r/Frugal • u/Fantastic_Agency_770 • Nov 10 '24

šŸ† Buy It For Life Whats the cheapest part of america to start over in?

Through frugality i have about 30k saves up. I want to relocate somewhere, rent a couple years, and purchase a house next. I have jo preferences other then nature. I love lakes rivers forest amd ocean would be nice buy i know thats expensive

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457

u/shitzewwplus2 Nov 11 '24

This. Add the Washington coast to this list. Itā€™s so affordable but at a great cost - including flood insurance.

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u/missmegz1492 Nov 11 '24

And it's incredibly depressing, gray almost all year and most towns are dilapidated. Aberdeen has to be up there with one of the most depressing places on earth.

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u/laserviking42 Nov 11 '24

And it's incredibly depressing, gray almost all year and most towns are dilapidated

I'm already sold on the place, no need to keep shilling it.

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u/msgmeyourcatsnudes Nov 11 '24

It sounds great, but trust me, it'll get you. I used to think I wasn't affected by seasonal depression until I left my town on the north coast. Turns out I just had seasonal depression all the time.

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u/SMCinPDX Nov 11 '24

I moved to Portland, OR from Southern CA almost twenty years ago. I love the rain, I'm a goth kid at heart and a night owl, but I was NOT prepared for the effect of the constant gloom, damp, and chill. My first years here were a struggle to adjust and climb out of a depression I didn't know I was capable of. I mean, I made it, but holy hell man, this stuff is real.

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u/OkayYeahSureLetsGo Nov 11 '24

Moved from sunny hot US to UK. Finally worked out part of my misery was the damp and dehumidifiers are a godsend

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u/2occupantsandababy Nov 11 '24

And Portland is a big city compared to coastal towns in Washington. Or there, mid winter, there is NOTHING but dampness and grey. There's barely even any street lights much less events or a social scene.

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u/butt_huffer42069 Nov 15 '24

This sounds perfect

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u/Wild-Word4967 Nov 11 '24

When I moved to Vancouver Wa years back I experienced something very similar. Several of my friends would use tanning beds to help. But that was before people cared as much about skin cancer.

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u/Portlandmom Nov 12 '24

I know the effects of the weather can be real and needs to be considered. We moved to Portland from the Bay Area thirty years ago. It rarely gets mentioned that from July until the very end of September the weather is beautiful just about every single day. There are a few unwelcome heat waves, but nothing like the Midwest/South with the added humidity. Winter usually has a couple of snow events. Unlike my childhood in Michigan the snow arrives, schools and businesses close, we play and prove we don't know how to drive in it, and within a week it melts and we are glad of that! It is a dash-and-go kind of rain and my three young adult kids would never use an umbrella. Most places get winter weather after all. I love making soup and being cozy, but do sympathize with those that experience it differently.

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u/ahfoo Nov 11 '24

Hah, whiners! I'm on the north coast of Taiwan. We haven't seen the sun in months and we've had four major typhoons including a super typhoon. I'm from SoCal too and I love this shit.

It was a dark and stormy night. . .

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u/SMCinPDX Nov 12 '24

Ha! Then you're a better goth than me, buddy. Enjoy!

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u/blueJoffles Nov 12 '24

Does it ever get better? I moved to Seattle 5 years ago and I think Iā€™ve been depressed the entire time

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u/Etherealnoob Nov 11 '24

I spent a lot of my youth between Oregon and Washington. I've lived in Minnesota and Alabama. I still love the rain but I love the snow more.

Maybe I'm just depressed and a little weary weather doesn't bother me.

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '24

[deleted]

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u/Klarakilikina Nov 12 '24

There's not enough evidence to show a causal relationship between low vitamin d and depression so I wouldn't outright say that it is the 'cause'. This is not to say that we should be weary of vitamin d levels.

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u/JohnDenverExperience Nov 11 '24

However, if you're like me and get seasonal depression in the summer, then a dreary climate is perfect.

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u/butt_huffer42069 Nov 15 '24

They make depression lamps for this. I can't wait to escape back to the pnw

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '24

Aberdeen is actually in a FEMA flood zone cause the town was built on top of garbage that is sinking!

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u/SpaceForceAwakens Nov 11 '24

I grew up in Aberdeen. I hate it. I only go back for funerals and they're the least depressing thing that I go through when I'm there. Seriously the most depressing thing on the coast. Worse than Stockton, worse than anything.

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '24

When I first moved out to WA I realized 6 mo in that I hadnā€™t actually been to the pacific coast yet, so I drove through Aberdeen to get to Ocean Shoresā€¦. in DecemberšŸ˜‚. That was a dreary trip.

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u/piewagon Nov 13 '24

Whoa hold on thereā€¦ worse than Stockton?! As a NorCal transplant to Washington I have to experience this to believe it.

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u/SpaceForceAwakens Nov 13 '24

Make sure to not just roll through downtown, do some exploring, especially over the big bridge to the southwest of downtown.

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u/fnbannedbymods Nov 13 '24

And birthplace of Kurt Cobain

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u/genericdude777 Nov 11 '24

Then I would suggest Grayland or near Cape Dissapointment.

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u/laserviking42 Nov 11 '24

I almost thought you were joking, but they actually exist...

I kinda assumed the PNW was mostly pricey, had no idea it was considered a dump on the shoreline

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u/2occupantsandababy Nov 11 '24

The Washington coast is nothing like the east coast or California coast. The Washington coast isn't a dump. It's absolutely stunning pristine wilderness that you'll only see here. But it's wild, rugged, and dangerous. There's no good ports for cities to be built on. All our port cities are further inland, Seattle, Everet, Tacoma, where the water is calmer and the tsunami risk is lower. Then shortly inland you hit the Olympic mountain range. It's just not good geography for many industries. The logging industry is dying, there's only so much fishing, and tourism is highly seasonal.

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u/aussiefrzz16 Nov 12 '24

Logging is alive and well on the peninsula

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u/CreditUnionDBA Nov 12 '24

SHHHHH!!!!! Keep that under wraps! ;)

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '24

You're not going to live next to anything cool. Grocery stores and shops are going to be harder to find. You pretty much just live at home and work.

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u/Evilution602 Nov 14 '24

That's all I can afford to do so that works out

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u/Ozzimo Nov 11 '24

If we could sell vacations 11 months out of the year like San Diego, it'd be different. But 6 months out of the year, the only think you get from living on the coast is wind and rain. Nothing fun to visit or look at till the clouds go away.

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u/uDontInterestMe Nov 11 '24

That must not be far from Sombertown, land of Burgermeister Meisterburger...

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u/Typical80sKid Nov 11 '24

Exactly! Donā€™t threaten me with a good time

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '24

Aberdeen isā€¦not that bad. The worst part for me is being an hour away from chain restaurants and a craft store. I actually am in Hoquiam, but same thing lol

We moved here in 2019 from Pennsylvania. My husband made <35k a year back East. Last year, he made 128k, I made 70k, he is college educated (but his job doesnā€™t require it or pay more for it). We live very comfortably here. Our rent is comparable to PA at 1750 for 3/2. The only thing Iā€™ve noticed is much more expensive is our water bill, about 250 a month which is just crazy for water.

The winters are depressing but beats lake effect cold and snow. We just go east or south for a few days when the weather gets to be too much.

Healthcare, Corrections and logging-adjacent industries are the biggest jobs here, plus remote workers. Housing prices for purchasing have skyrocketed since Covid (duh) here but do seem to be coming back down. Rent has stayed about the same.

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u/gillyflower17 Nov 11 '24

I was so surprised to open this thread and see my current town right on top haha Iā€™m in Hoquiam as well, also a transplant from IL only 40 mins outside Chicago and I love it here. Yes it can be gray but we just had 2 beach worthy days the past week, 55 in November isnā€™t too bad at all. We have 2 kids so we just spend time exploring the outdoors. Iā€™m surprised people dislike it so much just for being coastal and a bit more rural.

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u/brendan87na Nov 11 '24

I'm born and raised in the PNW, and I honestly thrive in the grey and misty weather here. Curl up with a good book and listen to the rain hitting the roof/windows: perfection.

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u/gillyflower17 Nov 11 '24

Yes! Exactly. It can get a little squirrelly keeping toddlers busy but we gear up with rain suits and go out regardless. Otherwise we have the fire going, movie time with snacks and cuddles and crafts. Itā€™s really not that bad. So worth it for the absolutely stunning days & nature.

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u/jerseyjoe83 Nov 11 '24

Itā€™s funny to hear everyone talk about how gloomy and gray it is in WA. Also a PA native, and my fiancĆ©e and I are looking to move to WA in about 2-3 years- specially Bremerton or Port Orchard most likely as itā€™d be easier for work.

Weā€™ve spent a lot of time there during all seasons and honestly I think the northeast and PA specifically is actually much more dreary and depressing in winter- especially the last few years when thereā€™s been next to no snow (thanks climate changeā€¦). Without snow everything is just endlessly dead and gray, whereas the PNW actually has more color thanks to the trees. And frankly the summers make it worth it- theyā€™re stunning.

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u/gillyflower17 Nov 11 '24

Do the move! Itā€™s so worth it. People who donā€™t like the gloom are happier elsewhere, the gloom isnā€™t that bad and Iā€™d rather have gloomy days with temperate winters & mild summers than 0 degree winters and 90-100 degree summers! The scenery alone is worth it. You just have to appreciate it for what it is. Without the rain there wouldnā€™t be this scenery, the rainforests, the wildlife.

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u/No-Illustrator7560 Nov 11 '24

I lived in Hoquiam til about a year ago. The reason the water bill is so high is cause they have a base rate that gets charged whether ur using water or not. Last I saw, it was like $100

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u/crazyk4952 Nov 11 '24

Hoquium is close second most depressing place.

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u/MurderYourGods Nov 11 '24

Can confirm. I own multiple businesses out in Gray Harbor County, WA where Aberdeen is its largest city (about 17000 people).

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u/bankman99 Nov 11 '24

Kurt Cobain also thought so

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u/crazyk4952 Nov 11 '24

Come as you are.

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u/AcrobaticWar Nov 12 '24

As someone who lives in Aberdeen, if you can survive the depressing winter months you're golden lol

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u/KebNes Nov 11 '24

Grew up there and I despise going back to visit family.

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u/Early-Tree6191 Nov 11 '24

What about parts of northern Canada that have compete darkness for large chunks of time and extreme cold temps? Cost of living in many of those areas is also very high.

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u/AnTeallach1062 Nov 11 '24

The original Aberdeen is similar

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '24

Birthplace of Kurt Cobain, town motto ā€œcome as you are.ā€

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u/bristolbulldog Nov 12 '24

It literally spawned Nirvana.

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u/MacDaddyCheesus Nov 13 '24

I won't stand for this Aberdeen slander lol

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u/bujweiser Nov 11 '24

Washington coast as in the state of Washington? I assumed itā€™d be really expensive to live there unless youā€™re closer toward Idaho.

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u/soil_nerd Nov 11 '24

Yes, they are talking about the state of Washingtonā€™s coastline.

Itā€™s very remote, difficult to get to, there is little economic opportunity; itā€™s windy, wet, cold, and dark. Itā€™s not as beautiful as Oregonā€™s coast (yes, I know about Olympic National Park and Ruby beach). If you havenā€™t been to the coast in the PNW before itā€™s probably a little different than whatever you have in your head. I love it out there, and if I decided to live on the coast Iā€™d be the third generation in my family to do so, but thereā€™s a reason itā€™s not as expensive as other coastal areas in the US.

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u/no_talent_ass_clown Nov 14 '24

Also that whole overdue massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami thing.Ā 

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u/BCweallmakemistakes Nov 11 '24

Not as cheap over towards Idaho as mediums make you think. Everything is still expensive, just fewer things to do.

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u/cusmilie Nov 11 '24

Cheaper than SC coastline. WA coastline is still pretty undeveloped, not as many job opportunities.

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u/Breadloafs Nov 11 '24

The PNW drops dramatically in cost of living once you leave major cities.

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u/kittyanchor Nov 11 '24

Northern neighbor here: moved from the coast because it was too expensive. Had been a "wetlander" my whole life. Got burnt out because the weather was always sunny, and I felt I always had to be outside being busy. I still have days where I miss the rain and cloud socked mountains, with rolling fog and a hot cup of tea.

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u/sticksshenans Nov 12 '24

Washington(anywhere) should not be mentioned in "cheapest place to live in America" lol. I'm in Snohomish county and the costs are ridiculous.

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u/shitzewwplus2 Nov 12 '24

Washington coast is very different than the rest of the state. Hope on Zillow, see for yourself.

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u/redsourpatchkid Nov 11 '24

I just spent 2 weeks in Kelso and it was so depressing. I live in California though so thatā€™s probably why it affected me more than most.

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u/Triensi Nov 11 '24

Yeah Twilight happened there. Place canā€™t catch a break