Priced Out

[MineralMan]

121. I really understand. I didn't want to leave my home, either.

We really had no choice, though, since both my wife and I feel a strong responsibility toward our aging parents. My wife was actually shocked that I proposed that we pack up and move to Minnesota.

My first choice would always be to live in a small town and work from home. But, it turns out that the neighborhood I live in is a lot like a small town, lined with houses built in the 1950s with families living in them. I can do big city things, if I choose to, which I couldn't do where I used to live. St. Paul even has a completely free zoo to visit, of all things. Parks, lakes, a major river, tons of arts opportunities, and more. I actually like living here, I find.

It's just different in many ways, but that's OK, really. The Twin Cities metro area is home to almost 3 million people, but you can buy a home here, still, in a nice quiet neighborhood, move-in ready, for about $150K. There are a couple of nice ones in my neighborhood on the market right now. If you don't mind doing some rehab work, you can still find many bargains in housing here. A 2-bedroom apartment starts at about $1000 or so in many places, if that's your preference, and houses for rent start at about the same. Want a townhome? Lots of those around, starting under $100K.

Everything any metro area has is available here, from a wealth of colleges and universities to an outstanding health care situation, with same day appointments in excellent multi-specialty clinics that love Medicare patients. Half a dozen excellent hospitals.

Just about every state has mid-sized cities of 200,000 population or so that are similar. All offer a metro lifestyle with all of the usual amenities, but at much lower cost than the major coastal cities. It's an interesting thing to pick some city and go look at housing prices and employment opportunities. You can go place-shopping so easily today.

I'll admit that it's much easier if you're self-employed. Jobs are a big issue. But all mid-sized to large cities support most job categories to a greater or lesser degree.

I don't know. It seems to me that if rising cost of living is causing stress, doing some research is in order. What you find will probably surprise you.