How Many Years of Life Does That House Cost?
I liked the visualization and data, but I don&#x27;t think it makes sense to compare home prices to wages w&#x2F;o considering alternatives to home ownership. Home prices don&#x27;t exit in a vacuum. That is, if a home is 10x the median salary, you can&#x27;t really say &quot;well, if I didn&#x27;t buy a home I could work 10 years less.&quot; That&#x27;s because the alternative to buying is renting, which is also expensive. So sure, a mortgage in SF is $6k&#x2F;mo. But rent might be $6k&#x2F;mo as well -- and you don&#x27;t earn any equity or tax write-offs while renting.<p>I think what the alternative title to this blog post could be is: &quot;How many years of life does that city cost?&quot; What it&#x27;s really comparing is the relative cost of having a roof over your head in different areas. Would you rather work 40 years and live in SF or work 30 years and live in rural Wisconsin? (I don&#x27;t have an opinion on those two options. I&#x27;m sure there are many people in both of those places that are happy with their choices.)