The accolades keep rolling in for Iowa.
Des Moines, Iowa has been named among the top ten cities for raising a family by Zumper, a site for finding apartment and house rentals. Des Moines has some work to do, as neighbor Omaha is ranked above it.
The list:
1. Madison, Wisconsin
2. Lincoln, Nebraska
3. Lexington, Kentucky
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Tallahassee, Florida
6. Raleigh, North Carolina
7. Omaha, Nebraska
8. Des Moines, IA
9. Austin, Texas
10. Lubbock, Texas
Zumper used 10 factors in its analysis: cost per additional room in a home, percentage of income spent on rent or mortgage, median household income, current unemployment rate, infant-care costs, percentage of the population under 45, high-school dropout rate, average commute time and violent-crime rate.
I visited San Francisco last year and took Uber repeatedly to get around the city. To a person, each driver would ask, "How do you like our city?" I would answer, "it's beautiful." They would answer (in a very bitter tone), "you can't afford to live here."
According to the New York Post:
San Francisco was the most expensive metro area for families, with a basic budget of more than $148,000 for a family of four. That study looked at 611 metro areas and based the cost of living on housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and other necessities like school supplies and taxes.