&gt; but that doesn&#x27;t mean the cost differential when comparing like-with-like isn&#x27;t significant.<p>That is kind of true, but it&#x27;s also not realistic to just compare identical housing arrangements in very different regions. It makes more sense to compare not just median <i>costs</i> of two regions, but also median housing size&#x2F;type. But of course, if spacious housing is very important to someone, that&#x27;s perfectly fine, and it&#x27;s a perfectly good reason to live somewhere else.