The article is here: http://money.cnn.com/2016/06/22/real_estate/rent-affordability-housing-harvard/
The reddit thread is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/4pcjja/11_million_americans_spend_half_their_income_on/
As a 28 year old who finds myself in the same demographic as a lot of the posters in that thread, some of the posts make me cringe
Basically, it's a bunch of clowns living in NYC, SF, Seattle, San Diego, etc. who are wondering why RENT IS SO DAMN HIGH. One commenter posted something along the lines, "Your rent would be a lot lower if you lived in the Midwest," but that got met with "BUT WE COULDN'T GET JOBS THERE." I bet they actually tried (not).
Oh well. I'll just kick back and enjoy my comically low COL in Northeast Ohio.
And getting back on topic.....with respect to Seattle, if people are bitching about rent, it's because they choose to live, literally, IN Seattle. Hello.....young, not making a lot of money? WTF are you doing living where its super expensive?
There are plenty of choices for lower cost housing at the periphery of Seattle. Quick searches indicate that Ballard, to use a hip and trendy 'hood as a proxy for Seattle, is a minimum of 1600 for a studio or 1BR. Going out to Mountlake Terrace, an easy direct express bus ride into downtown, its mid 900's. Easy enough to get around MLT on a bike, especially if you choose an Apt near one of the larger grocery stores (multiple apartments within an easy walk of the Albertsons at the border of MLT and Lynnwood).
So, $650 a month difference, minimum, all to live in Ballard vs MLT - one IN Seattle, one a close 'burb.
Getting a roommate in a 2BR in MLT, yeah, that can be done for $650-700 / month / person. Ballard....looks like about a grand minimum, so 300-350 more, at least.
Ya bitch about rent costs in Seattle, it's likely largely due to where you've chosen to be, period, so STHU and quit bitching about what you choose to do. You want the hipster 'hood? Yeah, that's going to cost ya.
Oh, and in regards to fly over country - yeah, they moved my program to Ok City....they expected 25-40% of the people on the program to go....they got 2% to go (probably the NBA types). I found a new job elsewhere in the company and stayed. Even if I couldn't find a new job in the company, I would have taken the layoff and schlepped coffee at Starbucks over moving to the Midwest - an advantage of being near FIRE (~1/3 part time, minimum wage would have sufficed at that point). As charming and LCOL as the Midwest is, I've been there in August....sorry, but 90+ degrees and rain just isn't right to the born and bred Seattle person.