With prices of homes in California well out of reach of the average buyer and with new “remote work” policies adopted by many companies, it might be time to start thinking about other cities to live in that have a much lower cost of living. If my wife and I were able to work remotely full time, and my parents and in-laws had the flexibility of moving out of California, we would definitely have considered staying in Michigan to afford a nicer house, and send our kids to better schools. The average price of a home in California that can accommodate a family of 4 and can land you in a good school district can range between 1 to 2 million dollars.
In this article, I’m going to describe several states in the midwest that have a much lower cost of living but still provide access to great high schools. I’m not going to list the states in any particular order. Also, since my wife and I love food variety, I’ll be using dining as a metric.
Metrics:
Median home prices in neighborhoods with a top 600 nationally ranked high school. (I use 600 because my high school is ranked 601 and most people consider it a good highschool in terms of average SAT scores, AP programs, IB programs, and college acceptance rates).
Access to organic food
Access to dining: Mexican, Dim Sum, Vietnamese Food, Thai Food within a drivable distance
Access to outdoor activities such as biking and hiking.
Michigan
Novi School District
National School Ranking: 429
Median Home Price: $300,000
Troy School District
National School Ranking: 323
Median Home Price: $400,000
Northville School District
National School Ranking: 443
Median home price: $300,000
Mexican Food
Yes
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Indiana
West Lafayette High
National School Ranking: 284
Median Home Price: $250,000
Carmel Clay High
National School Ranking: 369
Median Home Price: $400,000
Mexican Food
Yes
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Missouri
Clayton School District
National School Ranking: 205
Median Home Price: $750,000
Kirkwood School District
National School Ranking: 306
Median Home Price: $335,000
Mexican Food
Yes
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Tennessee
Hume-Fogg School District
National School Ranking: 51
Median Home Price: $230,000
Brentwood School District
National School Ranking: 208
Median Home Price: $775,000
Mexican Food
Yes
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Georgia
Northview High School
National School Ranking: 293
Median Home Price: $468,000
Walton High School
National School Ranking: 187
Median Home Price: $603,000
Alpharetta High School
National School Ranking: 281
Median Home Price: $450,000
Mexican Food
So-so
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Minnesota
Minnetonka Senior High School
National School Ranking: 431
Median Home Price: $414,000
Woodbury Math and Science Academy Charter High SChool
National School Ranking: 124
Median Home Price: $386,000
Mexican Food
Yes
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Iowa
West Senior High School (Iowa City)
National School Ranking: 509
Median Home Price: $290,000
Mexican Food
Yes
Dim Sum
Yes
Vietnamese Food
Yes
Thai Food
Yes
Organic Grocery Stores
Yes
Outdoor Activities
Yes
Conclusions
It’s still unknown whether or not remote working will continue as a corporate trend even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. If it does, we may see a new “great migration” away from large, expensive cities to other regions in the US that provide lower costs of living without sacrificing on good schools and the amenities found in large cities. Some of these states and towns don’t have huge metropolitan areas like San Francisco or Los Angeles, but I believe you don’t need 100 Ramen restaurants in the area to be satisfied, you just need one. The one thing you would have to sacrifice by leaving California is the nice weather. But with global warming causing yearly fires and sea level rises, who knows whether California will remain climate-friendly all year round.
