[kazinator]

I believe you can easily get a <= 300K detached house that is a 30-40 minute train ride from Tokyo, and in an area that itself has decent amenities.

[onlyrealcuzzo]

Yes - but that's a $300k small house, usually with a poor build quality.

In Cleveland & Detroit and many small towns you can get literally old mansions for less than $200k.

You can get small pieces of crap an hour out of even NYC and LA for around $300k - even in this crazy market. Plus your wages will likely be higher...

SF night be the only metro in the US where this isn't possible.