My nephew just moved to Manhattan, and rented a little studio for $2K/month somewhere near the UN. He said neighbors of his included a retired couple, who had a real apartment which would have cost quite a bit more. I guess if one wants an exciting city life, one has to pay. I am glad my tastes run cheaper.
Moving from the deep south to San Francisco, we have seen our cost of living increase dramatically... But it's almost entirely due to housing and state income taxes. Surprisingly, the rest of our budget has remained virtually unchanged.
Housing cost went up because we went from living in a paid for house to renting an apartment near downtown SF. Owning a condo outright instead of renting would probably go a long way towards reducing those housing costs.
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