Cheap, cosmopolitan city for queer millennial
January 27, 2018 4:05 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking to save money for traveling and I want to move to a fun cheap city! Where can I get a 1BR, stash some cash and still have access to queer life and great amenities without a car?

I've got a remote job and no obligations, now's the time to wing it. Where's a good homebase if I want to be abroad 3-4mo out of the year? Open to big city or lively college town. Used to living slim and finding "deals." This is a temp move, say 1-3 years. Especially into lezborhoods :)

DREAMS

+ Big studio or 1BR for under ~$1000 [fond of quirky architecture!]
+ Super fast internet
+ Thriving subcultures: queer women, kinksters, tech folks, artists
+ These are fun: live music, dance clubs, omg takeout, parks, lit, uni lectures, lefty activists
+ Can walk to grocery, gym, coffee in 10-15m
+ No car – prefer to bike commute, supplement with transit, carshare & cabs
+ Close to other fun cities
+ Airport with cheap international flights
+ Weather: not a concern but I like hot, muggy & sunny the best [bad seasonal allergies tho]
+ Geography: no big but I like snowy mountains the least

Oh yeah, I'd really like to go someplace new.

Lived & yay! — Portland OR, Ann Arbor
Lived & meh — Kansas City, Lawrence KS, Norfolk VA
Visited & like — Seattle, LA, SF, Oakland, Detroit, Columbus OH, Austin, Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Brooklyn
Not for me — Washington DC, St Louis, Denver, Columbia MO, Houston, Dallas
posted by fritillary to Society & Culture (46 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Where's a good homebase if I want to be abroad

Abroad from where? What citizenship(s) do you hold?
posted by rtha at 4:11 PM on January 27, 2018


Well, Providence and Worcester are both pretty decent gay-friendly cities, but both are pretty expensive. Portland (ME) is great, but it's also not cheap. Northampton might be a good bet.
posted by KazamaSmokers at 4:13 PM on January 27, 2018


Response by poster: U.S. citizen but I have family in Germany & Croatia, friends all over Europe, a couple pals in Thailand & Australia, and a long list of places to see :)
posted by fritillary at 4:16 PM on January 27, 2018


Chicago is doable provided 1) snow and wind is something you can handle 2) willing to take public transit to thriving areas. In the areas you would want to live in, rent is probobly out of your price range, but public transit is reliable enough not to make it a big deal.
Though forewarned it is super expensive to drink in Chicago and food costs are high as well.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:19 PM on January 27, 2018


Bonus Chicago also has an international airport, accessible by public transit.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:20 PM on January 27, 2018


New Orleans?

+ Housing has been getting a bit more expensive of late but you should still be able to find a shotgun apartment in your price range.
+ Internet is fine
+ Thriving subcultures: so many
+ There’s plenty of live music, university activities, fun things to do highbrow and lowbrow, and omg food.
+ Depending on the neighborhood, grocery, coffee, and food could be easy. Gym might be the sticking point.
+ Lots of bikers (though not a ton of bike lanes, there are a lot of small one way streets), acceptable transit, and plenty of cabs.
+ What other cities do you need?
+ MSY is a reasonable international airport that has been expanding its flight options.
+ Hot, muggy & sunny most of the year
+ No snowy mountains here!
posted by Night_owl at 4:31 PM on January 27, 2018 [8 favorites]


Northampton is great for affordable living, walkability, and women's queer/kink culture, but it sucks ass for access to an international airport, especially if you don't have a car.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:31 PM on January 27, 2018


I have a few queer women friends who live(d?) in Rogers Park, which is a neighborhood in the far north of Chicago, just next to Evanston and Northwestern University.
posted by J.K. Seazer at 4:32 PM on January 27, 2018


Brisbane, Australia.
+ Big studio or 1BR for under ~$1000 [fond of quirky architecture!]
eg: 1 bdr in Highgate Hill for US$900pm. You can also get spacious rooms in lovely houses and apartments close to the city with share amenities.
+ Super fast internet.
Tech folk work there
+ Thriving subcultures: queer women, kinksters, tech folks, artists
Oh yeah.
+ These are fun: live music, dance clubs, omg takeout, parks, lit, uni lectures, lefty activists
Yep. There's even a beach in town.
+ Can walk to grocery, gym, coffee in 10-15m
In most inner city suburbs, no problem.
+ No car – prefer to bike commute, supplement with transit, carshare & cabs
And ferries?
+ Close to other fun cities
The Gold Coast is nearby. Sydney is an hour's flight away.
+ Airport with cheap international flights.
That bit is relative to destination. Though you can frequently get $300 tickets to Kuala Lumpur and from there go anywhere cheaply.
+ Weather: not a concern but I like hot, muggy & sunny the best [bad seasonal allergies tho]
You got it!
+ Geography: no big but I like snowy mountains the least
So the nearby world-heritage rainforests won't tempt you? What about golden beaches?
posted by Thella at 4:49 PM on January 27, 2018 [4 favorites]


Salt Lake City, UT. Totally sounds like a joke but it checks off every single one of your requirements. I love living here.
posted by Marinara at 5:05 PM on January 27, 2018 [3 favorites]


*except the snowy mountains. Those are everywhere.
posted by Marinara at 5:06 PM on January 27, 2018


A friend of mine is engineering a move to Berlin because one visit to the lezborhood there made it obvious that it was where she longs to be. I'm going to miss her.

If she's paid anything like commensurate to her skills and drive, her sense of "affordable" may not be realistic.
posted by clew at 5:16 PM on January 27, 2018


You might check out the research triangle in North Carolina! I had a 1BR in a converted motel in Durham for $1000/mo in 2014. It was medium walkable but would’ve been entirely bikeable (it’s pretty flat). Extremely vibrant and quirky queer scene, music scene, art scene, food scene. Not really cosmopolitan but it felt a lot like Berkeley to me tbh. I’m not sure it’s still affordable though.
posted by peppercorn at 5:35 PM on January 27, 2018 [1 favorite]


Sounds like Philadelphia to me. (Well, my Philly knowledge is from 2005 - 2010; can someone who has lived there more recently weigh in?)
posted by madcaptenor at 6:04 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


Jakarta, Indonesia seems to fit.
posted by jojobobo at 6:29 PM on January 27, 2018


Buffalo. You want Buffalo.

+ Big studio or 1BR for under ~$1000 [fond of quirky architecture!]
We've got it in spades. They run annual architecture tours through various parts of town. Heck, we pay under $1000 for a 2 BR with quirky architecture 3 blocks from the park.
+ Super fast internet
Check. We've got more than one provider AND NYS just implemented a ruling that providers can't provide in state without being a part of net neutrality.
+ Thriving subcultures: queer women, kinksters, tech folks, artists
Very queer friendly city, heavy tech corridor (especially med tech), several art communities, theater, etc. I'm not sure on the kinkster front, but I wouldn't be surprised that it's strong.
+ These are fun: live music, dance clubs, omg takeout, parks, lit, uni lectures, lefty activists
There are a large number of festivals here every year, a variety of music and dance venues, and a couple different larger concert facilities. A ridiculous amount of good food (thanks active and supported immigrant & refugee population!), many parks, 2 state universities, plus a handful of smaller LibArts colleges, lots of local activism. Niagara Falls is 30 min away.
+ Can walk to grocery, gym, coffee in 10-15m
What kind of coffee do you prefer? We have a variety of options. And Wegmans.
+ No car – prefer to bike commute, supplement with transit, carshare & cabs
Public transport is decent as long as you live in the city limits. Heavy bike population and lots of carshares & Lyft.
+ Close to other fun cities
Pittsburgh is 3 hours. Toronto is 2 hours. NYC is 8 hours. Chicago is 8-9 hours.
+ Airport with cheap international flights
Southwest has a hub here. Flights to their various hubs are super cheap. Plus, flying out of Toronto makes international flights even cheaper. (Hello France for under $600)
+ Weather: not a concern but I like hot, muggy & sunny the best [bad seasonal allergies tho]
This may be the only box we don't quite check. It can be hot and muggy in the summer. Definitely sunny. But we do get snow. Not as much as most people think/fear, but it's still here.
+ Geography: no big but I like snowy mountains the least
No worries there. We have 2 Great Lakes, some gorgeous forests, hills if you want hills, flat land if you don't.

Come to Buffalo.
posted by RhysPenbras at 6:50 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


Montreal, Canada is pretty fun.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:09 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


Reliable public transportation outside of the biggest US cities is generally limited, but maybe Atlanta or Athens, Georgia.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:16 PM on January 27, 2018


Hang on, just to clarify: you want to live in the U.S. but travel abroad 3-4 months per year, right? You’re not looking for places to live outside the U.S.?
posted by Salamander at 7:34 PM on January 27, 2018


Response by poster: Yes that's right, U.S. address. I'm open to living elsewhere in the future but I want to make this next move happen quick, so it seems easiest to stay in country? I need a place that's ready to go between trips – where I can store projects, keep my tech setup & have something of a social life while I work to fund my international travels. (But I like exploring the U.S. too so it's nice to daytrip to nearby cities on weekends.)
posted by fritillary at 7:54 PM on January 27, 2018


This is Columbus. It's a big city and a college town combined. Rents have gone up recently, but we paid $975 for a large 2br in a very affluent neighborhood. The only thing Columbus lacks is international flights, although we have frequent nonstops to Boston, Atlanta, and both Chicago airports, so making a connection is easy. And something like 76% of the US population (and Toronto) is within a 12-hour drive. There's a reason you liked it when you visited.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:58 PM on January 27, 2018 [1 favorite]


>but it sucks ass for access to an international airport, especially if you don't have a car.

I think Bradley is about 30 minutes away.
posted by KazamaSmokers at 8:02 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


A caution about Salt Lake City: our public transit is mostly interested in serving the tonier bedroom communities for rush-hour commutes, and it turns into a pumpkin well before midnight. Cheap rent is still possible, but any “luxury condo, close to transit” you see advertised is hoping you can’t visit in person.

There IS a lot to love here — thriving arts community, surprisingly queer-friendly, easy to navigate — but we’re car-dependent just like the rest of the interior West, and in the winter our air quality proves it.
posted by armeowda at 8:31 PM on January 27, 2018


Durham.
posted by melodykramer at 8:59 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


Sounds like Philadelphia to me. (Well, my Philly knowledge is from 2005 - 2010; can someone who has lived there more recently weigh in?)

Nah, I came in here to say Philadelphia!

+ Big studio or 1BR for under ~$1000 [fond of quirky architecture!]
I have a giant studio in a converted Victorian mansion full of crumbling charm for 875/month. Housing is getting more expensive, but you can definitely find studios for under 1000 in many neighborhoods.

+ Super fast internet
As far as I can tell, yes!

+ Thriving subcultures: queer women, kinksters, tech folks, artists
hoooooly shit yes. All of these! There's no dedicated lesberhood, but Mt. Airy and West Philly are pretty close. Thriving kink and tech scene, a smaller artist scene but it's very much here, mostly due to the approximately one million and seven art schools in Philadelphia.

+ These are fun: live music, dance clubs, omg takeout, parks, lit, uni lectures, lefty activists
Philly's live music scene isn't the hugest, but it's getting better. Dance clubs I have no idea about. I assume there are some? Fabulous take-out, the biggest in-city park in the world, excellent everything else. We just elected Larry Krasner DA!

+ Can walk to grocery, gym, coffee in 10-15m
Literally every neighborhood I've lived in here. There are food deserts, but that's improving rapidly.

+ No car – prefer to bike commute, supplement with transit, carshare & cabs
Never owned a car and it's basically been fine. Biking is still...well, we're working it out, but I cycle everywhere in the summer and it's fine. Transit is very good for most neighborhoods.

+ Close to other fun cities
We're on the 95 corridor, and it's like 2 hours to NYC, a touch more to Baltimore and then DC.

+ Airport with cheap international flights
Yep, although I've found Newark and NYC are cheaper, but they're dead easy to get to.

+ Weather: not a concern but I like hot, muggy & sunny the best [bad seasonal allergies tho]
Philadelphia is largely situated between two rivers, so we got your hot, we got your muggy, we got your sunny. I don't know if we're worse than other places for allergies, though?

+ Geography: no big but I like snowy mountains the least
Eh. I find getting out of the city difficult. Suburbs and a bit of farmland seems to be the theme, really. I find the landscape immensely uninspiring, but welcome others' views. So, er, no snowy mountains definitely, until you get into the Poconos.
posted by kalimac at 10:10 PM on January 27, 2018 [5 favorites]


I currently live in (and adore) Philadelphia, but wouldn't consider it a cheap city. Came to say Rochester, NY.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 10:17 PM on January 27, 2018 [3 favorites]


I’m going to counter the food costs assertion about Chicago. I’ve lived here a long time and regularly visit many other US cities. None offer the same quality of food for the reasonable prices you’ll pay here. Unless you exclusively dine in River North I guess, but there’s so much awesome cheap food here there’s absolutely no reason to do that.
Also, I’m queer. We are super queer-friendly here. Plenty of woke-ass queer Millennials who are younger and cooler than me having an awesome time in the gayborhood.
Just checked Craigslist and you can get lofts for $1000 and under in neighborhoods like Ravenswood & Bronzeville. They’re not central but both are awesome little ‘hoods with a lot to offer.
The winter does suck but with the right clothes it’s not much worse than NYC or Toronto.
posted by lieber hair at 10:24 PM on January 27, 2018 [3 favorites]


Minneapolis. Has everything you're looking for except for the weather. It is hot and humid but only in the (short) summer. But it's cheap and full of arts and queer people.
posted by lunasol at 10:57 PM on January 27, 2018 [4 favorites]


Sacramento. Everyone I know who's been priced out of SF and LA has gone there and they like it. The center of the city is do-able without a car. Public transport is bus heavy but ok-ish, it's pretty well subscribed due to all the students and out-of-towners and it services local towns pretty well. There is a decent gay scene and neighborhood and of course you are close to SF and Oakland. Amtrak to the Bay Area is what I'd call good-ish, it's as reliable as intercity trains in the UK anyway and cheaper. And Sac is very, very bike friendly and becoming a tech hub for people who can't or won't stomach silicon valley prices and culture. It has an excellent music scene and a young population. And excellent thrift stores for some reason. Climate is, well... hot unless it's raining which is highly unpredictable. How's that?
posted by fshgrl at 11:46 PM on January 27, 2018 [3 favorites]


Philly fits very well!! For everything you listed. Except we're only hot and muggy in summer. Great city!

I recently visited New Orleans and loved it! I'd consider there too if I were you.
posted by bearette at 4:23 AM on January 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


I’ll back-up New Orleans. It’s a great place for what you’re looking for - and it’s the most interesting place in the country.
posted by faineg at 5:40 AM on January 28, 2018 [2 favorites]


Philadelphia, specifically west phila around Clark Park area.
posted by WeekendJen at 7:21 AM on January 28, 2018 [2 favorites]


Yeah, Columbus. If you ever want to live here, now is the time to get in before it gets way more expensive if things pan out as recently predicted with explosive growth.

Biking infrastructure is progressing pretty quickly, and the bus system was recently revised for more efficient routes. We have car2go too. And hot and muggy weather, with some variety.

Indianapolis, Cinci, Louisville, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit are all reasonable drives for day trips/weekends. Chicago is a 6 hour drive or 55 minute flight. Plus, travel to basically everywhere on your "visited and like" list is really easy. SWA has a nonstop to Oakland now, and with Iceland Air now or soon flying from Pittsburgh, cheap flights to Europe are becoming easier.

I'd recommend Clintonville (Glen Echo), Old North/SoHud (my hood), or maybe Franklinton or Old Towne East. The south side is likely the next area to get a lot of growth/development.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 7:44 AM on January 28, 2018


Cincinnati.

The MeFite in question moved here, btw.
posted by cooker girl at 8:02 AM on January 28, 2018


Can't in good conscious rec Austin for queer friends with our state legislature being what it is. We're still very much in Texas, no matter what we like to think. Also, we're on the high end of that rent range and will probably top it this year.

I love love Philly, and I think its the only one here that truly meets your "close to other fun cities" requirement. I lived in the Pioneer Valley for years and love it, but everyone there who'd lived in a big city found it very small feeling.
posted by theweasel at 8:36 AM on January 28, 2018


Milwaukee hits all the bullet points except weather and mountains. You can get a THREE bedroom here for $1000; I pay $600 for my 1920s era one bedroom. It's on 2 bus lines and it's definitely bikeable to groceries etc, walkable if you're a bit more ambitious, although if you want to live completely without a car, I'd live on the other side of town.

Domestic flights are a breeze; I've always gone through Chicago for international flights but that's only a 90 minute bus/train ride away. Madison is a fun college town and there are multiple daily buses.

The millennial queer scene has really picked up. There are mainstream bars and events as well as an artsy/punk/post-hipster scene. I'm not sure about the lesbian kink situation, or the lesbian scene in general, but there are a few groups for gay men and I know quite a few trans and/or poly/pan people involved in various scenes.

Anyway it's really easy to live super-cheaply here, especially without a car. Definitely easy to do under $1500 if you don't eat out every night.
posted by AFABulous at 9:08 AM on January 28, 2018


Consider Nashville. I've only visited, but found it super fun. Can anyone who's lived there provide more info?
posted by danceswithlight at 9:09 AM on January 28, 2018


My suggestions:

I'll second Philadelphia, what a fantastic city.

Austin, TX - a much hipper town than people think, quite left-leaning, queer friendly, great food, good for biking. Not sure about the transit because I haven't lived there. This is going to be good for your weather preferences. Also have I mentioned the tacos? Holy shit, the tacos.

Also consider: San Antonio. I haven't spent as much time here as I have in Austin, but it's obvious even from a short visit that there's a big leftist subculture here and the food is amazing.

My hometown: Minneapolis / St. Paul! Transit friendly, local coffee shops all over the place, great art scene, local literature, zine culture, tons of shows, lots of young queer women. I'm not personally acquainted with the local kink scene but I do know there is one. Tons of diversity, great food scene, and you will be able to get housing in your price range. We also have a lot of lakes and the local attitude is that the lakes are for everyone - if you want to rent a kayak or something, that's available. The summer weather tends toward hot and muggy, sun is variable. Winter is going to be harder, and probably the best time to travel and get out of town.
posted by bile and syntax at 9:18 AM on January 28, 2018


Came to recommend Philadelphia, was not disappointed. All the good stuff mentioned above plus it's ridiculously easy to visit anywhere from NYC to DC with a short train ride.

+1 to West Philly near Clark Park.
posted by Tiny Bungalow at 10:37 AM on January 28, 2018


Montreal is this city, if you can manage a border crossing — rent is ridiculously cheap for a city this size, thanks to socialism and rent controls; transit is good and the city is very walkable/bikable; there are good tech, queer, and activist communities, four really good universities, and lots of stuff going on; and it's close to Toronto and New York. The downsides are winter, because when it is wintry it is very wintry, and if you don't speak French the city is a bit harder to navigate. Though I should add that my French is not good and I've lived here happily for ten years.
posted by spindle at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2018


Yes, Philadelphia. You may have to stretch your budget on housing a bit, but there are still deals if you look hard. I find it otherwise a very affordable city -- a monthly transit pass is $91, a monthly bikeshare pass is $15, and my monthly grocery run to shoprite is about $75.
posted by basalganglia at 1:38 PM on January 28, 2018


Rochester, NY. So cheap, amazing quirky houses, lots of artists, activists, music, and weird people. Also a great beer and food scene. But snow; lots of snow.
posted by Hildegarde at 4:30 PM on January 28, 2018


Chicago. There are lezborhood enclaves in a lot of neighborhoods; it's not just centered in Andersonville anymore. From what I hear, the kinkster scenes are lively. Lots of queers. My wife and I pay $1300 for a palatial 3 bedroom on the far west side; you can absolutely get smaller for under $1000 if you're not married to super bougie northside/gold coast living. Food costs are similar to/cheaper than my hometown in BFE Appalachia; public transit is reliable and there are divvy bike stations everywhere; and there are a whole bunch of mefite weirdos and meetups every month. Winters can suck. But it means that summers are a 3-month-long party.
posted by floweringjudas at 5:24 PM on January 28, 2018


I live in Oakland currently and love it, and Oakland constantly reminds me of New Orleans & Savannah GA, where I lived previously. Very similar in a lot of ways, I think because Oakland was such a huge endpoint of the Great Migration.

I keep thinking about possibly moving back to one for cheaper cost of living (and better food).

Savannah is like NOLA but smaller and with an art school. I think their tiny airport actually is international, but it's like a 30 minutes hop to CLT.

I think if you like the quirky DIY-artist vibe of Oakland you would probably love either. You did say you liked it muggy :)
posted by bradbane at 6:43 PM on January 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


Came in to agree with everyone that Philly checks all the boxes including, ugh, hot and muggy.

Compared to Philly, Columbus (to compare the other place I've lived recently) is gonna be tougher without regular car use. Where I lived in Columbus was where Ohio State campusland started to peter out and, while I considered the neighborhood pretty walkable for Columbus in terms of actually being able to get to bars and shows and spots to eat, it was over a mile to the closest grocery store; in West Philly, I've got four full-service grocery stores plus four or five specialty grocers within a half-mile. Cycling infrastructure is pretty rough during the winter and COTA busses can be a slog since the distances involved in a trip are greater than in a more compact city.
posted by The Bridge on the River Kai Ryssdal at 12:45 AM on January 29, 2018


You really should consider Northampton, MA, though you'll find slightly better rent prices in Easthampton or Holyoke. If you live within walking distance to downtown, bus or even train travel is easy. Bradley Airport is like 40 minutes away by car, and there are various non-personal-car ways of getting there (shuttle vans and such); lots of people use them. Boston is a bit under two hours away by cat, NYC a bit over three. Because of the many colleges in the area it's easy to grab a bus to either city, and there are many bus lines that can take you all over the area. Very artsy, queer, progressive culture, though the queer culture here is a bit more family-oriented than nightclubby; there are occasional queer-focused dance nights but no dedicated gay bar, at the moment.
posted by chowflap at 8:23 AM on January 31, 2018


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