h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Trying to avoid clogging up askh2g2 more than necessary: yes, house prices really are that expensive here. We're struggling to find anything, anywhere for under £100k as first-time buyers, and are holding out hope for a long period of stagnation or, God forbid, even a recession. It's no joke.

B

Oh my word. That just seems crazy to me. Where I live, for 76,628.35 pounds/140K dollars you can get a very nice 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 2349 square feet house in a good neighborhood. Or you can get a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1158 square feet house in the country with 5 acres of land. Only problem is, average income for a household of 4 in Oklahoma is about $28K/15,325 pounds.

That's the big difference of course. Average income here would most likely be upwards of £20k

B

My husband and I are fortunate in that we both are making more than that, but the average for the state includes service workers who make $5.50/3 pounds an hour at fast food restaurants as well as farmers/ranchers who sometimes operate at a loss. Teachers with a 4 year degree and no experience make a minimum of $31K/16,967 pounds but that includes benefits, so they put a dollar value on your retirement fund contribution and your insurance premiums and then the rest is salary.