Dan

Tight, frugal, penny-pincher, call me what you want. I want to move from my current locale but am only interested in places that have a relatively low cost of living. Any ideas?

xxx

San Antonio TX. average home price $77,000.

Erieite

Erie PA, many homes that are just fine under $50,000.

Carol

Rochester, New York -

Very affordable housing (new and pre-existing) ... You can get a very nice brand new home in good suburb within 20 minute drive to downtown for $200-250; can even get new for less, and if want to pay more can get a very large, deluxe house in one of more affluent suburbs), very reasonable commuting times (average 15-25 min). You can find decent pre-existing housing in various price ranges .... I have a 1900 sf colonial (built 1959), 3B, 1 1/2 bath, hardwood floors, 2 car attached garage on 1/4 acre in suburb within 15 minutes of downtown that is in excellent condition .... would sell for about $125-135.

The Rochester economy is a bit challenged right now depending on your field, and you may find that the pay scale is less than you would get in a big city (which is offset by the lower cost of living).

Summers are nice; generally sunny with mild temperatures (70s-80s, maybe with a few days close to 90 with higher humidity) ... although this year its been a bit cooler with more rain so far. Lots of festivals in the summer; close to Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario for water activities. Winters can be long, gray and snowy, but you will find that snow is cleared off streets pretty fast. Also, there are numerous golf course in the area (for summer recreation) and several small skiing areas within 2 hours (for winter) with Vermont/Lake Placid reachable for larger mountain skiing within 5-6 hour drive.

Not the same level of nightlife as in a big city (i.e., Boston, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia), but areas in the downtown area that offer several options for restaurants, clubs and entertainment with lots of people out and about on weekend nights (weekday nights are a bit quieter).

xxx

Suburbs of Phoenix AZ, such as Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler are very affordable. You can easily get a brand new house, 3BR, 2 BA, 2 car garage, maybe even a pool, for about $130,000. You just have to be able deal with 110 degree summers - but I love it!

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Dave

Upstate NY. Recessed area in the Rust Belt. Everyone is unemployed and moving away so you can buy a house for $50000 in places like Syracuse, Binghamton, Utica.....

Need ideas

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linda

I am from Alabama, and things are pretty cheap down there. I moved to Virginia, and although I love it, it definitely is a higher cost of living.

cheap

Anyplace you can park your double-wide.

streetpeople

...double wide??? Just live out of your car! Cheap as it gets.

try this

Go to www.coldwellbanker.com and go to their Home Price Comparison Index. It is a neat little online calculator.

x

Low cost is really only 1 factor. Usually low cost means lots of other undesireable things. Wouldn't you rather have some balance, like lowest cost without giving up everything?

Other Carol

Hi Carol, I am from Rochester too. I agree with everything you said, except I would like to know if the houses you are talking about are on the West side of town. On the east side older homes are in the $170,000 price range on up. Especially if you are in a village.

Go Rochester

sneaky pete

Dan, your old lady lets me stay in your basement in exchange for a few "favors." Cheapest living yet!

Carol

Hi "other" Carol - Actually, you can find those prices on Rochester's east side in Webster ... both for new and pre-existing houses. You can get a small cape cod/range starting around $100 in West Webster, and then you can pretty much find pre-existing houses in whatever price you want from there on up. There are some nice newer tracks with wooded areas going in the low $200s for brand new (and of course there are more deluxe homes for higher).

NuwYawker

An apartment in Manhattan, NYC. You don't need an automobile, you don't have any gardening or landscaping costs, you'll never have to worry about repairs to the boiler, the roof, the windows, the electrical system, the pavement, the siding, etc., etc., etc. Really very cost effective.

Jenq

There's a difference between not worrying about repairs and not paying for them. Those NYC apartments all come with monthly fees for paying the guys who DO do those things for you.

other carol

Hello-I totally forgot about Webster. I was thinking in the lines of Pittsford or Perinton. Hey, at least "It Takes a Village" in Webster. Thanks Carol :}

chichi

You can cross either coast off your list --- anyplace by the water is higher $$$. Okay maybe if you head up to Maine, but those winters can be tough.