This Is Where You Should Move If You Want To Live A Dope Life On The Cheap

Cities are getting expensive. The cost of living and housing are going way up in urban areas around the county and the suburbs aren't exactly cheap either. Though it might seem like you can't possibly live in a cool place without going broke, there's a hidden gem of a city where you can live the high life on a low budget.

Salt Lake City, UT is a surprising bastion of culture. That's right, SLC. When you think of Utah, you probably figure it's just a bunch of white Mormons not drinking coffee. Though the Mormon church does own 60% of the city, the population is surprisingly diverse and the food and cultural scene is on par with most other big cities.

The LGBTQ scene is thriving in Utah. 1 in 20 people identify as LGBTQ and the city is governed by their first openly gay mayor, Jackie Biskupski. Though the church seemingly looms over the city, Utah has comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and a growing number of allies. Enjoy Genderevolution the transgender conference Salt Lake City hosts every year.

The other upside of the church is that the whole economy assumes everyone is tithing. Mormons are require to tithe 10% of their income to the church, so most businesses operate under the idea that everyone has a tenth less income to spend. That brings the cost of living way down, putting it on par with Tulsa. But unlike Tulsa, SLC has it's own symphony, opera house, and world class skiing.

Utah boasts some of the best snow in the country for skiing and there are 11 resorts in the area, all about an hour away from the airport.

If you like your nature a little less snow covered there are three major national parks within a five hour drive. The landscape offers amazing canyons, rock formations, gorgeous rivers and streams. For example, Zion National Park looks like this:

Amazing!

But the city doesn't just have high class entertainment, gorgeous natural wonders and a progressive population (though that list alone would make the city pretty great). The food and nightlife scene is diverse, delicious, and cheap!

If you're looking for great Indian, Mexican and Sushi, SLC has a huge variety at great prices. Head to R&R BBQ for 1 1/2 lb meat plates for $14 (which comes with hush puppies a side dish), peach cobbler for $3.25, and a microbrew for $3.50. That's not happy hour prices, they really have all the time $3.50 beers.

For shopping, the city has all your major clothing retailers, but their vintage clothes are on point. Decades Vintage Clothing is wall to wall amazing old clothing from the 1890s-1980s. For a more curated collection, check out IconoCLAD for kickass vintage duds.

Okay, sure, all the shopping, food, nature, and operas are cheap, but what about the real deal with living there? So, Salt Lake City isn't a place to take a cheap vacation, but get stuck in a jobless economy if you chose to stick around for awhile. Their unemployment rate is about 3% pretty much the lowest of the metro areas in the country. Tech industries are flocking to the area and creating a pretty steady stream of jobs. Since you can buy a 3 bedroom house for around $350,000 for rent a 2 bedroom apartment for between $850-$1400 a month, it's an easy place to live.

If you're looking to move and wouldn't mind a cheap life in an amazing corner of nature, give Salt Lake City a try. Skiing in the morning and drinking cheap beers at night doesn't sound like a bad life.