I'm often curious why more people aren’t moving to low cost of living areas. I don’t know if I’ve just been fortunate, but I’m a college drop out who honestly hasn’t tried very hard in my “career”, but I moved out to Cincinnati which has a low cost of living at 23 (8 hours from my family) and I’ve managed to do very well for myself with a modest paying job (20ish an hour). I have 40k saved up and plan to buy a house this year. I wonder if other people who have went or started on a similar route are doing well for themselves.

And if you are in a high cost of living area, would you ever consider moving somewhere significantly cheaper?

  • wheresmysurplusvalue [comrade/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I've lived all over the southeastern US in "low cost of living" areas, but now I live somewhere high cost of living. My mental health improved a lot when I moved to where I am now. I think it's not because of the price specifically, but because of the walkability + things to do. Lots of suburbs are expensive, but unwalkable with nothing to do.

    I wouldn't move back to the southeastern US for any amount of money.

    • fawx [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      I get what you mean. I was in Philly for like 5-6 years, in a really bad part (Kensington). It was walkable and had a lot going for it, but it was so incredibly full of heroin addicts, homeless people, gun violence (had a man bleed out on my stoop) and litter (like to the point I'd regularly have to wade through it) and being around that all the time just sucked the joy out of my life. It was so depressing that I couldn't do anything to fix these serious problems surrounding me and I had to get out of there. There's no way I'd ever move back.

      But yeah it's not cost of living either, there's no amount of money that could get me to live in Manhattan either, I feel claustrophobic being there for more than like 3 days.