It’s all about the total cost of living in a place. BG, if you count in the cost MR, then you have to count in the cost of interest as well. After 30 years you might pay $146,885 more in MR in Stonebridge, but you’ll be paying ~$209k less in interest. This is not counting in the tax differences as well, which should be about $2k/yr or $60k after 30 years.