It won't even out from everywhere - I would say that living for $450 a month in a decent place in an urban part of a major American city is abnormally inexpensive.
The article's author came from Seattle - and I can say without a doubt that this city is expensive. Not NYC expensive, but if you took a nice place in Bellevue or Kirkland, and included the cost you're paying for your car - it would come up to NYC rent.
I'm in the middle of a relocation to SF right now, and equivalent rents in SF are maybe ~30% higher than here in Seattle... When you're in the ballpark as SF, you're an expensive city.
The article's author came from Seattle - and I can say without a doubt that this city is expensive. Not NYC expensive, but if you took a nice place in Bellevue or Kirkland, and included the cost you're paying for your car - it would come up to NYC rent.
I'm in the middle of a relocation to SF right now, and equivalent rents in SF are maybe ~30% higher than here in Seattle... When you're in the ballpark as SF, you're an expensive city.