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Comment by jimbokun | Hacker News Reader

This argument applies equally to never increasing anyone’s wages. If income goes up for anyone, rent will instantly rise to match the increase.

(It’s not clear why this only applies to rent and not other things people spend money on.)

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This is correct, it does apply to all forms of wage increases. I wouldn't say "instantly," but yes that's why cities are perpetually expensive despite constantly increasing productivity. They are highly productive ergo they have high wages ergo they can sustain high rents ergo they have high rents ergo they "are expensive" compared to adjacent markets.

Mentioned above but I'll put it here too for other readers: the reason rent is unique is that in high COL areas, it's driven primarily by the price of land which is has zero supply elasticity. Higher prices induce supply in all other forms of goods and services.

High cost of housing and rent is driven just as much by regulations preventing new housing from being built.

Regulations are causing the fact that housing prices follow purchasing power of potential buyers: it causes a shortage in supply, which means supply side can dictate prices. Prices will be what buyers can afford. Just wait for the next recession, housing prices will fall, even with the same regulations.

Rent isn’t optional, most things are. For things that are optional, which is really a sliding scale, we do see consumers just stop consuming.

I can’t not consume rent, that’s never an option.

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