What jumps out from the data shown is how the poor ought to see environmentalists as their natural enemy. Their housing costs–both rents and purchase prices–are worse wherever land prices are highest. Land prices are most influenced by geographical constraints (notice how all the expensive cities are next to water), population trends, and the strength of environmental laws creating land shortages.
Accordingly, the most expensive cities for the poor tend to be liberal bastions: San Fran, NY, San Luis Obispo, Seattle, Santa Barbara, etc. The cities that remain cheap despite growing populations are Phoenix, Atlanta, Las Vegas, any city in Texas, etc.
