patrick.net

Median household income, 2008-2012 $73,802

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06075.html

From the article:

"You have to make three times the monthly rent to qualify. So even for a $2,000 studio, you have to make over $70,000 a year."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/business_insider/2014/01/22/chart_global_economic_activity_and_income_growth.html

Insane - flipping insane. Even IF I were making (or had an offer to make) $70K - $120K a month, I could find a heck of a lot of other places to spend the money. No, the bottom line is that when I was shopping for a job, I looked long and hard at the cost of living, including rent to anywhere that I was interested in. When I was offered a spot, I looked even closer and harder. Nope, y'all can have SF or even CA in general, the taxes and the cost help to make that state extremely unattractive to me.

basically even if you have a decent job and live in SF, you spend most of your money on rent.

smaulgld says

basically even if you have a decent job and live in SF, you spend most of your money on rent.

Meanwhile, Paducah, KY is a wonderful American town with 1/10th the overhead, and 1 SouthWest ticket away from the BA.

Have you ever been to Paducah? I have, it's a shithole.

Gragorin says

Have you ever been to Paducah? I have, it's a shithole.

One man's shithole is another man's ... can't say that I've ever been to Paducah, but I have been to SF and in many, many ways it qualifies as a cesspool. An expensive cesspool, but a cesspool all the same. Again, I've never been to Paducah, but if I could afford to live in SF - I wouldn't!

Gragorin says

Have you ever been to Paducah? I have, it's a shithole.

I just passed through last summer. The downtown area had a good feel...real American texture. There was even a kind of an arts district. Maybe not as pretty as San Jose, but also not as dull as San Jose, which really is blandsville.

I'm a seventh generation Californian, but I love the South

Those hobos living on the street in San Francisco are actually savvy personal finance gurus saving a fortune on rent.

E-man says

That's over $1M worth of gains/equity.

Congrats ducky.

So you're saying when you work, you get money? These get rich renting places ideas are an example of too good to be true. Underlying this idea is the suggestion that the landlord doesn't do anything for this money. Some don't! That's where the term "slum lords" came from. The rest who rent do so with a certain varying amount of work involved.

Hey, I already have a job! I don't want to work more. I know I could make more money by working more. So what's your point?