I lived in Chicago once, and even though rent was much cheaper than it is in the Bay Area, life overall was not that much more manageable.
I'm not exactly sure what it was, whether it was that wages were lower (minimum wage is a little bit lower in Chicago than in San Francisco, but salaries seem to 30 - 40% lower), it was harder to find a job in the first place (I failed to get a job in Chicago, definitely 50% user error, but also tougher to get interviews), or things were just farther apart and more difficult access (Chicago is really spread out), but in the end, Chicago didn't end up feeling that much "cheaper" from experience.
I'll go out on a limb and say that Los Angeles is the most expensive place in the US when you factor in rent, salaries, and traffic.
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Pretend Seattleite.
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