Low skill job wage buys you about the same amount of housing regardless of whether you're making $25/h in the Bay or $12/h in Arkansas. It buys you about the sa

Low skill job wage buys you about the same amount of housing regardless of whether you're making $25/h in the Bay or $12/h in Arkansas. It buys you about the same amount of restaurant food, conditioned on buying from a local restaurant instead of a national chain. It buys you the same amount of a mechanic's work. You can't escape basic economics. The supply of low skill labor is vastly greater than the demand, ergo real wages are low. The supply of housing is vastly smaller than demand, ergo real rents are high.