boat thefts and just plain rudeness,vibrancy has done that city no favors.

Florida is dependent on tourism and people relocating,Texas is dependent on oil prices,when either one of those crash is is no different then what happens in Detroit,they are majority service based economies.

Like I said though,it all means nothing,visit the places and see.