> but if incomes are low For most people, housing swallows every bit of the income difference and then some. The difference between making $90k a year and, say

> but if incomes are low For most people, housing swallows every bit of the income difference and then some. The difference between making $90k a year and, say, $60k a year doesn't look so bad when the housing costs are 5-10x cheaper. If your goal is to own a detached home, then the costs are so disparate that most people who could buy a house in the Midwest tomorrow won't earn enough to own such a place on the coasts in their lifetime.