[Artistry121]

In another city a place this cheap would be less than $400 / month. Meaning someone could choose this lifestyle simply in a different city working for minimum wage and meet the requirements for housing costs of less than 1/3 income.

[JabavuAdams]

The problem is who you're living next to, at that price point, in another city.

Basically, if you live where all of the minimum-wage people live, you're going to get spill-over from all the typical problems in such a neighbourhood.

[douche]

In other parts of the country, the kind of money the author is paying in rent on a studio will pay the mortgage on a 2500 sqft house, in an upper-middle class neighborhood.

In an age of high-speed internet, it's ridiculous that we insist software engineers be jammed into dense, expensive globs. Working remotely with Skype calls/IM/screensharing is a better experience, all around, than trying to collaborate in the same office, at least in my experience. You do have to have employees that will actually work, though.

[JabavuAdams]

For sure, but I was commenting on the parent's $400/mo.

[eghad]

Yeah, the assumption that all low-income neighborhoods have problems that you should be afraid of "spilling over" is a poor one.

[JabavuAdams]

It would be obvious to say that I haven't lived in every low-income neighbourhood, but I've lived in one. So, I'll list the least severe of my complaints and see whether you think they're not representative of low-income neighbourhoods.

I live in Canada, but feel free to comment on US / Commonwealth / Europe.

* Majority of students in elementary school's parents did not attend college.

* Less than a majority of high-school students continue to University

* Engineer, Doctor, or Lawyer is a very uncommon profession among my neighbours.

* Any non-domestic, non store-robbery, assault with a weapon (stabbing or shooting) within the neighbourhood within the last two years.