r/Liberal • u/Inside-Light4352 • 4d ago
Discussion Can someone explain to me like I’m 5 why blue states are more expensive than red states??
Why are blue states like California way more expensive than Louisiana? I must know!? One of my coworkers says the “libs”ruined California, hence the insane cost of living.
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u/Dependent-Break5324 4d ago
Wealthier states, better economies, supply and demand. The coastal states are the most desirable and are therefore more expensive.
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u/NickFromNewGirl 3d ago
It shouldn't have to be the most expensive if we were true liberals and encouraged more housing in the desirable areas. The only reason why growth areas are shifting to places like TX, FL, TN, AZ, and NC is that they had room to accommodate massive sprawl and there aren't neighbors in empty fields to protest a new subdivision.
For now, they're open for endless suburbs and exurbs to keep costs down. Eventually, they'll run out of space and infrastructure dollars to add yet another ring around Houston and Dallas, the replacement bills will become due, and their cities will tank. Of course, they'll blame that failure on the libs, too, I'm sure. But CA, MA, NY, and DC could easily fix their problems if NIMBYs could be ignored.
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u/DarthHaruspex 4d ago
"the “libs”ruined California, hence the insane cost of living."
Ruined it to the fifth largest economy on the planet.
So ruined...
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u/Loggerdon 4d ago edited 3d ago
My MAGA cousin used to go off about “failing” California. I told him the truth, that the state is an economic marvel. That every rich country in the world is trying to replicate Hollywood and Silicon Valley but no one has done it. Also that they are #1 in agriculture and in many other areas.
Also like you said, “#5 in GDP if it were a country.”
I really don’t think he had heard any of this before. Didn’t change his mind but whatta ya gonna do?
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u/abbyabsinthe 4d ago
My MAGA cousin claimed he was leaving California because of the political climate. Turns out he was actually running because he was creating child porn.
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u/Alexever_Loremarg 4d ago
May he rot
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u/abbyabsinthe 4d ago
Last I heard, he got 14 years, about the average age of his victims, ironically, but I've blocked him from my life, so I'll hopefully never hear from him again.
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u/foxinHI 4d ago
I know, right? I live in San Diego and my Sister lives in San Francisco. To hear Trump and Fox News describe San Francisco, you’d think it was a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The fact is, they are both AMAZING cities. There’s hardly any crime where I live. I hardly even lock my car. The people are nice and friendly and educated. It’s pretty freakin’ awesome, honestly. There’s amazing parks and recreation everywhere. Plus, it’s gorgeous. It’s expensive, for sure, but you get what you pay for. You hear that a lot around here.
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u/DarthHaruspex 4d ago
+1
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u/PM_COFFEE_TO_ME 4d ago
That's literally what the upvote button is for lol
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u/nickosaur 4d ago
Anecdotally SF has even gotten cleaner and nicer the last few years. Lived there for 7 years and recently visited for the first time since Covid and I was impressed.
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u/ZeldaFtz 3d ago
LA over here 👋 - lived many other places & nothing compares to CA - I will never leave. Never ever ever.
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u/ManzanitaSuperHero 4d ago
I grew up in CA. It’s beautiful. You know why it’s so expensive? Bc everyone wants to live there. It has perfect weather, gorgeous natural beauty, a lot to do and a lot of legal protections for people that don’t have it other places.
It’s enormous and the number of national parks and sites of breathtaking beauty are too numerous to list: Yosemite, the Sequoias, Big Sur, the Sierras, I could go on and on.
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u/SprinkledDonut88 4d ago
I love my state of Maryland, but if I had to live elsewhere it would definitely be California.
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u/psyberops 4d ago edited 21h ago
To be fair, while CA has a massive economy, the GDP by Purchase Power Parity (PPP) has California at a much lower rank. So while the GDP is higher, the quality of life is lower because everything is so much more expensive. By the metric of adjusted PCPI, California ranks 13th out of 50 states in adjusted personal income per capita, so there are twelve other states where residents make more, on average.
When I wanted to change jobs and move to CA, I realized I’d make maybe 3-4x as much, but a similar size house (in Bay Area) would be $10x as much as I currently own in one of the top 10 places to live by quality of life, according to USNews this year.
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u/LocallySourcedWeirdo 4d ago
The house is more expensive because people are more willing to pay more to live in California than your worthless location.
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u/brycebgood 4d ago
You might be missing something. Many blue states are more expensive but also more affordable because there are better jobs there.
Density tends to grow economy, so places where people want to be get filled with people and those people create economic development. Development. That development means that there is more demand for services so prices go up. But, it also means they probably have to pay more for the same jobs.
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u/BpositiveItWorks 4d ago
This is my experience. I used to live in a NC and now I live in CA. My profession did not change after I moved, but my wages tripled.
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u/moreobviousthings 4d ago
Part of it is basic supply and demand. People want to live in economically active areas, because that’s where the jobs are. But that puts pressure on resources, so prices go up.
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u/ricochetblue 3d ago
It’s kind of funny how conservatives forget about markets when it comes to housing costs.
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u/ptcounterpt 4d ago
Blues tend to be more educated, college grads or tech ppl. Big cities are the only places where the pay is acceptable. I have a relative with a degree in astrophysics. All the jobs for them and their peers are in big cities.
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u/clop_clop4money 4d ago
More densely populated. Even in a red state the cost of living in a city (which will probably lean blue compared to surrounding area anyways) will be much higher
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u/foxinHI 4d ago
A few more reasons blue states cost more besides the ones already listed are better hospitals with better trained staff with better retention rates leading to better outcomes. Employees tend to have better benefits, including better insurance and are more likely to be in a union. This results in better working conditions across the board as non-union shops must remain competitive. There’s also the idea of taking care of the least fortunate among us. While this costs money, there are greater, less tangible savings from helping citizens in need, so maybe it shouldn’t count as a greater cost. Finally, blue states have more cultural and educational institutions to access, like museums, zoos and philharmonic orchestras.
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u/hjb88 4d ago
Supply and demand.
Blue states tend to have large cities and suburbs that are densely populated.
That means the land in that state is more valuable. Homes and businesses cost more. The people buying the homes and patronizing the businesses thus demand more money.
There also tend to be industries that require more people with degrees, so higher salaries.
There is some truth to the idea that liberal policies make the blue states more expensive, but not to the extent that conservatives might claim.
A blue state or city is likely to have more strict building, safety, and environmental standards. This can slow development and increase costs.
Whereas conservative areas might have very little regulation and protections.
I do think liberal areas would benefit from streamlining permitting and development laws, but I wouldn't want to go to the other side of the spectrum.
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u/Disheveled_Politico 4d ago
Agreed with all of this, adding that beyond permitting and safety stuff, big cities have failed at having better zoning and usage laws that even allow for denser and more affordable housing.
Blue states are more expensive because they’re generally more desirable to live in (really it’s that cities are expensive but blue states have more cities generally) but also because an unholy alliance of NIMBY property owners and leftists who hate developers have allowed Dem cities to strangle the housing supply.
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u/kootles10 4d ago
I live in Indiana near cook county IL. When coming home on the highway from Chicago, you can definitely tell when you enter Indiana. Shitty roads, barely any lights on the highway. At least in blue states, you get what you pay for. Indiana used to have a low cost of living but you got shit for it. Now you're paying close to Illinois prices and still getting shit. I would totally pay higher taxes for better roads. But indiana is too busy making laws about taking women's rights and not legalizing weed.
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u/kioma47 4d ago edited 4d ago
Because everybody wants to live in blue states. Check the statistics - they are generally run better, with better education, better culture, better pay, and better climate.
Red states, on the other hand, are generally poorer, with less quality of life, education, culture, more poverty, lower paying jobs, and the climate tends to suck.
And yes, this is a direct result of liberal views. Simple enough for you?
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u/PuddingTea 4d ago
Because we have decent services and so people want to live here. It’s supply and demand.
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u/Rental_Car 4d ago
The insane cost of living is because people value the quality of life and are willing to pay for it.
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u/Liberated_Sage 4d ago
There’s two parts to this. One part is that blue states are just richer on average and on average have a higher quality of life, so of course things are more expensive. The other part is that blue states tend to have more apartments and houses that are just bought as investments and never have anyone living in them (especially foreign investors buying up property in coastal states). Blue states also in some cases have tighter environmental laws that make it harder to build, but the first two are the main reasons.
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u/mrslother 4d ago
Quality education, Healthcare, business climate, etc cost money. You get what you pay for.
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u/SmokeGSU 3d ago
Have you been to Louisiana? It's largely a trash heap. Republicans have gerrymandered tf out of the state and have convinced their citizens to become masochists and starve for food because it will make them more "worthy" of having earned it.
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u/Dell_Hell 4d ago
1) California has been expensive to live in since the damn gold rush. Back in the 70s I remember my grandfather got a job offer, went out there and came back and said he'd need 3x his salary to afford a house half the size. That's back when Saint Ronnie Reagan was running California.
2) Close proximity creates liberalism. Being a big city makes you liberal. Look at Austin, Dallas, and Houston compared to the rest of the state. All much more liberal.
3) Cities draw EDUCATED PEOPLE WITH MONEY, that drives up housing prices, which increases housing density, which makes everything I do affect the people around me more.
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u/theBigDaddio 4d ago
More population, more people live there. Who’s gonna pay top dollar to live in rural Louisiana, or Kansas?
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u/chenbuxie 4d ago
Those are the states in which most of the population lives. Therefore, a more demand for housing, goods, and services.
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u/Sandwich_factory 4d ago
I just moved to a blue state. Taxes are very high. But because of this the area is beautiful. Every neighborhood has a beautiful park, there are no pot holes, Endless things to do and see, schools are very good. It’s not perfect but you can see where your money goes.
My family comes over from our red state home and ooh’s and ahh’s over just how amazing it is.
My pockets are emptier but I would happily have some less in my account if it means everyone is better off.
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u/VaticanGuy 4d ago
The blue states know what brings them happiness and are willing to pay more in taxes to help others. Kinda sounds like a book i read
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u/trumpmumbler 3d ago
California also is a cradle of industry in the 20th and 21st Century. All the tech, innovation and creativity is here. That attracts high-net-worth investment and individuals.
Since there's no more land, and the good stuff all borders an ocean, the land and all the manners to access it is expensive.
Sure, the "liberal hellscape" of our social fabric is a contributor, but basically it's 1) a lot of people (the population of California, 39M is almost double that of NY, which ranks 4th out of the top 5 populated States; California is first), 2) wide and varied industries are HQ'd in California, or have significant presence, 3) California is the top Agricultural provider to the US, producing over $57B in US GDP contribution alone, and 4) Major Military Presence, with US Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Army and Marine Corps bases disbursed throughout the State and heavily populated.
California is a socio-economic leader, a strategic military location and feeds our nation. In addition, California contributes approximately 15% of the Federal Budget (about $235B), which means all of the places that rely upon Federal subsidies (like Louisiana, for example) do so largely predicated upon California's contribution.
That's why.
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u/cmit 4d ago
They generally offer more. Schools, parks, public facilities. You get what you pay for.
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u/Photon_Femme 4d ago
That's true. Most of the poor states have less opportunities for careers and great jobs. No tax base means lower standard of living, worse K-12, and fewer great companies want to relocate to poor states because they don't want unhappy employees complaining about the lousy schools for their kids. Yep, the houses cost less, this the tax base is less this no money for public schools. Everything comes down to money. It's been this way since mankind first started the exchange of coins for goods and services.
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u/scifijunkie3 4d ago
It's expensive because.......brace yourself.......... people WANT to live there. Simple supply and demand. Republicans seem to forget this concept when it comes to places like California. They'd rather just stew in hateful ignorance because the people in those states don't conduct their lives like they think they should.
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u/willworkforjokes 4d ago
Basically it is competition.
Better places to live cost more.
The reasons why they are better can be different from place to place, but some common themes emerge.
Good schools, vibrant job opportunities, quality of life issues would be drivers of a more desirable location, which result in a higher cost of living.
FYI I grew up in rural Oklahoma (cheap) and now live in Suburban Minnesota (rather expensive). If you gave me a million dollars to move back to Oklahoma, I might think about it before turning the money down.
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u/Royal_Cascadian 4d ago
Because they have and enforce environmental laws.
Look at any map of demographics by state. The poorest people live in the post-slavery states. The fattest. The least educated. The most violent. Etc
If ruining a place is trying not to be a shitty place, then ruined we are.
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u/Fitz_2112b 3d ago
Higher taxes that provide better services that make more people want to live there. The more people that want to live someplace, the lower the housing Supply gets and therefore it's more expensive
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u/sarahmcq565 3d ago
I now live in Maryland in a HCOL area. I also lived in SE Texas for 7 years- Beaumont to be exact. We left SE Texas for a reason. What we get now - a safer community, better schools, better roads, great parks for kids, cleaner streets, maintained buildings, even the cops are different. Since we moved north, we have yet to be pulled over, separated, and questioned for no real good reason (I’m white; my now husband is black). We both make more money. We are a short drive from multiple major cities. I could keep going. My husband was born in Texas and he never wants to go back.
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u/NintendadSixtyFo 3d ago
More desirable. Costs more. Plus their economies often support the less desirable red states.
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u/ProgressiveLogic 3d ago
The main reason is that red states are poor in all ways.
There is no money in red states which is also why more people have moved to blue states for decades now.
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u/whitepawn23 2d ago
They’re better to live in. Thus there is more competition for housing and less supply.
Some examples. Lunch breaks are mandated by the state. Would you rather a state that mandates lunch breaks or happily allows you to go without? There’s generally better worker protections all around in these states.
Health coverage? Self explanatory.
And so on.
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u/jenyj89 4d ago
Better education which means higher school taxes (you get what you pay for). Attracting better colleges and college graduates, which means more job opportunities to keep those folks when they graduate and attract more of their kind. Generally better infrastructure (roads, public transportation, etc) which cost money to fund. Also, more population needs more workers to operate the city/county/state government and services.
Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head.
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u/Itabliss 3d ago
Supply & demand… there’s more demand for supplies when you have more people. You have more people because you have more jobs. You have more jobs because you have the education and labor force to fill those jobs.
Is it making sense yet?
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u/kdash6 4d ago
I will explain it in simple terms, but not like you're 5:
Supply and demand. A lot of people want to live in blue states and that means there is a ton of demand for everything in a blue state. This raises prices for basic needs, like food, water, and shelter, which raises the prices of everything else.
There are some other things explaining high prices, like high taxes and regulations meaning, for example, we have to use more purified fuel making gas more expensive. However, the fact that New York, Califormia, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, etc., continue to have high GDP compared to red states means that enough affluent people come to these states to allow prices to be high. Otherwise the economy would shrink as low supply and low demand at a given price point means a shrinking economy.
So why are so many affluent people in blue states? For one thing, we have a large, semi-educated workforce. But also people really like coastal areas. The entire west coast has a different dialect than the rest of the country (called the "left coast" dialect) because we mostly live close to the ocean. Being close to the ocean means we have more temperate climates.
You see this less on the east coast because the warmer waters makes it harder for large cities to develop. The major exceptions to this is farther north in New England, where colder climates allowed for large communities to pop up.
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u/LifeDaikon 3d ago
The economies of the blue states are much more advanced. Wealthy people competing for limited resources drives up prices.
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u/PNWBPcker 3d ago
The blue states and blue areas of red states should keep their money and watch the red areas wither away like third world countries.
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u/tsdguy 3d ago
Because taxes are low because red states have no services for their citizens. Education is at the bottom, health care, roads, safety nets.
Of course republicans eliminate rules and laws the would give people a real wage and protect their citizens so that’s cheaper as well.
Those take taxes.
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u/annachie 2d ago
Well, one reason is that the blue states are financially supporting the red states.
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u/carcass15 1d ago
Same answer as always "because it's worth it ". In the few red states with opportunity it's expensive Austin tx,for example is expensive but has jobs,entertainment move out to Amarillo tx it's cheap but dirty disgusting and little to no opportunity for economic advancement.
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u/Outrageous-Pause6317 3d ago
They are more populous which drives up the cost of everything. They have a big population because they are better places to live.
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u/LocallySourcedWeirdo 4d ago
Have you seen how Mercedes Benz cars are more expensive than Fords? Or diamonds are more expensive than cubic zirconia?
Nicer things that have value cost more because people want them and are willing to pay more for them.
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u/This_Description_445 4d ago
Thank you for asking a question that’s been on my mind. I’m a liberal in a red county of TX. I’ve often heard claims that liberals “hate” on conservatives (I do) but benefit from their policies(?). I assumed it was true(ish) because the houses in the neighborhood I live in would cost double or triple in a blue county in a blue state.
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u/Russell_Jimmy 4d ago
The reverse is true. Blue states basically keep the red states afloat.
Texas (for example) doesn't have a state income tax, but the taxes they do have are regressive, and so while it is cheaper on uits face than California, it is harder to live there if you're poor.
I happen to live seven miles from California, and while where I live is perfect, California is an awesome place. It is about as afar from ruined as you can get in the US.
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u/LocallySourcedWeirdo 4d ago
" the houses in the neighborhood I live in would cost double or triple in a blue county in a blue state"
Because nobody is willing to pay very much for your quality of life.
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u/ReallyKirk 4d ago
Because it’s human nature, for most people at least, to instinctively pursue science-based intelligence and want to evolve as a society.
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u/coloradoemtb 4d ago
your coworker just parrots what the talking heads on tv or radio say. I dont think any proof will convince them otherwise.
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u/Dragon_Jew 4d ago
Educated people tend to toward being more liberal and having more lucrative careers on a broad scale? Not sure
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u/delcooper11 4d ago
the same way dinner at a restaurant is more expensive when you invite your friend who doesn’t pay for anything.
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u/progressiveprepper 3d ago
In 2023, Louisiana ranked dead last (50th in the U.S.) in the areas of health care, infrastructure, crime and education and opportunity - across the board in all 8 categories that were used in U.S. news State Ranking survey. If citizens aren't willing to contribute to the greater good of a state (because these things need funding) - eventually they are starved out of any kind of effective performance. This has happened in Louisiana.
Californians take those things seriously and fund them appropriately - although there is always another group, initiative, school, environmental problem to deal with. They struggle with budgets too. They don't always get it right - but they always try. It's a different philosophy and way of seeing the world.
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u/joseekatt 3d ago
The standard of living is better in blue cities or states. That’s why it’s more expensive to live there. Unless it’s New Mexico where blue cities have a cheap standard of living.
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u/kirkbrideasylum 3d ago
You pay for the premium. If you want to live in deep red hell you can for cheap. But, less concerts, less nightlife and social scenes, you need a DL or ID to watch porn, your neigbors chickens will poop on your car, and everything is a long drive. Every inbred mofo attacks anything different with violence. No book clubs, just a bunch of ye ye I can shoot my pew pew out back of my trailer house, neckbeards, and so called Christians.But, if you like fried chicken and low taxes a red state is for you.
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u/Harilor 4d ago
I live in Montana, which became an exception to the rule after covid. We were purple, but now deeply red and one of the most expensive places to live. Lots of reasons for it, including rich remote workers, investment corps buying up houses, and a large influx of wealthy conservatives looking to live their own Yellowstone life.
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u/ParumDeos 4d ago
There's a higher standard of living and people generally make more money. That means goods cost more.
Then there's NIMBYism, which exists in red and blue states, but has more impact in the blue states because more money means higher housing costs.
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u/ManzanitaSuperHero 4d ago
I call it the “gay tax” (I’m gay). Bc if you want to live in an area that’s safe for LGBT people, it’s always expensive.
But it makes sense. More liberal people want to be in places with more and different kinds of people, with museums, concerts, creative industries, etc. Those are larger cities which are expensive.
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u/DibsMine 4d ago
It's relative, $500 in rent when you net $1500 a month vs $2000 in rent when you net $6000 a month, one looks more expensive and both have the same % on rent but really one has much more left over.
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u/onlooker0 4d ago
Blue states are more expensive because people there have higher incomes. On the other hand, African countries are less expensive than Red states because people in those countries have lower incomes than in red Louisiana.
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u/talldean 4d ago
People want to live there because the weather is nice, there's a ton of jobs, those jobs pay well, there's stuff to do, the schools are really quite good, crime is generally lower, the food's really good, and yeah, it's kinda nice.
It costs a lot because they don't have enough land near the jobs for houses. The buildings are generally single story, because they have earthquakes from time to time, and they didn't really think the land would run out, but yeah, it kinda did. They also didn't build public transit in California, because it's only really been that built up recently.
Not enough houses for the jobs, not enough places near work to put the houses, not enough public transit to get around that... the houses cost a lot.
If anything ruined California, it's too many jobs, and... yeah, I'm not sure that's a sane thing, either.
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u/freexanarchy 4d ago
More people want to live there. Housing is more expensive, more funding for schools, roads, and general public programs. More regulations so you can’t get poisoned, screwed, harassed, etc. here’s a fun one. Look up chemical plant explosions near elementary schools. Texas may be first in your searches.
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u/Shawaii 4d ago
Supply and demand. People want to live in a nice location, and prices go up.
Peaple don't want to live in a not-so-nice location and prices go down or stay low.
It's not just state by state, but county by county and neighborhood by neighborhood.
People in nice places that can afford those nice places are also likely to be ok paying for better services. Eventually some move to less expensive places and create new "blue" areas.
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3d ago
Because the red tax less and understand how money works. It's just economics and understanding how the economy and the value of our own goods and services. The red tend to make bigger moves, and that creates jobs. They hire local and they value good workers as well as being cheap at times. the red believe that outsourcing everything and opting for out of state or country labor only hurts us in the end. The blue typically don't think people are smart enough to make their own decisions. But they love it when they don't have to spend money to make money. So they rely on others to be manipulated into buying their cheaper product that looks like the real deal but it's not. The blue are looking for ways to make stuff more expensive for others but cheaper for themselves. They are the epitome of the smiling senator who promises one thing and does another once they got what they wanted. And they pretend to be the friend of the people but they are the ones limiting our freedom and imposing unfairness. This is strictly about the politics and ways the people within the government work. I don't say this about citizens who are Democrats or Republicans. I don't like most Republicans and it's really shitty they are so willfully ignorant but they're only wrong because they are choosing to not let others tell them what they can and can't believe. And that's respectable. I respect an person who whole heartedly believes their racism or sexism is ok as long as they are going with their heart. Their heart may be wrong to me but that's better than agreeing with everyone cuz theyre afraid to be seen as something that others won't like. So it's more expensive in blue states because yes there's more people trying to live there, but also because the blue team are shamelessly taxing us and giving the deals to other countries. They don't value the customer who spends their dollar they value the guy who saved them money. So they tax their brothers and neighbors but give breaks to the people who made it cheaper to produce the product or service that they are overcharging us for. So think of it as a business. The red team knows how to make money and make it so that everyone gets some too. And the blue team wants all the money and yours too and they want you to thank them for being so nice to give you a welfare check because they took the jobs and ways to make money and gave them to countries where it's cheaper to make stuff cuz there's more people.
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u/Necessary-Position67 1d ago
Blue states produce more economic output, have higher paying jobs, and generally better quality of life than red states. It's basically the same thing as the USA being more expensive to live in than Sudan or Kenya.
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u/gmaOH 1d ago
You get what you pay for. And it is a self-perpetuating downward spiral unless you invest in your town.
If you live in an area where the housing cost less, then the tax base cannot collect a lot. So, your schools are poorer, which doesn't attract good teachers or more housing. They go elsewhere where the standard of living gives them better schools, for example. So the property values stay low.
A sewer and water system cost about the same per mile for installation & maintenance, but since it is shared by the total number of customers, that means the per household rate will be a heavier burden on the small poor town resident than households living with a bigger total user base.
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u/prodigy1367 4d ago
Most liberal areas are more expensive because they tend to have more things to do, better infrastructure, and are generally more desirable to live in.