it's kind of a mixed bag tbh, some stuff is cheaper now, some stuff more expensive. even housing hasn't exploded as much as people think - but housing *specifically in centers of big cities* went from nadir in the 70s to peak now.

My bummy childhood home in winnetka is worth 1.1 million dollars. I moved to a different state three years ago

I can't speak for Memphis (which afaict is doing basically okay) but you can get some DEALS in places that are authentically economically depressed. Check the real estate listings in, say, Oil City, PA where you can buy a Victorian mansion for $60k bsky.app/profile/disc...

I recall hearing a news story in the 00s that Louisville (I think?) tried to jumpstart an arts scene by just handing a bunch of huge downtown houses to artists rent free. Can’t say what became of it.

the whole "mocking homeless people for having smartphones" discourse is a perfect illustration of this: the gizmo that didn't exist or was a massive luxury not long ago is now an affordable necessity you can buy with cash at the corner store, while a basic roof over your head became unobtainable

Blind itinerant New York City street musician Moondog had an apartment in Manhattan and a summer house in the Finger Lakes.

Partly a victim of its own success, in terms of reviving urban cores so they became attractive again for high-end buyers. But the bottom line is supply, supply, supply.

housing in the areas where people want to live has gone absolutely bonkers and it's pretty much all due to a refusal to build. you can *maybe* argue NYC is hitting some physical limits, but you could close to double SF's population if you just built more.