You get WAY more apartment for your money down here. Here in the Dallas suburbs, for the same money you’ll pay for a studio or one-bedroom in not-cool areas of Brooklyn, almost every apartment has central AC, a dishwasher, parking, modern utilities, a washer/dryer hookup, RELIABLE MAINTENANCE and valet trash service. Many , ours included, also have additional amenities such as pools, gyms and common areas. Ours is about five minutes from two major highways that take us to Dallas or Ft Worth in less than 30 minutes without traffic (1 hour with, at most).

Also, that median price isn’t too far off from what it costs to get a luxury apartment in a downtown. There aren’t that many $3k/mo apartments because, at that rate, you might as well get a house.