nyc is cheaper than other us cities if you dont own a car. people in the suburbs of say chicago pay $500/mo just for insurance and a stupid car loan. plus tires, oil, tolls, etc.  a one bedroom in a suburb in the us can easily be $1500 these days. or someone can move further out and find cheaper.  and yes groceries are expensive. but i got two boxes of cereal yesterday, two for $5. organic milk half gallon on sale for $4, and 6 chicken thighs for $9.  but yeah if nothing is on sale ill fill up my backpack and its easy to pay like $80 for a small bit of food to carry home.
United States