Absurdly Affordable Cities in the United States. (Real Estate/COL)
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- Absurdly Affordable Cities in the United States. (Real Estate/COL)
Today we are going to find out what significant cities have absurdly low real estate and cost of living.
When I say absurdly low, I mean for a major city. I am sure some small city most of us have never heard of in Nothing. Oklahoma has extremely low real estate and a rock-bottom cost of living. We are focusing on the major cities, and every state has one or two.
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The American dollar goes a lot further in other countries, iam retiring overseas next month
We actually lived in Costa Rica during 2004-2009, bought a home there for $39,000 and lived on $1,000/month SS check. Things have changed a lot since then - cost of living has soared, along with crime and other woes. Too bad - nice country and people, but not much "Pura Vida" anymore !
Where are you going where it would be safe?
Smart idea. Honestly not a bad idea if you choose wisely
Dont come to Brazil. The violence here is part of brazilians citizens. Im moving out. Im tired to live in fear
@@CleiderninoThat's because you need a second amendment over there. Thow out lulu!
10. Columbus, OH
9. Cincinnati, OH
8. Louisville, KY
7. Pittsburg, PA
6. Columbia, SC
5. El Paso, TX
4. Oklahoma City, OK
3. Tulsa, OK
2. Wichita, KS
1. Birmingham, AL
Columbus home rices are thru the roof,this must be a old clip.
No way Pittsburgh is
Not all heroes wear capes
Tornados
I live in Covington, KY right across the bridge from Cincinnati. I’d move here over Cincinnati. House prices are better and they’re nicer. Plus, if you wanna go downtown, it’s a 5 minute drive to downtown Cincinnati!
I'd love to see a video on the quietest towns in America. The older I get the more I appreciate peace and quiet. No airports, no railroad tracks, and the toughest anti-noise laws. I'd move there today.
Pretty sure its in Wyoming!
Tennessee
I moved 20 miles to get out of traffic and away from ambulance sirens. I'm still 10 minutes from anything I need but I'm in the boonies. I can occasionally hear trucks on a nearby highway during winter when the leaves are gone.
The biggest noise out here are the "sound of freedom" when Ft Benning(now Ft Moore) is practicing. I love the sound of automatic gunfire.
@@davidgarcia5593 I forgot all about Alaska! 🤯
@@jdollar5852 as long as it’s not being fired in your direction! 🤣
Columbus and Pittsburgh would be interesting. To be honest, I think a lot of the cities on the list will see a boom over the next 10-20 years simply due to inflation. All the desirable cities are getting really expensive! If you look back at the type of list in the 2000’s, it was Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Nashville, etc. None of those places are cheap anymore. They may seem affordable compared to Cali, NY, and a few other places on the coast, but that’s it.
I’m surprised Birmingham is on this list due to spillover demand from Atlanta being relatively close
Chip manufacturing coming to Columbus will make it blow up…
Very accurate assessment
Pittsburgh is really a nice city. Very affordable and safe excluding the inner city. You can get a nice home at a good price
That and the Google data centers there now will bring people in (including me) I lived in Columbus for a bit and loved it. the affordability and the potential it has right now attracts me alot, people complain because its not the most exciting city with a personality but its a solid city to be in , so many pros to it. Even willing to leave Florida for it.@@amylee9
As someone from Birmingham the crime is sooo easily avoidable and the majority of it happens in areas where the average person would never have to go or even commute through. I live in Baton Rouge now and the whole city feels unsafe, I’ve moved to 3 different neighborhoods in Baton Rouge and finally I have a house where I don’t hear gunshots regularly throughout the week. Can’t wait to move back to Birmingham. But also take us off this list you’re gonna drive the prices up!
First mistake is moving to Alabama
Briggs: "You're right. Baton Rouge it is."
Thanks I think Birmingham is beautiful city.
Born and lived in Bham AL for 64 years, now moved to So. Alabama, smaller town. Not as inexpensive as this video makes out. Average 2 br apt expect start at $ 2000 a mo, First time home buyer, expect $250-300K and that is a neighborhood you would actually want to live in. Crime is mostly in areas you would not go but can happen anywhere. Jobs that pay where you left from, not easy to find and be willing for a cut in pay, tech jobs may not be as numerous as where you left. As for schools, in the more affluent areas, they will be safer and better. People in Bham are friendly, but, if you are a die hard liberal, leave that mentality where you left, you will like and fit in better especially with what is going on these days. Bham is in the Deep South, was, is and will stay conservative. Being a college football fan, especially AL, a nice plus.
As a 67 yo former resident, now residing 3 years in Montgomery area, you move back to Bham, get ready for higher prices for rent and homes in areas you would actually want to live in not to mention a lengthy commute. Also, as far as job market and pay scale, when moving to one of these cities listed here, expect a cut in pay, possibly significant, and a much smaller job market, especially with tech jobs and if your moving from a very large city where there are more jobs that pay more. Also, these cities have a more conservative laid back lifestyle, better suited for families and older adults, die hard liberal activists tend not to stay long.
Most of these have seen here, but when there is an update these days, we come back for Briggs. His narration, enthusiasm, humor, voice inflections, format I find, is beyond entertaining.
“Be nice to each other,” we like that.
Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita are excellent choices and they are in the general area of where I moved. I'd actually look for a quiet town of about 15k people within 30 minutes of these cities for nice homes starting at $80k (My buddy just paid $50k for a 3 bed/2bath Ranch Style home on half an acre that needed very minor repairs). They also have the best overall weather from this list (except for the occasional tornado every 100 years or so). Just sell your stuff, pack your car and go!!
This is what I'm looking for...near a big city but smaller & cheaper...
Hello from Pittsburgh! Can confirm - quite affordable here :) Really enjoy living here; glad to see our city on the list!
Cincinnatus was the first Roman Senator to be declared Dictator. Three times when Rome was attacked, he was elected dictator with full powers of government for 6 months each time. Each time he did his duty. Then, when his time was up, he went back to his farm.
If we could ONLY get quality LEADERS like that in the USA !
@@marytica123 except , not a dictator
Spot on! I was going to say what you did but you beat me to it.
Cincinnati was named for George Washington, who, after the Revolutionary War, retired to his farm, but was called out of retirement to serve as president of the Constitutional Convention and, subsequently, first president of the US.
@@marytica123 For anyone who non-sarcastically does want an Absolute Ruler, allow me to volunteer. My first command to them: Shut up.
Looked up Colombia South Carolina and I was shook, to say the least. Your content is life changing.
Inland SC has nice pockets but for the most part its a redneck shithole. Columbia isn't terrible, but still...meh. Cheap for a reason. I used to live in Charleston and wouldn't live anywhere else in SC. Even Charleston is a major shithole just north of the peninsula. Mount Pleasant and some of the other suburbs are nice.
@@OtisFlint The laws, and their enforcement in South Carolina suck. It's the only place I know of that's worse than Alabama.
Hey Briggs, I know this may sound weird, but it's great to see you in person at the start of your videos.
Also, one other consideration is what the wages are in that city. What people really want is the best after tax wages to living costs ratio.
Yeah, and he doesn’t look anything like I thought he would!
I was really disappointed to find out there is no Buttcrack Oklahoma.
And, yet, there must be a reason why “Oklahoma” rhymes with “aroma”.
There is. I see it everywhere. Whenever they bow down to catch catfish with their barehands.
I promptly googled it when he said it, and I was disappointed as well.
every city in Oklahoma should be call butt crack
ALL OF OKLA IS BUTTCRACK
There are neighborhoods in El Paso that are on the western slopes of the Franklin Mountains. The elevation is 4,600 feet, so the temps are much more mild than down in the valley. Plus, great sunsets.
El Paso is blast
My coworker lives there, he can't get out fast enough. It's been 100+ degrees for 40 days straight, and it's monsoon season so not dry heat right now either. The crime is also a major issue in El Paso.
I live in El Paso. Crime is not a major problem.
I lived in El Paso and loved it and didn't have any issues with crime or safety. It's still affordable there. We lived in the country on acres.we live abroad now but if we had to return we would go back to EL Paso
@@OtisFlintit's the desert it has been happening for 10s thousands of years!😅
Love your content. You save me so much time rather than researching on my own a variety of topics that are important to me at this stage in my life.
I vote for Pittsburgh PA to be included on your list. Although the cost of real estate is up, it's still possible to get something more affordable.
Pittsburgh was my first thought.
Thank you for spelling it correctly ❤
It Is on the list
It’s on the list. Watch the video before commenting.
@@k.s.9400 sorry I didn't but he did say to make a guess of what cities made the list before watching. I got sidetracked and never finished watching the video.
A lot of single people can't afford $200+k homes, even if they live and work in an "affordable" city. Even Pittsburgh isn't really affordable anymore for a lot of people. Listings may look cheap, but if you offer asking price you're not getting the house.
Blackrock
Yea, in the county where I live in Texas over half the starter homes last year where bought by wall street private equity firms. It’s almost like they are asking for the pitch forks at this point.
Pittsburgh has surprisingly high property tax relative to the low values of the homes.
lol, you can get a good home for less than $100k that is less than 30 minutes outside of most of these cities. My buddy paid $50k for his and I paid $39k for mine but mine needed about $10k in repairs.
(((Larry Fink)))
Crazy to me that Louisville is affordable because I live there and it doesn’t feel like it as a local…really makes me wonder how people everywhere else are making it.
Visit Nashville and you'll quickly realize the difference.
I'm in a working class New England town. Our median house price is now $620k. You have no idea how good you've got it.
It's al relative. Cities that are more expensive tend to have jobs that offer a chance to make more, all else being equal, but real estate tends to become manifestly more expensive. As far as "how do people make it?" It's a good question. In more expensive locales you can make a decent living, but it may take you longer to reach certain milestones. Longer to move out of the family home, you may need to share a place with a roommate till later, may not have a car for a while, etc.
I lived In Louisville in early 2010s and that was affordable. I lived decently on a graduate student stipend of less than $25k a year.
I was paying $550 for a large one bedroom all utilities included. Everyday essentials were MUCH cheaper
If you're coming from the New England States or California, just about anywhere else in the country is cheaper. We have a saying in New Hampshire. " Make it in Massachusetts, spend it in New Hampshire". Same thing, just a different geographical area.
I can confirm Cincy as actually pretty great nowadays. Lots of growth lately.
Cincinnati has an amazing skyline! Every American should see it! Coming from the South on I71... WOW! Beautiful
🎉🎉 Yes I just moved to Pittsburgh, from Southern California and boy oh boy is it affordable here I bought a nice two bedroom for 100k so very cheap to live here.
when I went back to Dayton, Ohio in 2021 for my 50 year high school reunion, I learned that the average price of a home was $61,500. Top that for a metro area with 800,000 people and a symphony Orchestra and Art Institute! I'd move back except for the cold winters and myself being spoiled by 45 years of LA climate. I still think about it all the time due to the horrible homeless problem here around me.
I live in the Dayton area. The house price you quoted are in the awful neighborhoods. If you want to live in the suburbs you will pay 200-250k. Work is also a bit difficult to get. Cincinnati is the job hub here which includes long commute times. You are otherwise correct.
Thank you for the website suggestion. My family is selling our house as it’s under threat to be taken by the IRS because we can’t afford the property taxes. It’s entirely paid off, so once it’s sold, we can hopefully keep the money to put toward another place to stay. This video was incredibly helpful and informative, and I thank you for it!
Why would the IRS care about your property taxes? Property taxes are levied by local/state governments.
Total BS. Property taxes are through the state not federal and every state is different. Property taxes on my house and land is equal to one Starbucks coffee a week for a year.
@@jdollar5852 If the IRS is involved, then it sounds more like personal/business income taxes, and the Feds get paid first!
Yea, plus a cut for the big guy.
If your family can't afford the property tax on a paid off house, it's either a super expensive house or your parents are complete bums/have massive medical expenses. Property tax on a really nice house in most states is half the cost of a 1 bedroom apartment.
You should do income per Capita ratio vs cost of living. The kind of application for just cheap living is only good for retired, wealthy or remote workers. You can get even crazier and add crime stats and incarcerations per Capita to find out if you have problems with people vs problems with over policing.
I second this
That's true. A $104k house price doesn't help if you can't get a job for more than $15/hr...
I'll take over policing all day long instead over car-jacking!
@@rgh622 corruption bud. Both will jack your car. UA-cam 'Lehtos law, you were right". Great episode. Cross San Bernardino CA off my list.
@@rgh622 As someone who just moved to Portland, OR .. I feel this. ;\
I live in one. Retired to Johnstown PA from DC and paid 28k for a 2-unit! That’s about 5% of the cost for metro dc
You should do a list of the cities with the lowest insurance costs. Some of these “affordable” cities homes are hard to insure!
Ohio.
California
I second that suggestion.
I'm an insurance agent in Wichita. Yeah our insurance prices are high, but property taxes are low. My parents live in the suburbs of Chicago and we compared our escrow accounts. While my homeowners insurance is about double theirs, the taxes they pay are more than my insurance and taxes combined.
Love your videos. I’d love to see an analysis of small/medium affordable towns that were once booming 100+ years ago. Those are towns that I think a lot of people will move to when looking for an affordable place with rich history and building stock. Now that many people can work remotely I believe people will look to move and revitalize these towns.
Great video! Thank you for all your hard work put into these videos 😄
My pleasure!
I lived in Dayton for 3 years and enjoyed it there. Every time I went to Columbus, cloudy. As I get older, weather is big for me. I enjoyed Kings Island and Cincy. Skyline Chili!
Skyline chili is baby crap on pasta. Gross.
Love Skyline! and Dayton really offers great quality of life.
Dayton can be really nice in select enclaves and pockets, many of which can be far away from the stereotypically rich Southeast Side burbs.
Ex. Germantown. Clayton. Pockets of Springfield South of 70 / adjacent to the protected lands around Yellow Springs.
There's also a kind of old school, comical wasp'ish culture within select enclaves and pockets. Even with some black people in places like Centerville. Sometimes you just hear it in people's dialects.
OKC has a ridiculous skyline. Why build the one skyscraper that is sooo much taller than the others? It's OKC for God's sake. Not like the skyline is ever going to reach that height again. WTH were they thinking? A bunch of much smaller high-rises as in-fill would have been much more effective at densifying the skyline...which would have made for a much more impressive skyline overall.🙄
I can vouch for OKC, move to the metro area like Edmond, Mustang, Yukon, Newcastle. Real cheap, plenty of lakes, great Mexican food. More diversity than you would expect
Man I miss the Mexican food there I was stationed on tinker afb I remember when they first opened toby Keith's bar and grill in brick town
Was born in Birmingham. The reason the median home price in the city is 104k is because nearly the entire city is slums. What happened to Birmingham is the nicer parts of the city became their own cities. For example the median home price in Mountain Brook is 995k, but that city used to just be a part of Birmingham. Nearly every nice neighborhood/area of Birmingham became its own city(Homewood, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, etc) and what's left is low income neighborhoods and the downtown area.
And we all know why they became separate towns....rhymes with Night Fight
@@JimBrownski I figured that was the case. It is the South after all.
One thing I’ve learned from the” first 48” is DONT MOVE TO TULSA they’re ALWAYS ON AN EPISODE OF FIRST 48 every year & every season lmao
I would move to Vinita or Waggoner and drive the 50 miles to Tulsa.
OK City also has FAA and Air Traffic Controller training. Yes it’s high stress but the pay is incredible plus they are predicting a shortage in the next 10 years.
Yes they just had an ad announcing theyre hiring air traffic controllers here. My uncle retired from the FAA and was able to do so at a really nice age. I also have a couple of close friends who work their and will be retiring with a very nice pension.
Do you know if they would be looking at adjusting the max age requirements? Air traffic control is something I was curious about. I've been an emergency dispatcher for 5 years so I'm pretty confident I could handle the stress and frantic pace. Unfortunetly I'm also 36 this September which is well over the max age I've seen being advertized.
Tulsa or northwest Arkansas are pretty good and not extremely overpriced. El Paso suffered from car air pollution from Juarez since they share a valley and cars were often stolen for parts and taken across the border, but that's been several years. The Texas triangle is where the jobs are largely with Waco and Temple being relatively affordable options for remote or hybrid remote workers.
Waco is a dump
Why not Killeen? It is even more cheaper than Waco AND Temple . Crime?
The crime in north Killeen and KISD, except maybe for Harker Heights, keep many away. Though, south Killeen is a good value and has a nice new hike and bike trail and I-14 makes reaching stores easy and Belton/Temple a fairly short trip.
@@bonesandbells yup! Im in Waco , I love Killeen but its sketchy as hell . Beautiful women around and cheap rent. I would choose Harker Heights or Belton due to Killeen's sketchiness
Cool! The face behind the voice! As I prepare to move from Hawaii to Pennsylvania, I find your videos very informative and as a veteran appreciate your point of view.
Greetings Briggs, the travel nurse from Baltimore here again... I just wanted to drop a comment because I recently finished an assignment out in Wichita and believe it or not I fell in love with the place! The native Kansans I met couldnt understand why lol but I liked it so much that I renewed my initial 13 week work contract by 8 weeks. I worked/stayed out there from February until just a couple of weeks ago and your description was spot on. Laid back vibe, low cost of living and decent neighbors. The people I met and worked with at one of the hospitals out there were really nice people. While in the midwest I visited Kansas City, hit a rodeo down in Oklahoma City with some friends and also found several places to buy really beautiful Native American jewelry. And did I mention they truly know what to do with barbecue out in the Midwest? The BBQ was pretty good everywhere; only thing I missed from home was decent crab cakes! That was my only complaint about Wichita actually... 😂 Keep it up with the cool videos!
In all fairness, if you are coming from Baltimore, literally ANYWHERE is going to seem nice to you.
@@bbooth1229 You sound like someone who has heard everything negative about Baltimore but didnt grow up here... 🤔
@@brownfoxx76 yeah, that person's comment makes me yearn for a laugh react for UA-cam.
Why live in Birmingham when you could live in Huntsville and avoid a lot of the crime and poverty?
Cause its stupid expensive in comparison.
@@AaronSmith-kr5yf Huntsville is still a relatively cheap city. Great houses for only 400K, maybe less. West side of Houston is 600K+ now for something good.
@@mjpottertx 400k is pocket money
I will admit I haven’t spent too much in Huntsville but still seems like a growing city. It doesn’t have amenities Birmingham has…..yet.
@@mjpottertxHouses in Huntsville are going for $250/sq ft
Cincinnati got its name from Quinctius Cincinnatus ( c. 519 - c. 430 BC) was a Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic who became a legendary figure of Roman virtue.
Shaker heights/ Beachwood are great options for anyone looking around Cleveland!
The first rule about keeping Cleveland cheap is to not talk about Cleveland being cheap.
@@stevena3871true that. I spent one brief night in SH it was the bomb. But as a 4O+ year Austin TX resident yep, I must agree. Talking about it is like buying the biggest one in the store then paying someone to shove it up your…etc.
@@stevena3871there is nothing cheap about Shsker Hts and Beachwood.
Shsker property taxes 4% - you pay every year and houses are easy $500K - how about $20K/year taxes?
In Beachwood there is not high taxes but you can’t buy anything cheaper than $300K. The city survived 2008 foreclosures without damage - because of synagogues….they support the community
If you can afford Beachwood - look no further - it’s the safest as it can be.
I was initially expecting to see Detroit with its dilapidated houses for under $100, but after hearing Briggs' explanation for eliminating Cleveland I figured Detroit would be out too.
I would flip the order. Cincy, Pittsburgh, Columbus, El Paso at the top, Wichita, Birmingham, Columbia at the bottom. The midwest is just so underrated.
@@AmericanScout-USAAgrée, Indianapolis is very cheap, back in 2015 a 2000 sq ft house was 140-150K dollars, Even now it’s like under 250-300K for a 2000 sq ft house.
Oh finally a face to the voice!!! Love you're channel keep up the great work!👍🏽
Cincinnati is named after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus...a Roman statesman who lived between 519 BC And 430 BC. He was a farmer who was drafted into leadership during an invasion that lasted only 16 days. After the victory, he went right back to farming.
Right, why did he do that?
Your channel is good fun and informative. Love your sense of humour! 🙂
BIRMINGHAM more like 190k to 350k decent areas . Prem areas 600k -$2million
House prices in ButtCrack are low but pollution is an issue 💨 💨
Unfortunately, we will still be retiring abroad as there is no way in hell we can afford health insurance. They made sure if you want Health Insurance you will need to continue to work for a min of 32 hours a week, they gotta get that tax money and run ya into the grave as soon as possible.
Where are you moving to?
I admit our system is not perfect. But I truly recommend to do your research before moving. There is no utopian health system. There are issues everywhere
Umm, have u heard of Medicare ?
We pay $175 a month for better coverage than we had when we worked. The key to Obamacare is having diverse income so you can stay within certain thresholds.
@@jdollar5852ACA is great! It’s almost like a secret though. People don’t believe they can qualify but if you make less than $50k as a single person you should.
Columbus is a great place to live. Lived here for over twenty years best move ever made.
I’m so split on videos like this. On one hand thanks for putting info out to people so they can find better places to live. On the other hand UA-camrs telling the rest of the country the middle of the country is more affordable runs our cost here up.
I live in Birmingham,al its not as cheap as this video makes it out. It's extremely hard to find a job here that pays a livable wage. A decent house here isn't 100k its more like 250k to 300k plus your wage is low.
Right! More like 350-550k+ for a decent house in a decent location, and there’s nowhere you can rent/live on minimum wage (not even in the bad areas).😪
Idk about that,there are alot of people that live 45 minutes to an hour away and drive to Birmingham for work. Same for Huntsville, there are 40,000 people working on redstone arsenal but alot of them live an hour away from Huntsville and DO NOT want to live in Huntsville.
Remote job
thanks Briggs, i appreciate your research
My pleasure!
For at least two decades, I dreamt of the ultimate road trip - driving a vintage muscle car through the heartland from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Its depressing to see America in 2023 through the lens of many UA-camrs, and I fear that many parts of Canada may not be far behind. Addiction is a cancer.
Avoid big cities. Bam fixed it for ya. I just did another roadtrip from Tennessee (Nashville was rad honestly) and it was epic.
@@thomgt4 I wouldnt travel halfway around the world and miss the chance to see NYC and Chicago, if only for the architecture, but that can happen BEFORE the road trip :D
@@thomgt4 My understanding is that there is quite a bit of addiction in rural/small town areas.
I'd just say that addiction is absolutely avoidable and preventable, I'm not sure about you but I'm tired of the damage and ruined lives in its wake
There is I live in a small town in Georgia with 10k people and there is zombies doped up on everything, its not just in cities like the media wants you to believe, its everywhere, this country needs some serious help@@BlackDoveNYC
WE LIVE IN NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA (Ocala area). There are still several developments here with NEW 3/2/2 concrete block homes are being built & sold for around $260,000 - with NO HOA restrictions, on 1/4 acre lots. They all have central A/C and heat, their own water well, septic system, and new appliances. Also, wood frame homes at $220,000 with a single car garage.
How is walkability to services?
@@djkenny1202ocala is not walkable but nearby Kissimmee & Orlando is
But what about the high inflation, rising cost of car and home insurance, and the oppressive laws? Those are all issues that would keep many people out of there.
@@djkenny1202Services are in small downtown in Ocala and it's very walkable if you live or park your car there. Outside downtown it's not walkable. Old neighborhoods built without sidewalks and narrow roads. There are few new developments with good walkability, some services for low 300s.
Florida is running outta fresh water. If you have a well expect serious problems in the next decade or so. I think that state and some states our west are going to have to build a desalination plant or come up with another solution.
I lived in El Paso and worked at William Beaumont Hospital, I loved that town.
Briggs, have long loved your videos. Great to finally see your face!
Columbus has been awesome for us. It is getting more expensive. But also gaining impressively in jobs. The housing varies dramatically from dirt cheap in places you don't want to live to ridiculously high prices. There is stigma on the choice you make on where to live. Overall, high ratings from me, and I hail from the South.
I moved to just outside Lexington. Rolling hills ,growing economy, decent weather, low crime.
Mr. Briggs. Great video as always. I was wondering if Albuquerque, New Mexico is a reasonably cheap place to live. I've only been there once but I really liked it. Thanks
Heard the crime is pretty bad
@@andrealmoseley6575 I've heard that the crime rate is high in Albuquerque which is a shame. When I was there, I thought it was a nice city.
I've been looking at both the Oklahoma City area as well as the greater Tulsa area, particularly Broken Arrow. I have a friend that lives there. Little things like that matter! 😊
Tulsa is prettier than Oklahoma City but Oklahoma City's bigger...
@@fredingram3731second this. Oklahoma City is “Baby Dallas” where Tulsa has its own vibe.
I'm from Tulsa. Check out Claremore. Look at property taxes. Claremore has some great lakes and people are very friendly.
I have another video idea, do the 10 cities manufacturing jobs leaving China back to the US recently are relocating to. It would be interesting to see if some of the Rust Belt places get revived after this trend.
Large and small Corporations are moving to Mexico and have been for a decade or more. Wayyyy cheaper to transport goods over land as opposed to over seas or aircraft. China has some glaring problems financially..the cracks are showing no matter what the Govt. says. Mexico is prospering in a huge way. Why? They did not and do not print money like most of the world has done AND Mexico's currency is backed by gold and silver. Imagine that...A prospering country backs their currency with precious metals and they prosper immensely. Mexico is the new China.
Manufacturing will never have the kind of jobs like there were back in the early 80s. Because of automation. So you'll get 200 jobs instead of 5,000.
@@kellyname5733 Then why on earth are they all coming here?
@@kellyname5733Americans would be moving to Mexico if it wasn't for the fkn cartels
@debra1363 They don't want to support an economic, manufacturing and military adversary. China is a global threat acting like the old British Empire around the world. They're
Our Enemy. Them and the Russians would like to destroy the Western Civilization.
The see us as an existencial threat
I love Pittsburgh. I've only been there once but it was great. I'd move there if it wasn't so cold and so far inland. I guess I'll just stay in NYC.
Anywhere is better than NYC. I live in the NYC area btw
Columbus, OH used to be affordable. Now it's getting expensive. The real estate market went up more than 300% compared to 5 years ago. with the Intel microchip company coming to Columbus the house that used to be around 100k in the past is worth 400K this day.
I live in Birmingham Alabama and my 2 bedroom apartment is $510/month. It's an alright place to live.
I hope you remember to duck for cover…halfway joking.😅😬
Ensly area?
The biggest problem of living in a low cost of living city is it’s almost impossible to move. It’s always easy to go cheaper, but going higher is hard and you can get trapped.
Hi, can you elaborate a bit more about what you mean?
@@krystalmarie5637Let me jump into this:
Two assumptions:
Low/high cost of living = low/high income jobs
People generally spend and save the same amounts. Let's say 35% on rent, 15% saving up. Etc.
A californian will have a lot of money saved up with his 15% saved of say 100,000. Whereas someone from Kentucky with 15% of 50,000 only has half.
After some time of saving up the person from california can move to kentucky and can buy/down pay a house there.
After the same time someone from kentucky will not have the funds to buy/downpay a house in California.
So the californian can go wherever he wants to but the kentucky(an?) Is trapped to same cost of living destinations
@@krystalmarie5637 I have a good job that pays well, but they pay based on where I live. I have a 4 bedroom 4,000 square foot house in a nice neighborhood in the midwest . The house was built in 2002 and is in excellent condition. I would only get about $400k (net) if I sold the house and I owe $150k on it. That leaves me $250k for a down payment to buy a home in a higher cost of living state.A similar house in California would cost at least $1 million or more. No way I could afford it and the wife isn’t going to live in the dump that a $400k gets you there. Meanwhile, we see people in their mid 50’s move here from California and retire. They sold their small home for $1million + and buy a nice house in cash here and immediately put their Bernie Sanders sign in their lawn. You can go one way, but you can’t go the other.
@@DerultimateKeks That sums it up really well and if you take it all the way to retirement, the Californian can retire well in Kentucky or even somewhere even more affordable overseas. Things on amazon cost the same in Kentucky or Cali so you can save so much faster. But of course going on unemployment for a while in Cali is much harsher than Kentucky, thus the exodus during the pandemic.
The biggest issue is you gentrify the area and price out locals by taking advantage of their housing market. Cost of living is relative to the income of that area. It’s predatory.
Without knowing what the average salary is in those areas, you can't really determine it's affordability. If you don't make as much a cheaper house is still as relatively expensive.
This is a very underrated reply. THIS is key! If you have to take a 25% pay cut to live in these places, you better make sure that EVERYTHING you buy is 25% less. But 9 times out of 10, it isn't that way.
As someone who was born in Birmingham you really have to know the demographics of which area you choose to live. Yes it can be cheap for a medium large metro area but zip code matters. Also avoid Shelby County if you hate traffic.
I'm from Europe. Never been to Alabama and I probably never will. Still I have an image of the city and the people of Birmingham through just a few lines from Randy Newman:
Got a wife got a family
Earn my livin' with my hand
I'm a roller in a steel mill
In downtown Birmingham
My daddy was a barber
And a most unsightly man
He was born in Tuscaloosa
But he died right here in Birmingham
Birmingham Birmingham
The greatest city in Alabam'
You can travel 'cross this entire land
But there's no place like Birmingham
@@hardyvonwinterstein5445 Don't believe him. it's just a song. Newman is not his real name, never lived anywhere near Alabama
@@hardyvonwinterstein5445 Huntsville, AL, is the birthplace of NASA.
Check out the Birmingham and Huntsville suburbs. COL, medical care, the arts, entertainment, restaurants, and diversity. Don't believe the hype. See for yourself.
@@tyronebibbins7957 Something not often talked about especially for Huntsville is the absurd amount of rain it gets. Thats a huge turn off for a lot of people
When I first saw the title of this video, I thought of Buffalo NY; I grew up there and always remember how aforable it was compared to everywhere else I've lived.
Buffalo NY was the 4th largest city in the U.S. The city went into a decline, but now seems to be on a uptick. Lots of cool things to see and do. The Frank Loyd Wright designed Darwin Ramsey home comes to mind.
Buffalo seems pretty desirable by rust belt standards, the city is built for double its current population so there’s plenty of cheap housing, and high wages since it’s in NY state. Plus who doesn’t like being Canada’s next door neighbor.
Flipside though, I don’t know if 131 inches of snow in one winter is ideal for me
Would be cool in these types of videos to also factor in average rent prices as well
And average utility prices.
Those things should be included in the cost of living numbers.
I've lived in both Wichita and Birmingham, the nos. 1 and 2. I agree with you about Wichita but not so much Birmingham. Wichita is a really underrated place. I had a two-bedroom apartment for $480 a month, and the landlord always said the rent might go up, but it never did in over three years. It was so flat that it was easy to bicycle everywhere in Wichita. I even went to a couple of operas on my bike!
Birmingham is a wonderful place, but I suspect your statistics may be skewed. The reason the median home price is only $100,000 is that there are a lot of neighborhoods where you can't give away houses for free. A lot of houses have been abandoned, sometimes after they're paid off, because the owner couldn't afford to take care of them. Those are neighborhoods where the residents are African Americans. I remember there was an entire apartment complex in one of those areas that was being offered for $10,000! I wonder if they were ever able to sell it. In a more upscale area, a closed apartment complex was offered for $1.6 million. Even though the plumbing had failed, and it would've cost any buyer hundreds of thousands to fix it.
There are nice black neighborhoods where houses are well maintained, but a lot of them are economically depressed. One problem is the city needs a higher minimum wage. The city council tried to raise our minimum wage to $10 a hour a few years ago, and the state refused to let them do it. We now have the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.
I say Birmingham is a wonderful place because it is quite pretty and wooded, and there are lot of amenities. But I think your real estate price figures are skewed.
Thats not the only reason he is mistaken about Birmingham. It's hot and it's HUMID. Electricity prices can hit 60 cents a kilowatt hour on a hot afternoon thanks to Alabama Power time of use metering. National average is 14 cents. Crime murder drug abuse are common place. Stopping for a red light in Birmingham is likely to get you beat up -really. Don't stop for a red light -no one else will and you, and all the pissed off people behind you, will have to sit and wait at your green light because no one else will stop. Birmingham is a ZOO!
I concur on your assessment about Bham.
Lived in Wichita during 6th-12th grades. It hasn't been the same since Boeing moved most of their engineers out.
@@fecat93 I lived there from 2001 to 2004. I remember Boeing was already starting to cut down their presence a little at that time. What has the loss of engineers done to Wichita?
@@tedgemberling2359 I left in 1989 and my father was required to move by Boeing shortly thereafter. Philadelphia or Hunstville, AL and he chose to retire with on the Space Station project. I wonder if they had a secondary cutdown in the 2000s
Dude, I don't live in Ohio anymore but I am an Ohio native and have lived in both Columbus and Cleveland. Columbus is a bunch of small farm towns batched together. Cleveland is a metropolitan city with all 3 major sports, a world class symphony, breath taking parks, have you heard of the emerald necklace? And Cleveland has one of the best medical facilities in the world. Get that fing burr out of your ass for Cleveland.
Columbus is just kind of the generic modern growth city that you see anywhere. Instead of beautiful built up areas with older buildings, it is mostly just urban sprawl with suburbs everywhere.
Your info is about 100 years out of date. First of all, Columbus proper more than twice the size of Cleveland and the metro area is bigger. Secondly, Columbus is not a bunch of small farm towns, it's a city of over 900000 people with suburbs surrounding it (surprise just like Cleveland, except Cleveland is less than 1/2 the size of Columbus and is boxed in by its suburbs). Cleveland does have the biggest joke of a National Park, but so what, it's just a park with a river running through it. Lots and lots of places have that.
So put that fing burr back in your ass about Cleveland -- Cleveland sucks for all the reasons mentioned here and more.
@@humanhuman1773 well said.
I’m from Detroit so I know how you feel. People look over everything positive.
Well "dude," as the guy said, the problem with Cleveland in recent years, you might get shot .. #5 most dangerous city in the country. And he left out the vast death toll from drug overdoses, which is way beyond any violent city ..
The video you showed of Birmingham is of Birmingham, United Kingdom. That's Grand Central train station formerly known as Birmingham New Street
I have family that lives in Columbus and nearby in the cornfields. Nice city, plenty to do there, great restaurant/bar scene, good paying jobs. Interesting thing is you can drive 10-15 miles from downtown and be in the sticks, wall to wall corn. Great place to live if you want 3 or 10 acres on the somewhat cheap but still near downtown.
Columbus is nice and was 10 degrees cooler that Birmingham today. But Columbus is nice- fun town to visit. Lots to do. Many free events, pretty nice people, College town vibe. great food and reasonable prices. Highly recommended.
I miss Columbus, when I came back. I wish I had stayed there. I can always move back.
I think this is the first time I've seen you say good things about Ohio. Nice. I find myself liking it here.
Yes, and you can tell he was in great pain doing so.
Lived in Pittsburgh and just recently moved away. It's a decent bigger city, definitely a great place to be for sports fans. The traffic is getting worse as others are flocking to the area, expect it to take 20-30 minutes to go 4/5 miles or so (in the city and surrounding outskirts). Gas prices are also high. If you're not in healthcare or well established in the banking industry, then finding a good paying job is not so easy. The housing market isn't bad, but for the median price you won't be getting that nice of a house. The homelessness is getting worse. The roads are also rough, construction is everywhere, and there are a ton of traffic lights.
Overall there are some great healthcare systems and schools, the night life/bars are good, and it can definitely be a fun place to live. Pittsburgh isn't perfect, but it's not a bad place to be.
Was in Pittsburgh for grad school. I honestly loved every bit of it except for lack of Latino demographic and the cloudiness. Affordable and hip city.
Lol Pittsburgh is so tough to navigate through. Been here for 13 years and I can still get lost. Traffic can suck (tunnels!!!) and the constant construction is rough. Housing prices in the area that I live in starts at $300+ for homes that need some updates and taxes aren't cheap.
@@jaeves007 Taxes Sucked in PGH.
I would like to see you do a video on the states with the best and the worst property tax rates.
What’s funny is everyone in Columbus thinks Cincinnati is the place to be. Also Louisville and Cincinnati remain global cargo transport hubs
Columbus is a flat, character-less, liberal cesspool, not to mention the obesity capitol of the world. People call it a “pop-up” city because it all feels very contrived and inorganic. Cincinnati is definitely the opposite.
Correct.
I never thought Cincy was the place to be.
Who the hell is everyone
..your two neighbors? Never heard of such envy from "all" of Columbus.
I used to live in the NW side of Columbus OH. Columbus OH have HIGH Taxies NOOO Thanks!
I would be surprised if my current city, Lansing, Michigan is not on the list.
Hey Briggs! Cleveland native and fellow Cleveland Browns fan here. I went to college in Pittsburgh, and I can honestly say, it’s a pretty good city to live in! Sundays during NFL season might be a bit dicey, but overall it’s a great city.
Okay, some people from Louisville do pronounce the city LOOEY-VILLE, some LOO-A-VUHL & some LOO-VUHL. If you're being corrected it's because whoever you're talking to from Louisville is playing with you & it's because people from up north try to correct us on how to say our OWN city. However, if you pronounce it LeWiSViLle, then you can go back to where you came!
Love the Ville
Lewisville is in Indiana...
This has to be the only city in the US that isn't pronounced right from the letters. I wonder why
LULVILLE
I'm from Louisville ohio and pronounce it that way. I have relatives In Kentucky and Tennessee but never knew Why Kentucky Louisville is pronounce nothing like English
watching this in mebourne where the median is 920,000 is a crazy experience
You get what you pay for. That's why it's affordable.
Maybe, if you're lucky.
These places are all good for Bible thumping republicans.
Seriously. I would never live in these places. I’m good in Florida. I need my beaches 🌊🌊🌊
"Laughs in San Franciscian"
Good, clean, family friendly life and plenty of nature…that’s where the riches are.
Just sold our home in Colorado and used equity to buy a much less expensive home in Defiance, Ohio!! Now to retirement!
Might be a good idea to give a short course on “sa-it’s-ticks Mean, median , mode, range.
Pretty glad I don’t have to live in one of these cities.
If I had to pick one, it would be Pittsburgh.
The proximity to rugged mountainous terrain would my major draw.
I’ve driven a tractor-trailer all over the state of PA many times, and there’s not a level acre in the entire state.
The junction of the three rivers, Monongahela, Allegheny, and the Ohio, is one of the most beautiful natural places in North America (before civilization took hold). Great for outdoor enthusiasts, but tough to drive through.
I was born in Wichita…we moved when I was 12…my best memories are there…Kanas is flat, Wichita is hilly and both are beautiful! Wichita is known for its amazing and soothing thunderstorms. Open the windows…let that soft, cool breeze come through as it brings the fresh sent of rain and listen to the thunder roll for miles…sooooo relaxing!! Strong respect for the Native American roots there and you can’t beat mid-western folks on friendliness. It’s geographical location makes it great for travel and commerce. Wichita is clean, rooted in community, great educational system and beautiful unlike Columbia SC where we currently live…just say’n…😞😏
Agree with El Paso; did a lot of trucking out of there. On a humorous note, Cincinnati was once named Porkopolis back in the 1800's due to the abundance of swine roaming around. Over the Rhine is fun to visit. Wichita has huge aerospace presence with Cessna and Beechcraft in town.
Congrats on ONE MILLION subs, Briggs!! 🎉🧡
El Paso, TX, my hometown! It’s true, El Paso is very affordable and cost of living isn’t so bad. I was able to pay off my home pretty quick, too.
I love El Paso !!!! I see a lot of money being spent there.
I was there for 4 nights 18 months ago for some cheap dental work across the border. I only saw one other white guy the entire time and he was there for dental work also. I made the mistake of going to the Walmart that had the shooting and people were staring at me with fear in their eyes. I went out the entrance only door and set off an alarm. Someone yelled "shoot him". I home things have gotten better as I am headed back for more dental work at the end of the month.
@@optoutsociety8461 I was looking into the dental places in Naco, any opinions or do ya know those ones?
Guessing Colorado's only contender would be Pueblo. We'll see!
Pueblo west. Shhhh don’t tell but it’s the best place I ever lived.
I live in Pueblo and I like it.
The show stopper for Pennsylvania is the high school district taxes. Real estate and school district taxes together may still be less than real estate alone in New Hampshire, but over 3K a year on top of real estate taxes that are already higher than in Virginia when comparing rural areas and similar house values is just a big hit. It might be OK as IRA income isn't taxed in PA, it would depend on your IRA income. We spent several years deciding where to retire, and so many places have surprise taxes that don't make most lists, you have to dig to find out the real cost to live in many states, towns, or counties.
Since you've started showing your face, my idea of what you look like has been shattered! LOL Greetings from southern Maine, love your channel, always informative and fun!
Columbus also has an NHL team! Pittsburg does too (and they have Sidney Crosby❤️) In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love the NHL😁.
Also, you may want to consider doing a video on the 10 cheapest cities in Canada for Americans that are thinking of moving here (you have an election coming up). Translate the Canadian price to American though. It will sound a lot better! Just remind people that they actually have to apply to move here though. They can’t just cross the border!
Love from Canada 🇨🇦 ❤️.
Cindy Crybaby
It may happen, I’d like to know… and love hockey (Syd the kid❤)
I live in Indiana and do not want to live where the winters are longer and worse than where I live now😬
@@kathyharmon2093 well, we do have places that don’t get as cold as Indiana; our West Coast (British Columbia) is very mild; rarely snows on the Coast - Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, etc. Also southern Ontario, the Eastern provinces like Nova Scotia, etc.
My problem with Kansas and Oklahoma are tornados. I'd think there'd be a lot of turnover in those those states after getting repeatedly hit or losing their homes. Tornados are my biggest fear so I wouldn't do well living there. Not worth the medication I'd have to take to endure that many tornado threats. lol
I'll take an occasional tornado every 100 years vs. major earthquakes, hurricanes and fires every couple years...
@@optoutsociety8461 If those were the odds for Kansas and Oklahoma, ok. But those states seem to have tornados almost every year.
@@adm6785 It's really not a big deal if you have a basement/storm shelter (most homes and businesses already have them). You have over a 99% chance of survival from a direct hit from a F5 tornado.
They're really not that bad lol. I live in oklahoma and yes, during spring there will be a lot of tornados, but u can either get in a shelter or just drive away from their direction. Plus, okc doesn't rlly get tornadoes, it's the small towns in the middle of nowhere u gotta work abt
@@optoutsociety8461 How do basements prevent homes from being obliterated by tornadoes?
Of those cities, I do like the look of Pittsburgh but I might chose Cinncinati because of the symphony orchestra Thank you for the video!
Pittsburgh also has a local symphony orchestra that plays at the historic Heinz Hall. A few years back I watched/listened to Yo Yo Ma there.
Columbia, SC is good for those under 40 with a good income. I moved there from Syracuse NY for a job promotion (also went to Basic Training at Ft. Jackson many years ago). I have since retired and not real happy living here.
As a current resident of Birmingham, Alabama… Do not move here. The crime for just Birmingham alone is bad but the Birmingham Metro makes it a whole lot worse I would not recommend anyone to move here. Just go to Huntsville, Alabama.
Rochester, NY is a great affordable city people always overlook because it’s in New York. But it’s a beautiful place with a ton of amenities and some of the best suburbs I’ve seen anywhere (along the Erie Canal). You can get a REALLY nice home for under $200k.
It has nothing to do with that it's in New York. Rochester has a very high crime rate per capita. It wasn't on this list because of high crime.
Never looked at Rochester before, but I just did, and you're absolutely right. Nice looking homes for under 250K, with very livable ones for under 200k. The prices seem at least ten years behind most of the country. The real question is why? I know nothing about the area.
@@thullraven1 Birmingham and Cincinnati have very high crime rates, higher than Rochester, but they were in the list. Rochester’s crime is above the national average but mostly contained to a few inner city neighborhoods. The surrounding suburbs are VERY safe and livable with some of the best public schools in the state.
@@roncall6245 Supply and demand, mostly. The population has been stagnant for many years. Partly due to the decline of Kodak, Xerox and other manufacturers in the area. Partly due to national demographic trends favoring the Sunbelt over the Northeast. The winters are cold and snowy. The inner city has a poverty issue like many places. It’s not the most affluent part of the country, but IMO its a hidden gem where you can get an amazing bang for your buck.
@@redcomic619 I agree that Birmingham shouldn't have been on this list and Cincy has high crime, but it's crime rate PER CAPITA is still lower than Rochester.
Glad you would consider El Paso. I grew up there, and even though it's grown so much I wouldn't live there now, whenever I visit family I enjoy just sightseeing the town. It's literally wedged between New Mexico and old Mexico. The rest of Texas pretends it doesn't exist. 🤣 I must say, though, that I disagree with how you portray Cd. Juarez. Yes, it does have its problems, but there's some wonderful places as well. Please take that into account next time. Meanwhile, I'm going to stay subscribed and await your next offering.😀
When the state of Texas' grid went down last year, El Paso was unaffected because they're not on the same grid as the other major cities. So that's sure smart of them! ❤🎉😂
@@janeentumbao8690 VERY smart! My family in El Paso were safe and sound, but my family in Austin really struggled and suffered. Sidebar story: in the mid-60's, EP Electric had a catastrophic failure that darkened even parts of Tuscon & Albuquerque (of course, all of ELP and Cd. Juarez). They not only fixed the problem, they examined it, and installed safeguards to keep such a large failure from happening again. What's the TX grid done???
I live close to Augusta, Georgia. There are affordable homes there, but I project that will change in the next five years - now is the time to get in the market there. However, a lot of the housing stock is older and is not in the best areas, but as I said, housing values are likely to climb. They just built a new nuke plant in the area, and the Army Cyber Center is a huge employment draw to the area.
How often do you encounter people from....The Village? 😮
I would add Lexington KY, Knoxville TN, Fayetteville AR, Greenville SC, Athens GA, Clarksville TN, Bowling Green KY, Augusta GA