How much is cost of living in your area?

I live in New York. Enough said.

I live in SoCal and my family lives paycheck to paycheck with an annual income of about $50,000. It's not fun, but we manage. All of our debt comes from Christmases and back to school shopping.

I live in the NY suburbs, which are expensive but of course not as expensive as Manhattan. It's funny, you find a way to survive here. We've had good years and lean years.

I have a very snobby sister-in-law who lives in a less expensive part of the country in a McMansion neighborhood with all kinds of rules. She thinks she's living the high life, and looks down her nose at my home. Yet, she could not afford to live in my neighborhood. She also couldn't afford to live in a McMansion here either.

It's all relative though. If I had a do-over, I would not choose to remain here. I would find somewhere with a better (less busy) lifestyle. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to live in the middle of nowhere.

I've been to Chicago a few times and really like it there. I can definitely see the appeal of living there. Big city, but easy to get away from it, too, if you need a break.

Small town Arkansas and we can support and family of 4 on about $30k per year. We own our 3 bedroom house on an acre and it is pretty much our only debt with insurance under $530 per month. We do, however, have student loans but only enough to pay for the gas/childcare and I alone will be doubling our income when I graduate in the next two years. Then my hubby will graduate so we will be sitting pretty after that!

At the end of the day, people live where they want to live. There are pro's and con's to high cost areas. Personally, I'd never live in a high cost area like NY or SF. Been there, done that.. definitely not worth it. Though I'm sure some people will disagree.

I live in an upscale suburb of Miami called Parkland. I have a very nice townhouse that cost me 300k. If you are a skilled professional, salaries are pretty decent in Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beaches.

Australia is a joke. Everything is over-priced. From groceries to house prices to power to...bloody everything! :explode:

Consumer Price Index at this time last year for Chicago was 216.19 (100 is the US average).

I love Chicago, but it's gotten way, way too expensive. It sounds sick to say, but it's a good thing we don't have kids.

I have a pretty typical life for a 20 and 30 something here. I pay about 45% of my income on rent ($1055/month for a one-bedroom in a neighborhood decent enough where I can walk home from work at night). I work 4 different jobs depending on the time of year, mostly service jobs.

I used to have a salaried position before the crash (college degree, 7 years of industry experience). Periods of unemployment are a regular thing.

We try to keep our grocery bill to $50-60/week, but we're also vegan and there are plenty of Mexican produce markets around with great prices on beans, rice and whatever's seasonal.

Cars are far too expensive to maintain here. It's $2 for an el train ride, and the bus lines haven't been cut *too* deeply yet, so it's reliable too, if you're in the center or east. On the west side, it's getting bad for people who can't afford cars. They have to wait a long time in cold temperatures to get around.

I make $25,000 a year taking care of people with disabilities and I paid $700 a month for a 225 square foot studio with a small yard. We don't have big apartment buildings here. A 2 bedroom house is around $1200 plus utilities. I'm blessed to now rent the downstairs of a 2 family house from my parents for $400 a month. I'd have to move away if I didn't have this.

Cape Cod, Mass.

Right outside of Boston you'll pay about $1000 a month for a one bedroom. The average cost for a home in this area is about 300K and that is for a 50 year old ranch and needs major updating.

Not sure how I do it on a waitress salary but I make it work. We live frugally and don't have expensive "extras". We have pay as you go cell phones, still have dial-up internet at home (gasp), have basic cable with a few extras like HGTV and only take one vacation a year.

I think the average income in my area is about 50K per person. I'm below that but my husband is above. I don't even want to tell you what we pay for a morgage. Bleh!!!

Wow, I thought Boston was priced like the Bay Area. That is looking downright cheap in comparison.

I live in the Charleston area and rent is $950 (utilities not included) for my 660 square foot apartment. I pay more than most for rent, but I refuse to live in a dodgy area. I also make more than the median income for a family unit in the town I live in as a single woman, so I am okay with paying a higher rent and can afford it.