@permaincome: Same country, different planet. Your zip code literally determines your entire lifestyle. $100k in San Francisco? You're broke. $100k in Alabama? You're the mayor. A studio apartment in Manhattan costs more than a 4-bedroom house in Ohio. Traffic in LA takes 3 hours. Traffic in Montana doesn't exist. The American Dream isn't dead. It just moved South. Where you live matters more than what you make. Choose wisely.