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Comment by maxsilver | Hacker News Reader

> there are plenty of places in the US that you haven't visited that are quite affordable to live in.

Sure, but almost none are nearly as affordable as the parent poster's example.

"Hamburg - Apartment, 1 Bedroom, City Centre - $823/month"

I'm in the so-called "affordable" Midwest, and there's not a single apartment even remotely close to that price, in any city anywhere within 400 miles here. In Michigan, for example, that same apartment will cost at least $1,200/month. This is true despite the fact that our average income is roughly identical to what Numbeo lists for Hamburg.

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It should also be mentioned, that Hamburg is very expensive.

1 City centre bedroom + utilities $1120

The same in Kiel (pop 240k) $810

Dresden (pop 540k): $770

I'd assume only Berlin and Munich will have prices like Hamburg

>I'm in the so-called "affordable" Midwest, and there's not a single apartment even remotely close to that price [$823], in any city anywhere within 400 miles here.

I am in the definitely unaffordable Bay Area, and you don't have to go 400 miles to rent a 1 bd apt for under $800. Its not going to be in a desirable city and probably not a very nice apt, but they certainly exist. Literally the first listing I found on craigslist was $775 (in Modesto, about an 80 mile drive to San Jose).

> Its not going to be in a desirable city and probably not a very nice apt,

That's what the comparison is though, it's using "city center" apartments, apartments inside urban areas. Of which, there aren't any anywhere near that price, in almost any city in the US. (Even somewhere like Detroit).

If you want to look at crappy apartments way outside of town, the comparison still holds up:

> Dresden - Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre - $392/month USD

That "affordable" Modesto apartment is still about 2X the cost of a comparable unit.

And likely has proper public transport (very lacking in the US) so you might be able to reduce your gas bill.

There's cheaper places like Wichita, KS but they don't have many good paying jobs which keeps many of the nicer townhomes and larger apartments in good neighborhoods out of reach unless you work aircraft. It's a weird situation that basically we got plenty of housing here but none of it is accessible to the average citizen at a cost effective price.

Wichita is an order of magnitude smaller and more provincial than Hamburg though - even the Kansas City metro is.

The right comparison for Wichita is an equally provincial mid-sized town in Germany, say Halle an der Saale. And I'd wager rents get quite similar again, if not cheaper in Germany...

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