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The Most Expensive Cities in the United States  
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Tags: Cities, cost of living, prices, expensive

The most costly cities in the United States and why.

	Seattle, WA - The city of Microsoft. Why is the city so expensive? Did everyone jack up their prices, figuring that Bill Gates would foot the bill? (Save his barber, that is.) The reason is that Seattle is the headquarters of many other companies, including Starbucks and Boeing. Seattle has a booming culture, gorgeous scenery, and tons of rain. You may spend $15 on lunch before arriving at your $900/month downtown apartment.
	Ann Arbor, MI - Just west of Detroit, Ann Arbor offers museums, stores, and changing venues. The University of Michigan brings in plenty of revenue and the school gives the town its unique flavor and its money and population. University of Michigan apparel even comes in a Tommy Hilfiger line, with sweatshirts at $60 each. Most items cost above the national average 25% of the city does earn at least $50K, and housing costs here are lower than the national average.
	Fairbanks, AK - The Gold Rush days may have ended but it honors the good ol' days with museums, parades and tours dedicated to that which glitters. You can even visit the state's largest public display of gold at the University of Alaska. At theFairbanks Museum there is a public display of the largest piece of gold for a bargain at $5 entrance fee.
	Los Angeles, CA - Movie stars, musicians, directors and they are all running around LA, dropping lots of cash wherever they go. For instance, at The Ivy, star-watchers drop $45 for a simple meal of fried chicken. And lest we forget, LA is not only tourist central for its proximity to Hollywood, but also because of Disney World, Magic Mountain and Universal Studios. Everyone who visits the small worlds of wonder is willing to fork over not just sky-high admission costs, but also $5 for a soda. Finding an apartment is cheap in Los Angeles, but the thing that raises the cost of living is the reliance on cars and gas. And outrageous prices in ritzy areas like Beverly Hills really add up.
	Philadelphia, PA - People coming to the country's "fattest city" don't just carry big stomachs but also big wallets. It's more than South Philly's delicacies that ask people to pull out their pocketbooks; the city offers lots of theater, sports, art, shopping, and parks. You can find bargains in thrift stores and food markets. Take a stroll through Center City and in addition to the posh Rittenhouse Square apartments (topping the million dollar mark), you'll find Restaurant Row - a concentrated block of very expensive eateries - in addition to all the fancy-schmancy, Brooks Brother-y, Jones NY-y, shopping you want.
	San Diego, CA - Its presence on clean, sunny beaches would do it for us. But here are the added bonuses of the most museums west of the Mississippi, some of the world's friendliest people, the famous San Diego Zoo, and even LegoLand.The cost of living index is high, but that's because its economy is booming as the Internet tycoons of the Silicon Alley start buying winter homes there. And with the large number of IT/Telecommunications jobs in the area.
	Anchorage, AK - Alaska's largest city is perfect for people who are not only a little lucky in the cash department, but who also enjoy the outdoors a great deal. Hiking, biking, and fishing are favorites, but in Anchorage you can also canoe, pan for gold, ski, take a hot air balloon ride, or snowmobiling. Why is it so expensive? Again, because it's tough to get the tons of modern conveniences and products that Anchoragites desire all the way up to that block of ice.
	Juneau, AK - Yes, another Alaskan town. Alaska's capital city, who found some gold in 1880 in the city's. Back in the day, the gold mine in Juneau paid 2,000 men each $100 a month. In 63 years the Juneau Gold Belt produced close to $3 million in today's money in gold. Not too shabby.
	Boston, MA - Boston is about 50% more expensive than most U.S. cities... and its professional's salaries don't make up the difference.A real college town, a real trendy town, and a real laid-back town, the Bean Town is also a real expensive town. Those who can afford to do so hang their hats in the posh brownstones tucked beside Newberry Street's outdoor restaurants and trendy boutiques. But while apartments may be less costly in other areas of the city, rents are still usually among the country's highest, with one-bedrooms often topping $1000 per month.
	New York, NY - We dare you to find a student discount that actually resembles a discount. We dare you to feel OK about shelling out nine bucks for a movie, 25 bucks for a club entrance, or 63 bucks for a monthly MetroCard. And we double dare you to find a "reasonably priced" apartment ($1,000/month) that isn't shoebox-sized and in a "questionable" neighborhood. And that's why NYC is full of rooms split into rooms split into rooms - because not everyone can make the salary of 40-50 grand needed to pay the rent.

Lister: ListAfterList Wiki Contributors
Source: souwanna

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