Why the Great Divide Is Growing Between Affordable and Expensive U.S. Cities
There is some sort of cultural attraction in play also. All of the cities in red would be considered some sort of high profile cultural hub.<p>I live in a very cheap city that&#x27;s very close to the price baseline on that graph. Land here is cheap. My girlfriend lives on close to 1&#x2F;3 acre, in the city, for less than 200k. The city is seeing a large influx of on new businesses looking to relocate cost centers here, ie lots of call centers. So there are jobs, there are houses, there are all the amenities of a normal city.<p>But there are next to no cultural outlets. Nightlife is confined to 3 or 4 strips in the entire city. Most festivals boil down to parents and kids buying food from trucks and tents. There are no major music festivals. Craft beer is pretty much limited to IPAs. Natural attractions are woods or lakes. Any sometimes during sporting events in our city, broadcasters show the visiting team&#x27;s skyline, because ours is so lackluster.<p>I am looking to move cities, but after factoring in an astronomical rise in housing cost, and a price of living adjustment that does come close to matching, I am having second thoughts. Why move to a city to do stuff, if once I get there I cannot afford to do anything.<p>Side note, the article is not particularly informative. Its pretty basic info: look at these cities that cost a lot, and the reason is because new builds are limited. Seems like an excuse for someone to make the infographic.