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  #1  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 4:34 AM
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Cities with nice culture/universities etc that also offer cheap housing & living cos

Title cut off last word, "costs". Are there any such places left? Ann Arbor? Madison? Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill? Maybe there are no bargains left. Just some less expensive than others. How about Canada? Saskatoon? Guelph? Europe? South America?
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  #2  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 4:36 AM
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Chicago & Philly
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  #3  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 4:38 AM
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Chicago & Philly
Yeah, I often think about Chicago. Rents must be significantly lower than coastal Cali. And some top rate culture and universities. I have many relatives in Philly, so maybe that too. Proximity to NYC, Washington and the whole east coast thing interests me. I am "California'd out", although it was 75 degrees today. The catastrophic drought we are still in worries me, as does the ever present possibility of a catastrophic earthquake. California may have peaked. It has for me.

I have lived the CA "dream", now it is fading fast and is costly. Want something new: autumn colors, winter snow (in moderation), not too hot summers, walks in woods, historic cities and sites, Eastern or Central time zone (easier on stock traders like yours truly), etc.

Last edited by CaliNative; Nov 26, 2022 at 7:41 PM.
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  #4  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 6:46 AM
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Originally Posted by CaliNative View Post
Yeah, I often think about Chicago. Rents must be significantly lower than coastal Cali. And some top rate culture and universities. I have many relatives in Philly, so maybe that too. Proximity to NYC, Washington and the whole east coast thing interests me. I am Californiad out, although it was 75 today. But the catastrophic drought we are still in worries me. California may have peaked.
Chicago is a downright bargain considering it's a world class city. I have a friend who rents a three bedroom flat in a nice area for less than I pay for an tiny one bedroom in the Bay Area.
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Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 12:07 PM
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For Europe head east and south - Istanbul, Prague, Krakow, Gdansk, Budapest, Athens, Valencia, Lisbon, Alicante, Seville, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Bari, Genoa, Bologna. I'm tempted to say Berlin but it's now much pricier than it's famed for

Last edited by muppet; Nov 26, 2022 at 5:15 PM.
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  #6  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 1:14 PM
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Chicago is a downright bargain considering it's a world class city. I have a friend who rents a three bedroom flat in a nice area for less than I pay for an tiny one bedroom in the Bay Area.
Yes, Chicago is a bargain compared to nearly any other major city in this country. And I do believe I resemble your remark.

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  #7  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 7:44 PM
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For Europe head east and south - Istanbul, Prague, Krakow, Gdansk, Budapest, Athens, Valencia, Lisbon, Alicante, Seville, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Bari, Genoa, Bologna. I'm tempted to say Berlin but it's now much pricier than it's famed for
I would love to live in Athens, Thessalonika, Budapest, Lisbon, Genoa or Istanbul. Also consideribg Split and Zagreb, Croatia. Split is a major port city right on the Adriatic, as you know, with a nice Med climate somewhat similar to Cali but more rain in winter and a bit colder. Plenty of history. The Roman Emperor Diocletian came from there and built a huge palace which is now filled with shops. How easy is it to move to the cities you mention, at least on a year or two visitor pass? Any idea what a modest but clean studio or one bedroom apartment would rent for? How about Edinburgh or Dublin, Glasgow or some of the gentrifying English Midland cities? Or Oxford or Cambridge...really expensive? How about Trieste? Thanks!

Last edited by CaliNative; Nov 26, 2022 at 10:30 PM.
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  #8  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 8:23 PM
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Originally Posted by CaliNative View Post
Title cut off last word, "costs". Are there any such places left? Ann Arbor? Madison? Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill? Maybe there are no bargains left. Just some less expensive than others. How about Canada? Saskatoon? Guelph? Europe? South America?
São Paulo is a bit expensive for Brazilian standards, but it would be ridiculously cheap for Americans, let alone for a Californian. You have a meal on a Michelin star restaurant for the price of fast food up there or a very nice apartment in an expensive neighbourhood for US$ 800 or so.

São Paulo is a world-class city, very busy nightlife (arguably the best in the world), an active cultural scene as expected in a such big metropolis, has a working-oriented culture and has the best educational institutions in Latin America. As you're a foreigner, keep in mind it's the Brazilian/South American gateway and literally thousands of international companies have physical presence here.

For such price tag, you won't find anything in the world nowhere close to it.
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  #9  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 10:26 PM
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São Paulo is a bit expensive for Brazilian standards, but it would be ridiculously cheap for Americans, let alone for a Californian. You have a meal on a Michelin star restaurant for the price of fast food up there or a very nice apartment in an expensive neighbourhood for US$ 800 or so.

São Paulo is a world-class city, very busy nightlife (arguably the best in the world), an active cultural scene as expected in a such big metropolis, has a working-oriented culture and has the best educational institutions in Latin America. As you're a foreigner, keep in mind it's the Brazilian/South American gateway and literally thousands of international companies have physical presence here.

For such price tag, you won't find anything in the world nowhere close to it.
Agreed and I hope Americans never discover this. American techies and millenials are totally invading Mexico City as we speak and they don't like it because prices are now soaring there.

Likewise, Sao Paulo has a huge intellectual/academic population and many walkable, high density neighborhoods filled with nightlife at generally very reasonable price by US standards. Keep the Americanos like me out por favor. LOL.

Much of Porto Alegre also has many lovely neighborhood that fit this thread category. One of my favorite neighborhoods is Moinhos de Ventos--upscale, high density, very walkable, lots of interesting nightlife, even lots of beautiful trees and nature etc. Pretty much the perfect urban neighborhood imo.
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  #10  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 10:39 PM
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Agreed and I hope Americans never discover this. American techies and millenials are totally invading Mexico City as we speak and they don't like it because prices are now soaring there.

Likewise, Sao Paulo has a huge intellectual/academic population and many walkable, high density neighborhoods filled with nightlife at generally very reasonable price by US standards. Keep the Americanos like me out por favor. LOL.

Much of Porto Alegre also has many lovely neighborhood that fit this thread category. One of my favorite neighborhoods is Moinhos de Ventos--upscale, high density, very walkable, lots of interesting nightlife, even lots of beautiful trees and nature etc. Pretty much the perfect urban neighborhood imo.
Yes, I've been looking at South America as well, especially Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay. Even Colombia and Peru. Not so much Mexico, where the cartels appear to operate with impunity. Is Sao Paulo a relatively safe city, at least in the middle class areas? Not that California is safe...plenty of crime here, and guns are everywhere. Is homelessness a problem like it is in Cali? Hopefully Lula will help the poor like he did before. How about the south, cities like Curitiba and Florianopolis? Are they cheap and nice? How about Fortaleza in the north? Hear the beaches are specacular. Cheap as well? Maybe too far for an American.

Last edited by CaliNative; Nov 26, 2022 at 10:53 PM.
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  #11  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 10:48 PM
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I am in Bridgeport, CT now. Someone described Bridgeport as the new Burlington, Vermont. It is slightly more than one hour by Metro North and Amtrak to New York City but housing is significantly less than other communities in the New York region. Crime and property taxes are an issue, of course.

We are a ten minute walk from the beach (I fished from my kayak throughout the summer), there are several good restaurants and music venues, and at least two breweries here in the city.







Here are a couple of photos from Porchfest in August, where approximately 80 bands played on porches and front yards in the neighborhood.




Last edited by 202_Cyclist; Nov 26, 2022 at 11:00 PM.
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  #12  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 10:50 PM
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Internationally, Portugal offers a very good quality-of-life and the cost-of-living is much cheaper than the United States and much of the rest of Europe.
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  #13  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 10:56 PM
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I am in Bridgeport, CT now. Someone described Bridgeport as the new Burlington, Vermont. It is slightly more than one hour by Metro North and Amtrak to New York City but housing is significantly less than other communities in the New York region. Crime and property taxes are an issue, of course.

We are a ten minute walk from the beach (I fished from my kayak throughout the summer), there are several good restaurants and music venues, and at least two breweries here in the city.
The city of Barnum. As long as things are improving, I will consider it. Proximity to NYC and Boston a plus. How much would a clean modest one BR apt rent for, in a safe neighborhood?
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Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 11:00 PM
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Internationally, Portugal offers a very good quality-of-life and the cost-of-living is much cheaper than the United States and much of the rest of Europe.
The people that relocate there probably settle in Lisbon and the south. Are there better bargains in the north, say Oporto? Typical monthly rent on a studio or 1BR? Under $800? Less?

Last edited by CaliNative; Nov 27, 2022 at 3:22 PM.
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  #15  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 11:01 PM
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Bridgeport ? I’d say Stamford , new haven and Norwalk are a bit farther along in rejuvenating their cores

Curious to learn more about an insiders take on Bridgeport
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  #16  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 11:04 PM
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The city of Barnum. As long as things are improving, I will consider it. Proximity to NYC and Boston a plus. How much would a clean modest one BR apt rent for, in a safe neighborhood?
I am not sure. The neighborhood you would want to look in is Black Rock. You can rent entire 2 - 3 bedroom houses for $2,500 - $3,000 per month, so maybe a one-bedroom apartment would cost $1,000 - $1,500.

https://www.trulia.com/for_rent/11881_nh/
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  #17  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 11:07 PM
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Bridgeport ? I’d say Stamford , new haven and Norwalk are a bit farther along in rejuvenating their cores

Curious to learn more about an insiders take on Bridgeport
Sure but they are also a lot more expensive. New Haven has Yale, so it probably has more cultural offerings but New Haven and Bridgeport are probably similar.

Bridgeport definitely has rough areas but you can walk to the beach, walk to the Metro North station, have a lot of restaurants at a much lower cost than most other cities in the New York-metro area.
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  #18  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 11:11 PM
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Pittsburgh is probably about as good as one can possibly do in this category.

Doubt any other city can fully match its performance in the metrics of the thread title.
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  #19  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2022, 11:31 PM
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First one that came to mind to me was Pittsburgh as well. Chicago is decently affordable but rents still seem quite a bit more, and not all that far off from what I'm used to in Toronto. Though you get a lot more for the price in Chicago.

Technically Johannesburg has a top 100 university and you can rent a luxury flat in the arts district for less than $800 USD. A full house in a good, safe area that's walkable for probably around $1500. Cape Town is a bit pricier but Wits is a better university anyways.

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Originally Posted by muppet View Post
For Europe head east and south - Istanbul, Prague, Krakow, Gdansk, Budapest, Athens, Valencia, Lisbon, Alicante, Seville, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Bari, Genoa, Bologna. I'm tempted to say Berlin but it's now much pricier than it's famed for
Just got back from Berlin and from chatting with bartenders it sounds like it's not so much the cost of rent, but actually finding an apartment. Pretty much zero vacancy and it's almost impossible to get something even if you have the cash ready.
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  #20  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2022, 12:02 AM
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Yes, I've been looking at South America as well, especially Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay. Even Colombia and Peru. Not so much Mexico, where the cartels appear to operate with impunity. Is Sao Paulo a relatively safe city, at least in the middle class areas? Not that California is safe...plenty of crime here, and guns are everywhere. Is homelessness a problem like it is in Cali? Hopefully Lula will help the poor like he did before. How about the south, cities like Curitiba and Florianopolis? Are they cheap and nice? How about Fortaleza in the north? Hear the beaches are specacular. Cheap as well? Maybe too far for an American.
São Paulo murder rates were at 40/100,000 in the late 1990's. The state decided to act and it declined over the past 20 years to reach 5/100,000. It seems it will end 2022 below New York.

Said that, there was a surge of muggings all over the city for the past 12 months or so. I used to feel completely safe, everywhere, everytime. Not so much lately.

Curitiba is dull as its people. Florianópolis is cool and trending. About Fortaleza, keep in mind Northeast is much poorer than Centre-South. Regional unbalances in Brazil are much bigger than in the US. The city has also crime issues. Despite their beaches, I wouldn't recommend to a foreigner.


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Agreed and I hope Americans never discover this. American techies and millenials are totally invading Mexico City as we speak and they don't like it because prices are now soaring there.

Likewise, Sao Paulo has a huge intellectual/academic population and many walkable, high density neighborhoods filled with nightlife at generally very reasonable price by US standards. Keep the Americanos like me out por favor. LOL.

Much of Porto Alegre also has many lovely neighborhood that fit this thread category. One of my favorite neighborhoods is Moinhos de Ventos--upscale, high density, very walkable, lots of interesting nightlife, even lots of beautiful trees and nature etc. Pretty much the perfect urban neighborhood imo.
I love Porto Alegre and Moinhos de Vento. And I agree with you: it's the best kind of urban neighbourhood you can get anywhere in the world.
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