Most affordable city?

An interesting article out yesterday, titled "Most affordable city in the nation" got me thinking. OK, so Indianapolis is the most affordable city, so what? Does that mean I want to move there? Hardly. How many people would actually decide to move to Indianapolis because of this article? If anything, it's merely a dubious honor for that fair city in Indiana. The article also mentions that New York City is the most expensive city in America. Alright, I might have guessed that, or perhaps San Francisco. But I would expect more people might be inclined to move to New York or San Francisco before they would consider Indianapolis. But really, I think that the most affordable city in the nation is the one you already live in. Why? Because, you are already in a house and know the area. Unless you are one of the unfortunate 9 million people that President Obama is trying to help out with his Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, then your best bet is to stay in your current home. Now for sure there are lots of reasons to move. If you need more space because of a growing family. Or if you get transferred to a new town because of your job. Perhaps you are retiring and want to downsize. But for most people, with the state of the real estate market right now, maybe a home remodel or a new addition are better and more affordable options than moving out of your house and into a new home. While there are plenty of good deals available out there for purchase, you still would have to sell your home too. With more and more people underwater in their mortgages (meaning their home is worth less than what they owe on it), you better find a really, really good deal on your new house to make up for the loss on your current house. This tends to work out better for people trading up but not for those downsizing. So my point is, decide for yourself what you need to do and don't let the media influence your decision either way. The only reason I would want to go to Indianapolis is to see the Indy 500.