PLACESTATS.COM
Find the Cheapest place to Live
where you can get the most Income for your work
and vastly improve the Quality of Your Life
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Resources for finding aBetter Place to LiveYou can improve the quality of your life by moving to a place with more of the things you want. It is not how much you are paid, it is how much you are paid relative to the cost of living of where you live. You can evaluate if moving to a new place will be better by comparing Quality of Life issues like crime or weather to where you are living now. Cost of Living
Cost of Living can improve the quality of your life if costs are lower in a place allowing you to have excess money to spend and save after paying all your monthly bills. Your lifestyle is determined by the cost of housing, food and entertainment and the costs differ across the country and the world. It is the percentage of your salary it takes to pay for your lifestyle rather than the amount of your salary that most impacts your life. Cost of living includes rent, transportation, food, utilities, gas, taxes, insurance, and how much salary you can earn. It also include access to other money such as public assistance and food stamps and tax rates that vary state to state. Compare how far a salary will go in two different cities in the US (cnnmoney.com) Where are people spending the least on their rent and utlilites (less than 30%) of their income? (US Census Bureau) Cost of Living Comparison Calculator (bankrate.com) Where are the cheapest places to rent in the US? (US Census Bureau) Where are the most people living in mobile homes and trailers in the US? Where are the most households given cash public assistance in the US? (US Census Bureau)
Salaries and Employment are important because even if the cost of living is low, if you can't get a job or a reasonable salary, then a lower cost of living is less help. Employment levels are changing all the time and often seasonally impacted. In the current economic condition, any assumptions of employment or salary should be verified. Where is the highest employment in the US? (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) Where are the Salaries highest in the US? (US Census Bureau) Crime rates that are high reduce the quality of your life. If you are living in a high crime area and used to taking safeguards, moving to a lower crime area may increase your quality of life. But the same level of crime that is an improvement to you may reduce the quality of life of someone coming from a small town and used to little or no crime. The types of crimes (violent or property) may impact you differently if you have children, teenagers or are retired. Before you move, consider the crime statistics of where you are moving compared where you are living now. What are the rates of violent and property crimes the US? (US Bureau of Justice Statistics) Compare Crime Rates between Cities (AreaConnect) Where are the most people living below the poverty line in the US? (US Census Bureau) Air quality and pollution can make you happier or more miserable. Check out the air quality, number of days of unsafe air conditions, the major polluters in a region before making a move. Compare that to what you are currently living with. US Air Quality and Outlook (EPA) Pollution Information Site - biggest polluters by zip code (Scorecard)
Climate & extreme Weather can greatly disrupt your life. Check out the weather, average temperatures, days of sunlight, amount of snow and ice, heat waves, drought, floods, cyclones and huricanes and tornados of where you are moving. Compare them to where you are living now. Extreme Weather and Climate Events (recent and historic events - NCDC) Compare Climate between Cities (NOAA data) Earthquakes and Volcanoes may be something you don't want to deal with. Check out the latest earthquakes. Latest Earthquakes (USGS) Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide Release Detection (University of Maryland and NASA Aura) Population & Types of People are important to your quality of Life and happiness. The more a place matches who you are and what you like the better things will work out for you. Where do the most people live in the US? (US Census Bureau 2007 estimates) Where are the least number of people living (per square mile)? (US Census Bureau) Where do the most Blacks live in the US?(US Census Bureau) Where do the most Whites live in the US? (US Census Bureau) Where do the most Asians live in the US? (US Census Bureau) Where are people retiring (over 65) living in the US? (US Census Bureau) Where are people over 85 living in the US? (US Census Bureau) Cultural synergy is about syncing with a place. If you are close to things you are passionate about it can make you happy and engaged in life. Before you move check to see if the place you are going has the things you love to do like biking, hiking, movies, surfing, eating out. If you love TV, make sure there is good cable where you are moving. If you love car racing, check out if there are race tracks nearby. Check out the average ages of the people in the town, the types of businesses there, and the state of the city and county finanaces. Laws are different in every state. Make sure you pick a place that fits who you are and what you love to do. Living outside the US World-wide places to rent or buy - Listings of rentals, houses, rooms and sublets with description, number for bedrooms, and price (Craigslist and Google maps)
Where in the world do YOU want to Live??
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Links to Evaluate Places to LiveForums CityData
Articles Gray Expatriates - Retiring abroad may not be paradise - Desert News Can Boomers Afford to Live in the US? 5 cheapest places to rent in America - msnbc.msn.com
2008's Ten Worst Places to be Black - alternet.org Health map of Britain: UK's healthiest and unhealthiest places to live - mirror.co.uk Where America's most stressful places are - bizjournals.com Five Affordable, under the radar beach towns in the Americas - smartertravel.com Cost of Living in Hilo, Hawaii
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