A Place to Call Home

As I have been looking for college, I've been looking at the cost of living in the cities that I'll be going to. This is basically because that, after about a semester, I'll probably be getting an apartment. But there's a little issue with that.

The cheapest Seattle apartment that I'd be okay living in (two bedrooms, one bath, dishwasher) is around $1200. Yes. Two zeroes.

On the flipside, however, I've discovered that Portland (another city that I may be going to college in) has nice apartments for around $550. These are the same kinds of apartments that I found in Seattle.

Lincoln and Kansas City are my last two choices. I am not worried one bit about the cost of living there. I have a friend who's getting a four-bedroom apartment for around $800 in Lincoln. That's four bedrooms.

So why is Seattle so expensive? That can be answered with the golden rule of real estate:
Location
Location
Location

Homes near the oceanfront are generally more expensive than those away from it. Seattle is also a very high-class city. There's very little crime, and the main "ghetto" is located near Tacoma. Most of Seattle's population is shifted away from that area. Therefore, it's really expensive. Another reason can be found here. Seattle has lots of regulations on land use, which boosted the prices of housing.

What would you be willing to pay for an apartment in your dream city? You never know - it could be much more expensive than you think!