[fabianhjr]

If you live in a car-centric city without walkable and bikeable streets nor great public transit and force car-dependence that is what you get.

There are plenty of non-car-centric expensive cities that one can travel across in less than an hour.

[lupire]

Employers don't put many jobs there. Even in NYC, very transit oriented, is do crowded and expensive that commutes are long, and often too crowded ("straphanging") and with transfers that don't let you get that time back for book/podcast.

[offtop5]

Oh I'm in full agreement, this is one of the many reasons I left la.

Once I went to car free I got rid of about 25,000 in credit card debt in 6 months or so. Much of why so many Americans are so desperately poor has to do with car ownership. While it's possible to get Uncle Jimmy's Old Jeep running, most people just finance something. Once you make your car payment your insurance and gas, that's easily a third of your income. Compared to a $100 a month bus pass

[bart_spoon]

Not in the US there isn't. And the ones there are are:

1. Expensive

2. Not particularly family friendly

So if you are a high earner with roommates or a partner and no children, you have options. For the remaining 90% of the workforce, it isn't particularly feasible.

[fabianhjr]

Sorry, not in the US but I agree there isn't a single city in the US with great subways.

[bart_spoon]

Same. I used to be impressed by cities like NYC, and then I moved to Japan for a few years and I realized that I'm not sure there is a city in the US that makes the top 5, or possibly top 10, best cities in the world. At least not in terms of livability.

[asdff]

People have over an hour commutes riding transit in nyc too. You only luck out if you manage to secure a job and an apartment along the same transit line, and that's rarely easy or cheap. Especially if you suddenly get a new job.