I might feel bad for people dealing with housing in SF.. But I live in Auckland. Considering moving back to Texas so I can feel sorry for people dealing with b

I might feel bad for people dealing with housing in SF.. But I live in Auckland. Considering moving back to Texas so I can feel sorry for people dealing with both cities' housing. Most aren't familiar so I'll paint a picture(in NZD). The average selling price for a home just this past September was 683,101. What will 683k get you? Pretty much a shack by US standards. Probably no insulation. No central AC. It's actually pretty hard to describe just how little you get. Sure, you can buy lower but even at 550k homes come with descriptive words like "Real potential", "A real do-up", "Great starting point", "Fringe", "A foot on the ladder". Oh, and did I mention the 20% DP you need for a mortgage now? And the interest rates will have you paying double unless you pay it off fast. Meanwhile, median household income is about 60K(USD). Renting? Anything under 400/week will most likely be unsuitable for a couple. You really don't start hitting "descent" until you're closing in on 500/week and they come with more bedrooms than you need.. Almost no good one bedrooms. There is this threshold you have to cross before you start finding places that have been kept up. See, there is a tremendous housing shortage. This causes much of the low end stuff to go barely maintained through decades of renter churn because they are sure to find another renter regardless. You might search months for a suitable place to rent, and then have to contend with many others after the same place. Often between the time a listing goes up and you can call, same day, it's mysteriously gone. A lot of the choice places don't schedule appointments; they herd groups of 20 through at designated times on viewing days. The property management agents, which you'll most likely be dealing with because you're renting a property from some guys portfolio of like 5(corporate owned apartment complexes are almost unheard of), are often times very unhelpful and even rude. A lot of the points about renting are mirrored in buying. Most homes go to auction because the shortage. People get desperate and end up bidding high to secure a place and be done with the process. In the US people absolutely hate packing and moving. In Auckland simply finding a suitable place to live is so bad, you don't really pay any mind to the actual moving:| End Rant.