Got $500,000? Move to Murphy & Plano!

Where to Live on Less Than $500,000. I mean, if you work for GM, Citibank, etc. you'll have difficulty cashing checks for much more than that. That's right, Uncle Obama has just capped your salary at $500K. So, what are your options?

Matt Woolsey, with Forbes magazine has compiled a list of cities where $500,000 will still buy an exceedingly comfortable lifestyle. Yup. Apparently it takes a guide to live comfortably on $500K. I am SO in the wrong business.

To choose these 10 locations, the gurus at Forbes examined the cost of the "typical" four-bedroom, two-bath, 2,200-square-foot home. They also factored in the amount of patent and venture capital activity, average commute, and an average cost of living below $100,000.

The top cities were:

1. Irvine, Calif.
2. Raleigh, N.C.
3. Bellevue, Wash.
4. Portland, Ore.
5. Sunnyvale, Calif.
6. Redmond, Wash.
7. Austin, Texas
8. Chandler, Ariz.
9. Rochester, N.Y.
10. Plano, Texas

So... as I've said before, it's a great time to move to Murphy!

Source: Forbes, (02/12/2009)