I was in New York recently. My NYC crew talks about how much things cost. I think its a big city thing. Jane’s one-bedroom in Long Island City is $1,750 a month (a deal, I think); Megan’s family’s apartment on Madison Avenue and 61st Street is in the millions; Brooklyn has gone from early gentrifiers to hipsters to Wall Streeters.
So where can most of us afford to live if we wanted to move to a new local? Portland, my home town, is 56% less expensive than New York according to the database site Expatistan.This is one of the reasons that Portland is now a destination for people looking for a more affordable lifestyle. Portland’s hip, affordable lifestyle is definitely on the minds of New Yorkers.
I lived in London for a few years as a salaried expat (the way to do it given that London is the fifth most expensive city in the world — and 70% more expensive than Portland.) In those days, my agency Saatchi & Saatchi covered our rent, gave me a cost of living increase, paid any extra taxes and sent us all home once a year in business class. A good deal.
Today? I probably can’t do London on my dime but I do dream of living outside of the USA again. Visit Expatistan, check out a rage of global cost of living factoids and dream. Hyderabad, anyone?
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