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I also moved from SF to small town Illinois, and oddly enough my spending in SF pre-Covid and in IL now are about the same. In SF, I had a rent controlled spot
by gotaran 6y ago
I also moved from SF to small town Illinois, and oddly enough my spending in SF pre-Covid and in IL now are about the same.
In SF, I had a rent controlled spot and lived with 4 roommates. It didn't matter much because I spent most of my time at work, and had access to a bunch of things in the city and the Bay on weekends. I also ate most of my meals for free at work, and I didn't own a car.
Now, in IL, I have my own 1BR apartment, a car, and spend a lot more on groceries and takeout.
Also, I'm getting a fundamentally different experience. I have more space, but I'd love to go back to city living when the pandemic ends.
- sct202 6y agoI think a lot of the cost of living calculators assume you won't downgrade your living situations with roommates, smaller living spaces, etc, so there's a lot of situations like yours where expenses don't scale the same way someone who wants to live in a similar sized single family home in both areas.