[quote=Danzig]
Quote:
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Originally Posted by dalakhani
your area is far from the norm, very far. as for housing, i know there are nice areas, probably not in fairfax, that they could get into. but perhaps they really want to live in fairfax, that's their choice.
by the same token, two teachers down here are living high on the hog. so, for every example you could give according to one of the most expensive areas in the country, no doubt most of us could give examples of how it's not the case. thing is, some think i have a 'distorted' viewpoint, because i live in arkansas. but i was born and raised in maryland, lived in cali, florida, and even overseas before moving here, to missouri, and then back here. in other words been there, done that. if you've lived only in that area, of course that's all you know-kind of like people who have never left here, they think it's all the same as here-couldn't be further from the truth.
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I have lived in other areas and im not foolish enough to think that it isnt different in other areas. I realize that our housing prices are an extra burden. But I know that this isnt the only area where the middle class is getting squeezed and i know that there are other challenges that people in other areas face.
The national median household income is about 50k per year. 50k! Less than 20% our population makes over 100k.
So lets do the numbers on the median-50k. The median house price is 196k. Lets do the math for a family of four:
Income = 4166 per month so they take home 3000
PITI- 1500 per month (with all time low interest rates over thirty years)
Utilities- 400 per month
Gas for two cars- 400 per month
Insurance- 100 per month
Food for a family of four- 400 per month
car payment- 250
clothing- 100 per month
entertainment- 100 per month