Poll

1 vote (12.5%)
2 votes (25%)
2 votes (25%)
3 votes (37.5%)

8 members have voted

pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 19th, 2012 at 4:12:31 PM permalink
Are you better off in a cheap part of the country (Harlingen TX is at the bottom) or an expensive part (Manhattan NY is the top)?

Do the higher wages and better career opportunities make it worth living in the more desirable sections, or do wages never keep up with expenses? I realize most of us were partly manipulated by circumstance, but most of us made some kind of choice to go budget or pricey.

Do you regret your decision? Does it depend on your age?

311 Harlingen TX 213 Albany GA 114 Orlando FL
310 Fort Apache AR 212 Midland TX 113 Lafayette LA
309 Pueblo CO 211 San Antonio TX 112 Jacksonville NC
308 Cookeville TN 210 Huntsville AL 111 Camden SC
307 Temple TX 209 Peoria IL 110 Burlington IA
306 Muskogee OK 208 Wichita KS 109 Harrisonburg VA
305 Martinsville-Henry VA 207 Hattiesburg MS 108 Montgomery AL
304 Round TX 206 Gastonia NC 107 Clarksville TN
303 Brownsville TX 205 Spokane WA 106 Hot Springs AR
302 Sherman-Denison TX 204 Monroe LA 105 Greenville NC
301 Cedar City UT 203 Dayton OH 104 Janesville WI
300 Springfield IL 202 Johnstown PA 103 Plano TX
299 Waco TX 201 Yakima WA 102 Williamsport-Lycoming PA
298 McAllen TX 200 Cedar IA 101 Bakersfield CA
297 Fayetteville AR 199 Bowling KY 100 Milwaukee-Waukesha WI
296 Springfield MO 198 Morristown TN 99 Cheyenne WY
295 Memphis TN 197 Lexington-Buena VA 98 Kansas MO-KS
294 Jonesboro AR 196 Charlotte NC 97 Las Cruces NM
293 Conway AR 195 Cleveland TN 96 Buffalo NY
292 Brazoria TX 194 Texarkana TX-AR 95 Iowa city IA
291 Richmond IN 193 Garden KS 94 Wilmington NC
290 Pryor Creek OK 192 St. Joseph MO 93 Lawton OK
289 Murfreesboro-Smyrna TN 191 Winston-Salem NC 92 Farmington NM
288 Kalamazoo MI 190 Chattanooga TN 91 Laramie WY
287 Johnson TN 189 Evansville IN 90 Rochester NY
286 Lubbock TX 188 Mankato MN 89 Sierra AZ
285 Ardmore OK 187 Lincoln NE 88 Charleston SC
284 Salina KS 186 Cincinnati OH 87 Plattsburgh NY
283 Covington KY 185 Kennewick-Richland-Pasco WA 86 Gainesville FL
282 Grand Rapids MI 184 Charleston WV 85 Davenport-Moline-Rock IA-IL
281 Thomasville-Lexington NC 183 Bradenton FL 84 Missoula MT
280 Paducah KY 182 Galesburg IL 83 Sarasota FL
279 Paris TX 181 Rio Rancho NM 82 Yuma AZ
278 Palm FL 180 Austin TX 81 Akron OH
277 Lexington KY 179 Arlington TX 80 Ithaca NY
276 Oklahoma OK 178 Elkhart-Goshen IN 79 Grand CO
275 Decatur IL 177 Sumter SC 78 Las Vegas NV
274 Wooster OH 176 Nacogdoches TX 77 Binghamton NY
273 Idaho Falls ID 175 Lynchburg VA 76 Minot ND
272 Birmingham AL 174 BatonRouge LA 75 Dover DE
271 Corpus Christi TX 173 Augusta-Aiken GA-SC 74 Harrisburg PA
270 Ponca OK 172 Carlsbad NM 73 Rochester MN
269 Knoxville TN 171 Lima OH 72 Richmond VA
268 Wichita TX 170 San Antonio TX 71 Pierre SD
267 Tulsa OK 169 Appleton WI 70 Asheville NC
266 Dothan AL 168 Jacksonville FL 69 Cleveland OH
265 Florence AL 167 Topeka KS 68 York PA
264 Tupelo MS 166 Bismarck-Mandan ND 67 Beaufort SC
263 Columbus OH 165 Beaumont TX 66 Morgantown WV
262 Eau Claire WI 164 Rock-L AR 65 Bozeman MT
261 Decatur-Hartselle AL 163 Manhattan KS 64 Winchester VA-WV
260 Rockford IL 162 Burlington NC 63 Olympia WA
259 Omaha NE 161 Pittsburgh PA 62 Fitchburg-Leominster MA
258 Danville IL 160 Lake Charles LA 61 Lancaster PA
257 Houston TX 159 Tucson AZ 60 Denver CO
256 Danville City VA 158 Twin Falls ID 59 Hampton VA
255 Muncie IN 157 Blacksburg VA 58 Wilmington DE
254 Detroit MI 156 Tuscaloosa AL 57 Prescott-Prescott AZ
253 Weatherford TX 155 Durham NC 56 Pittsfield MA
252 Douglas GA 154 Salt Lake city UT 55 Miami-Dade FL
251 Jackson-Madison TN 153 Waterloo-Cedar IA 54 Eugene OR
250 Nashville-Franklin TN 152 Green WI 53 Tacoma WA
249 Dodge KS 151 St. George UT 52 Dare County NC
248 Conroe TX 150 Valdosta GA 51 Madison WI
247 San Angelo TX 149 Jackson MS 50 Gunnison CO
246 South IN 148 Raleigh NC 49 Fresno CA
245 Mason IA 147 Clarksburg WV 48 Los Alamos NM
244 Marion-McDowell NC 146 Atlanta GA 47 Everett WA
243 Dyersburg TN 145 Kinston NC 46 St. Paul MN
242 Punta FL 144 Staunton-Augusta VA 45 Portland OR
241 Louisville KY 143 Lawrence KS 44 Albany NY
240 Columbia MO 142 Vero FL 43 Minneapolis MN
239 Denton TX 141 Indiana PA 42 Riverside CA
238 Odessa TX 140 Dallas TX 41 Hilton Head SC
237 St. Louis MO-IL 139 Ames IA 40 Fort FL
236 Erie PA 138 Champaign-Urbana IL 39 Portland ME
235 Anderson SC 137 St. Cloud MN 38 Bellingham WA
234 El Paso TX 136 Jefferson City MO 37 Chapel Hill NC
233 Anniston-Calhoun AL 135 Reno-Sparks NV 36 Flagstaff AZ
232 Joplin MO 134 Phoenix AZ 35 Chicago IL
231 Enid OK 133 Hutchinson KS 34 Sacramento CA
230 Athens-Henderson TX 132 Shreveport-Bossier LA 33 Glenwood CO
229 Norman OK 131 Marietta GA 32 Seattle WA
228 Stillwater OK 130 Lafayette IN 31 Baltimore MD
227 Roanoke VA 129 Kalispell MT 30 Manchester NH
226 Greenville SC 128 Hastings NE 29 Palm CA
225 Mobile AL 127 Quincy IL 28 Dutchess County NY
224 Savannah GA 126 Tyler TX 27 Burlington-Chittenden VT
223 Amarillo TX 125 Wausau WI 26 Hartford CT
222 Edmond OK 124 Myrtle SC 25 Kodiak AK
221 Colorado CO 123 Boise ID 24 Philadelphia PA
220 Hammond LA 122 Marshfield WI 23 Providence RI
219 Pascagoula MS 121 Cape FL 22 Middlesex-Monmouth NJ
218 Youngstown-Warren OH 120 Auburn-Opelika AL 21 Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick MD
217 Fort worth TX 119 Fort Wayne IN 20 Anchorage AK
216 Lufkin TX 118 Findlay OH 19 San Diego CA
215 Tampa FL 117 Columbia SC 18 Newark-Elizabeth NJ
214 Des Moines IA 116 Dubuque IA 17 Los Angeles CA
213 Fargo-Moorhead ND-MN 115 Slidell-St. LA 16 Bergen-Passaic NJ
15 Boston MA
14 Oakland CA
13 Fairbanks AK
12 Juneau AK
11 Nassau County NY
10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA
9 Orange CA
8 Truckee-Nevada CA
7 Stamford CT
6 San Jose CA
5 (Queens) NY
4 San Francisco CA
3 Honolulu HI
2 (Brooklyn) NY
1 (Manhattan) NY
EvenBob
EvenBob
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January 19th, 2012 at 4:21:34 PM permalink
The chart is confusing, what does it mean. There aren't
any numbers or rankings.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 19th, 2012 at 5:24:17 PM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

The chart is confusing, what does it mean. There aren't any numbers or rankings.


I said Harlingen TX was the cheapest, and Manhattan was the most expensive. But I put ranking numbers in the chart
AZDuffman
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January 19th, 2012 at 5:24:30 PM permalink
I've lived in high-cost COLA areas with a dog of an economy and mid-cost places where it was easier to get hired. Most important is to be flexible and move when you need to, until you find your spot. Rochester, NY high cost I was lucky if I had interviews a week when job searching while in lower-cost AZ (by the chart, anyways, housing in AZ was crazy at the time) during one search I had an unbelievable 19 interviews in one week!

Smaller towns seem to have just a handfull of major employers while the bigger, and higher COLA places, have many mid-size employers to choose from.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
buzzpaff
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January 19th, 2012 at 9:04:16 PM permalink
I was not surprised by #10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA but shocked at #21 especially Frederick,MD.
Used to drive through there enroute to Charlestown Race Track from Baltimore. Is there any industry there, or is it just the overflow of federal employees has spread to this location, an hour away from DC ?
pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 19th, 2012 at 10:15:33 PM permalink
Quote: buzzpaff

I was not surprised by #10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA but shocked at #21 especially Frederick,MD.
Used to drive through there enroute to Charlestown Race Track from Baltimore. Is there any industry there, or is it just the overflow of federal employees has spread to this location, an hour away from DC ?



Frederick is mostly a bedroom community, but Gaithersburg has a lot of jobs.
buzzpaff
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January 19th, 2012 at 10:19:34 PM permalink
Thanks Paco. Suspected the same. Were some beautiful horse farms in Frederick County. One had a whitewash 3 rail fence that seemed to go on for miles. also #221 is Colorado Springs, Colorado
toastcmu
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January 20th, 2012 at 6:54:49 AM permalink
Quote: buzzpaff

I was not surprised by #10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA but shocked at #21 especially Frederick,MD.
Used to drive through there enroute to Charlestown Race Track from Baltimore. Is there any industry there, or is it just the overflow of federal employees has spread to this location, an hour away from DC ?



It's not just the Feds anymore - here where I work in Alexandria I know of people that commute from Fredrick, Annapolis, Warrenton va and Fredericksburg va. In the last decade a lot of homes and people moved to the metro area. Since Dc metro is pricey in terms of real estate compared to much of the country, I believe the growth in the suburbs is tied to not wanting a 4000 mortgage payment. This doesn't include the super commuters who live in Richmond va or north of Baltimore.

-B
boymimbo
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January 20th, 2012 at 7:04:29 AM permalink
I have several considerations when choosing where to live. For me, I need to be close to an airport in case I need to go anywhere for my job (my job almost exclusively involves travel) and I need to be close to my kid (who lives in New York State), so I chose Niagara Falls. It's not a preference, and when my kid gets out of high school, we're going to buy whatever we can afford in Vancouver, BC. The day to day lifestyle is very important to me, and I know that we prefer a sophisticated, big city lifestyle over the burbs or a rural area. We only live once, after all, so why not go with the best of the best. Vancouver offers great job opportunities, has a nice airport, good transportation, and is among one of the most beautiful places to live in the world. It's also one of the most expensive.

But if you're not going to "go for it", then I would recommend a burb somewhere where the housing is cheapest, you're close to an airport (for me anyway) and can fulfill the basic needs of living. There's no point of living somewhere expensive if it isn't enjoyable.
----- You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!
CrystalMath
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January 20th, 2012 at 7:18:42 AM permalink
You really need to consider the opportunities in each location.

I live in Denver, which is pretty high on the list. I used to live in Austin, which is much lower on the list, but the jobs pay higher for tech and there are as many or more opportunities.

You have listed "Round, TX" which is either Round Top or Round Rock. I'm guessing it is Round Rock, a suburb of Austin. This may be the perfect place financially, because it's cheap to live and you have many opportunities and high salaries.

I also see Pueblo, CO way down on the list, but I would never want to live there and the salaries are low, so it would be no real benefit to move there unless you're retired.
I heart Crystal Math.
DJTeddyBear
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January 20th, 2012 at 7:30:22 AM permalink
I wouldn't give that chart too much credit.

Three of New York City's five boroughs are listed individually, and they made the top 5, but the other two boroughs aren't listed anywhere! What's the criteria for inclusion?

Quote: pacomartin

Do you regret your decision? Does it depend on your age?

I'm not sure many people make any "decision." It's more where life takes you.

I.E. If your job transfers you, does that count as a "decision" to move to a particular area?

If you pick a specific area, and move there, OK, that's a decision. But I think in many cases, it's other circumstances that causes a person to move.


For what it's worth, combined and ranked at #16 are Bergen County NJ, where I grew up, and it's neighbor Passaic County, where I now live. Although I lived outside of those two counties for a few years in the early 90's, it was only a couple miles outside. Does that really count as "decision" to leave and return?
I invented a few casino games. Info: http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ ————————————————————————————————————— Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
fremont4ever
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January 20th, 2012 at 8:33:36 AM permalink
What's the source for this chart? What criteria did they use? I'm guessing real estate counts for a lot.

I can't say I'm particularly surprised by any of the rankings, but I am surprised that only three Michigan metro areas made the list (Detroit, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids). It must be a reporting issue.

Oh, and to answer the original question... I don't have a good answer, because it all depends. I guess the best of worlds is a great job in a cheap location and the worst is a minimum wage suck job in one of the big cities on the coast (or its posher suburbs). Except, of course, if you need to have fun.
pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 20th, 2012 at 10:01:38 AM permalink
Quote: fremont4ever

What's the source for this chart? What criteria did they use? I'm guessing real estate counts for a lot.



C2ER Council for Community and Economic Research-is an organization created in 1961. They do these calculations every quarter. C2ER used a composite index based on Grocery items, Housing, Utilities,Transportation, Health care, and Misc. goods and services. There calculations are proprietary, and they sell their reports. You can do a ranking based on any one of these individual items (i.e. Housing alone). I only did a simple ranking without showing the actual numbers since it would be using their data without their permission. Their methodology is complex, but I would assume that real estate is very significant.

Some of the ranking positions are surprising to me. It's long been true that Southern Texas is the cheapest place in the country to live, it's also the most ethnically Mexican of the larger regions of the country. And Honolulu, Manhattan, San Francisco,etc. you expect to be near the top.

But some Eastern cities that have little or no services and very high rates of violent crime are also among the most expensive. You would think that real estate would be dirt cheap. Just what you want in a city: cold, expensive, and violent.
SanchoPanza
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January 20th, 2012 at 2:32:48 PM permalink
Quote: pacomartin

C2ER used a composite index based on Grocery items, Housing, Utilities,Transportation, Health care, and Misc. goods and services. There calculations are proprietary, and they sell their reports.


Stating that Newark-Elizabeth is more expensive (fancier?) than Middlesex-Monmouth elicits a big guffaw that will no doubt continue as I tell others about this one.
pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 21st, 2012 at 7:01:40 AM permalink
Quote: DJTeddyBear

Three of New York City's five boroughs are listed individually, and they made the top 5, but the other two boroughs aren't listed anywhere! What's the criteria for inclusion?



WSJ Blog on this list

This list got a lot of attention last October when it was released. But as the list an the explanation of methodology are for sale at a high price, I can't answer all of your questions. I took off the percentages assigned to each city, as that information is presumably proprietary. Most articles only published the top 10-15 and bottom 10-15..

PARTICIPATING AREAS: Areas included in this survey are those where organizations have volunteered to participate. The number of respondents varies from quarter to quarter, and C2ER makes a continuing effort to expand coverage of metropolitan areas. Any metropolitan area not represented in this report is absent because local organizations have opted not to collect data.


raw data is here
pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 21st, 2012 at 7:12:05 AM permalink
Quote: SanchoPanza

Stating that Newark-Elizabeth is more expensive (fancier?) than Middlesex-Monmouth elicits a big guffaw that will no doubt continue as I tell others about this one.


Newark-Elizabeth NJ received a composite index of 132.8% while Middlesex-Monmouth NJ was graded 127.9%. So the difference is not that severe.

Housing, Miscellaneous goods, Transportation, and Utilities were judged to be higher, Health care was lower in Newark-Elizabeth, and Grocery Items were identical. It is difficult to know the precise boundaries of each area.

Cost of Living does not always reflect quality. A community where home ownership has been relatively long term may have lower mortgages than a community of renters.
SOOPOO
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January 21st, 2012 at 7:56:25 AM permalink
I never know how they get this crap. GIGO. Listing Buffalo as more expensive than Pittsburgh is just plain silly. My house in a comparable Pittsburgh neighborhood is less than half as expensive. When my son was in Pittsburgh we would go out to eat at equivalent qulaity restaurants that were double what they cost in Buffalo. Even a hockey season ticket is gobs more in Pittsburgh, as is a football season ticket. I had to go downtown and we had to pay $1 per hour to park here in Buffalo, midday. One of my jobs is to recruit doctors to come to Buffalo, not always an easy task. One of the main selling points is the ridiculously low cost of living here. When I show someone a house and what it costs, they often do not believe me. I work with many nurses who make about $60k per year. In Buffalo they are homeowners.
pacomartin
pacomartin
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January 22nd, 2012 at 2:33:13 AM permalink
Quote: SOOPOO

I never know how they get this crap. GIGO. Listing Buffalo as more expensive than Pittsburgh is just plain silly.



It's probably comparing 'greater Pittsburgh' with 'greater Buffalo'. The actual city of Pittsburgh is fairly expensive and nice. Pittsburgh is one of those relatively rare cities where the suburbs are slummy and much more violent than center city.
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