>...but at least there are some high salaries available in NYC. I have heard that Western Massachusetts is a real problem for people who work for a living. Some say that wages are not that good, but home prices and rents are driven up by rich retirees and maybe tourism.

It's all true. The job market and the real estate market are tough. Everything else, though, is incomparably cheaper than NYC! I save about 50% on many, many things - car insurance, a box of cereal, dinner, movies, etc. I'm the group leader of a .Net User Group, and while a number of our memebers have been unemployed at some time or another, they've all found decent paying jobs. A lot of people move here looking for the good life, but it takes a lot of perserverance to find the right job. Many move out before they find it. But those who are committed usually do find good work.