[czhu12]

Not to be that guy who always turns up and points out things aren't that bad, but you can easily rent a 5 bedroom home in Iowa for quite a bit less than 830 / week ($3300 / month) today.

5 bedroom home currently goes for about $2400 / month on Zillow.

I have to think part of the issue is that people no longer want to live in Iowa / LCOL and now prefer NYC / HCOL.

[Etheryte]

You're wrong, you've mixed up the numbers. Their general living expenses were $200/week. Their rent was $200/month, that's $200 for the whole month, not per week.