I live in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts. In 2004, the median selling price for a single family detached house was $432,000 and the average was $558,000. LOcation is everything here; a detached single family 120 or so miles west of Boston, but still in Massachusetts will set you back (median) $161,800 and (average) 200,433. Affordable housing, not just for the poor, but for the middle class is a big topic around here. A two bedroom apartment (flat?) runs about $1,400 month, and that certainly won't be anything special.

Lee