With less and less money to spare and remote jobs abundant, many big-city dwellers are reconsidering whether exorbitant living costs are worth the perks of city life.
The cost of living in Hawaii also indicates the cost of shipping goods from the Continental U.S. and other countries, the state’s tax-heavy laws, and zoning regulations limiting the islands’ housing supply.
Strict zoning codes, the presence of Silicon Valley (and the fat-salaried employee the sector attracts, and soul-crushing tax policies make San Francisco prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of Americans.
While aspiring actresses, musicians, and professionals with well-paying jobs will continue to make L.A. their homes, the massive cost of living, traffic, and other headaches no longer seem worth the benefits of living in Los Angeles.
With America’s ever-growing political machine providing a recession-proof ecosystem of jobs, housing remains in high demand. Despite their supposed public-servant status, many in Washington, D.C., can afford to pay the high price of living.