I do actually live here. Hence the mention of the things I like about it. I was just using nice round numbers as an estimate and trying to say cost of living matters but the #1 thing I pay for here vs another American city is rent. Groceries, gas, consumer goods, etc. do not differ enough to be worth factoring into the equation. I think the big ticket is buying a house. THAT feels really out of reach because I can't do the mental gymnastics to pay around $1000 a square foot...