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[Lisette]

I may be moving to the US and wondered if the cost of living varied a lot from place to place.  My boyfriend has a few choices of location to go to but I think his salary is going to be the same.  Are there some places that are really expensive and others that are really cheap.  Is there a difference between the East and West coast?
All advice welcome - thanks!

[MaryG]

There's a huge disparity in the cost of living in various parts of the US. For example in California and New York the cost of housing can be nearly twice as much as it is in smaller states.  We are paying less (by twofold) for our 3-bedroom house in New England than I paid for a one-bedroom apt in New York when I lived there nearly ten years ago. Some states have a much higher  sales tax than others while some states have no sales tax and an increased income tax to make up for it. CNN's Money Magazine did a comparison of states not too long ago. Here's the link to the article:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/index.html

[Chevy]

I'd have to agree with Mary that's there's a big difference depending on where you are settling. For the most part large urban cities (Chicago, New York, LA) have ridiculously high expenses which make it almost impossible for the average American to live without debt and credit. Suburbia is a little more realistic.

[Danniet]

I also agree with the other posters on this one. You really have to do your research on where you want to live. As was stated before, the big cities are going to have a much higher cost of the living. Suburban living can be very affordable depending on what state you choose to live in.

[freeform]

Would it be fair to say though, that the cost of living in the US is less than in the UK?

I know London came nears the top in the worldwide league of living expenses ....

[Chevy]

I would say that's a fair assessment. I've heard from friends and have some limited travel experience in the UK. From what I've seen the cost of living is considerably higher than in most of the US, barring large urban areas like Manhattan.