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Is your $215k Aussie house in close to town in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane? There are plenty of cheap houses in America too, living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury t

Is your $215k Aussie house in close to town in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane? There are plenty of cheap houses in America too, living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury that people pay a premium for.

zik 10y ago
There are no decent houses anywhere near the major cities of Australia to be had for anywhere near $215k. The median house price in Australia is $659k. The apartment median is $518k.
TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
No, no it's not. I live in Launceston, Tasmania - population approx. 100,000 people. living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury that people pay a premium for. Yeah nah. I don't really follow this. Unless you consider terrible traffic and less than idea air quality luxuries. Having said that, I did live in Adelaide for 13 years. Okay, I'm being too critical, too inflammatory. Big cities bring people together in a pretty special way that enables all sorts of culture to arise that doesn't happen here, in these big country towns, or struggles to exist on the fringes as a caricature of it's big-city counterpart. And I definitely miss that. Choices, I guess. I can't afford to buy a house in any suburb I'd like to live in in the big cities in Australia. And I'm getting too old to rent or sharehouse. It's good here, 800 rock climbing routes within an hours drive of my house; kayaking and surfing; high-speed internet and Hacker News; a dog; business opportunities we're putting in to action.
- r2pleasent 10y ago
  Yeah nah. I don't really follow this. Unless you consider terrible traffic and less than idea air quality luxuries. Having said that, I did live in Adelaide for 13 years. It's a fact, not a matter of opinion. People definitely do pay a premium for the luxury of living in LA/SF/NYC. Just look at the rents as you move further away from the center of the cities. You and I may argue whether it's worth paying that premium, but that's a separate conversation. Location is the most important valuation metric in real estate. A one acre piece of land in rural America could be worth $5,000. An acre in Manhattan is worth $90M+.[1] [1] http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/2100-a-square-foot-for-vacant-land/ http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/2100-a-square-f...
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury Definitely an opinion. that people pay a premium for. That's a fact. People definitely pay a premium for living in or close to big cities. Whether it's a luxury is entirely a matter of opinion.
    - acedinlowball 10y ago
      So you don't agree that 6-bedroom mansions, expensive sports cars, and having a high-paying job are luxuries?
      - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
        Well now the goal posts have moved. Is living in a big city a luxury? I'm doubtful. Is having those other things a luxury? Sure they sound luxurious until you realise you have to pay for them, which is why you'll need the high-paying job. I'm just saying that it is possible to be comfortable outside a huge city and not owning cars I'd be worried about scratching. People have different tastes.
mhenr18 10y ago
It's interesting that a lot of people act like living in those big cities is a necessity rather than the luxury that you've pointed out it really is.
- pcr0 10y ago
  What about better career opportunities?
  - dionidium 10y ago
    What about them? This is a question that deserves a long, complicated, reasoned answer, but it's generally asked as though it's already the answer. I'll just say for brevity that people (especially young professionals) drastically underestimate 1) the amount of opportunities there are in other, smaller cities and 2) the quality of life that's possible on lower salaries in those cities.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
      Thank you.
- danharaj 10y ago
  As a software contractor, yea it's a necessity for me.
  - dionidium 10y ago
    90% of software developers work outside of the SFBA [0]. On the one hand: holy crap a full 10% of software engineers work in just one city! But, on the other hand, the vast majority don't. I'm sure there are certain people who really need to be there, but not everyone does. [0] http://qz.com/729293/90-of-software-developers-work-outside-silicon-valley/ http://qz.com/729293/90-of-software-developers-work-outside-...
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  I wouldn't even consider it a luxury. In my opinion it's a trade off between quality of life vs. the opportunities that exist in big cities. Of course, quality of life is subjective.

Is your $215k Aussie house in close to town in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane? There are plenty of cheap houses in America too, living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury that people pay a premium for.

zik 10y ago

There are no decent houses anywhere near the major cities of Australia to be had for anywhere near $215k. The median house price in Australia is $659k. The apartment median is $518k.

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago

No, no it's not. I live in Launceston, Tasmania - population approx. 100,000 people. living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury that people pay a premium for. Yeah nah. I don't really follow this. Unless you consider terrible traffic and less than idea air quality luxuries. Having said that, I did live in Adelaide for 13 years. Okay, I'm being too critical, too inflammatory. Big cities bring people together in a pretty special way that enables all sorts of culture to arise that doesn't happen here, in these big country towns, or struggles to exist on the fringes as a caricature of it's big-city counterpart. And I definitely miss that. Choices, I guess. I can't afford to buy a house in any suburb I'd like to live in in the big cities in Australia. And I'm getting too old to rent or sharehouse. It's good here, 800 rock climbing routes within an hours drive of my house; kayaking and surfing; high-speed internet and Hacker News; a dog; business opportunities we're putting in to action.

r2pleasent 10y ago
Yeah nah. I don't really follow this. Unless you consider terrible traffic and less than idea air quality luxuries. Having said that, I did live in Adelaide for 13 years. It's a fact, not a matter of opinion. People definitely do pay a premium for the luxury of living in LA/SF/NYC. Just look at the rents as you move further away from the center of the cities. You and I may argue whether it's worth paying that premium, but that's a separate conversation. Location is the most important valuation metric in real estate. A one acre piece of land in rural America could be worth $5,000. An acre in Manhattan is worth $90M+.[1] [1] http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/2100-a-square-foot-for-vacant-land/ http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/2100-a-square-f...
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  living in LA/SF/NYC is a luxury Definitely an opinion. that people pay a premium for. That's a fact. People definitely pay a premium for living in or close to big cities. Whether it's a luxury is entirely a matter of opinion.
  - acedinlowball 10y ago
    So you don't agree that 6-bedroom mansions, expensive sports cars, and having a high-paying job are luxuries?
    - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
      Well now the goal posts have moved. Is living in a big city a luxury? I'm doubtful. Is having those other things a luxury? Sure they sound luxurious until you realise you have to pay for them, which is why you'll need the high-paying job. I'm just saying that it is possible to be comfortable outside a huge city and not owning cars I'd be worried about scratching. People have different tastes.

mhenr18 10y ago

It's interesting that a lot of people act like living in those big cities is a necessity rather than the luxury that you've pointed out it really is.

pcr0 10y ago
What about better career opportunities?
- dionidium 10y ago
  What about them? This is a question that deserves a long, complicated, reasoned answer, but it's generally asked as though it's already the answer. I'll just say for brevity that people (especially young professionals) drastically underestimate 1) the amount of opportunities there are in other, smaller cities and 2) the quality of life that's possible on lower salaries in those cities.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    Thank you.
danharaj 10y ago
As a software contractor, yea it's a necessity for me.
- dionidium 10y ago
  90% of software developers work outside of the SFBA [0]. On the one hand: holy crap a full 10% of software engineers work in just one city! But, on the other hand, the vast majority don't. I'm sure there are certain people who really need to be there, but not everyone does. [0] http://qz.com/729293/90-of-software-developers-work-outside-silicon-valley/ http://qz.com/729293/90-of-software-developers-work-outside-...
TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
I wouldn't even consider it a luxury. In my opinion it's a trade off between quality of life vs. the opportunities that exist in big cities. Of course, quality of life is subjective.