George Kamel - America’s Most Expensive Zip Codes (Can You Afford To Live Here?)

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Think home prices are high where YOU live? Wait until you see these places! In today’s video we’re looking at the 5 most expensive zip codes in America. We’ll talk about why they’re so pricey, and how where you live can have a huge impact on your finances.  Links:  Ramsey Cost of Living Calculator EveryDollar Budget Deal: I love a good deal, when you sign up using this link , I’ll hook you up with a 14-day free trial and $15 off your first year of the premium version of EveryDollar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's see. According to Zillow, I can afford to live in a small woodshed, a gas station bathroom, or the breakroom of an abandoned Kmart. Great. If you're feeling like home prices are through the roof, pun intended, you're not the only one. Houses do be expensive like that. Every single one of them.

I'm a dad now. I can make dad jokes. And today, I'm going to show you the five most expensive zip codes in all of the America. And these are the places where the median home prices are higher anywhere else in the country. Oh, you think it's expensive where you live. Wait till you see these apples, unless you actually live in one of these places, in which case, yeah, it's pretty expensive where you live.

And why are you watching me? Why? You already have all of the wealth. You should make your own channel showing us how we can live where you live. I want to welcome you to my YouTube channel. It's a destination. So we're gonna talk about why these zip codes are so pricey and how where you live can have a huge impact on your finances. So do you live in one of the most expensive zip codes

In America? Probably not. But let's find out. But first, why don't you zip on down to those like, share, and subscribe buttons and give them a click. It costs the same whether you live in Denver, Colorado, or Ding Dong, Texas. And yes, that's a real place that people choose to live. And I've never been there, but it sounds delicious. All right, let's get to it. Here are the top five most expensive zip codes in America. Coming in at number five, 98039, Medina, Washington, population 2886. Now, Medina is a mostly residential city, located on a peninsula in Lake Washington on the opposite shore from Seattle. It's got good schools and a low crime rate, which make this small town near the big city an attractive place to live and raise a family. In fact, Medina is considered to be one of the best places to live in Washington State.

Several billionaires and tech company executives have homes here, including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, aka the Space Cowboy. It was also home to the late Jeffrey Brotman, co-founder and chairman of Costco, which is near and dear to my heart, mostly because of the unwavering price of the hot dog combo. Check out these recent listings in Medina. I mean, these are the kinds of homes we're talking about here. Super nice, and the typical home value is $4.18 million in Medina.

And the cost of living here is almost 37% higher than the national average. But get this, the median household income is over $208,000, which is pretty good, if you ask me. 50-50-gun. And by the way, that was the median income. The average income in Medina is quite a bit higher. But we like to use the median because it does a better job capturing the typical salary. Median means half of the households make more, half make less. So this is just going right down the list to the very middle.

And that $208,000 number is right in the middle. And for context here, the median household income in America today is around $70,000. So Medina for sure has some high earners. Now think about it. If you made $208,000 a year, your take-home pay would be somewhere around $13,000 a month. And if you follow our 25% rule when it comes to housing, meaning no more than 25% of your take-home pay going towards housing, you could still afford a monthly mortgage payment of $3250. That'll get you some house.

Big house. Coming in at number four, we've got the zip code 94022. And that, my friends, is Los Altos Hills, California. Population 8,295. This is a residential town in Silicon Valley, between, Queen San Francisco and San Jose. So you have access to the city, but it's got kind of a rural feel, if you will. No shoes, no shirt, no problem.

Am I right, Kenny? Love that guy. Los Altos Hills is a beautiful countryside, and the people who live there want to keep it that way. This town has zoning regulations that require a minimum lot size of one acre and landowners are limited to one primary dwelling per lot. So you can see why homes are very expensive here. I mean, just check out some of these recent homes listed for sale in Los Altos Hills. Even a small ranch home here is going to cost you a lot of coin.

And the typical home value in this area is $4.26 million. And the cost of living in Los Altos Hills is a whopping 78% higher than the national average. I mean, that's the Bay Area for you. No shocker there. What the? Is this the backyard? Is that the shed? And even though things are expensive, it would seem most people here can afford it comfortably. In fact, in 2019, a Bloomberg analysis ranked Los Altos Hills the fourth richest town in the United States. And the median household income here is just over $250,000. Like literally, just over $250,000.

To be precise, it's $250,000 in $1, Bob. Think about that for a moment. RIP. Rest in pricing. Now, notable residents include Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, David Packard, whose last name was on a lot of HP printers next to the name, Hewlett. That was Packer!

And baseball player Barry Bonds. Who was, oh so briefly seen in my video? investing for beginners. Cardi B, B movie, Bond movie, Barry Bonds. Next up on the list, coming in at number three, it's the zip code 11962, and that, my friends, is Sagaponic New York. Population, 736.

Maybe you've heard of the Hamptons. Yeah, that's a $10 word for the Hamptons. The Hamptons is an affluent area on the eastern end of Long Island, and it's made up of two towns, Southampton and East Hampton. Why South and East? Is there no West Hampton?

Is there no North Hampton? I don't know. And both of these Hamptons include several villages and hamlets. And fun fact, I learned, while making this video, a hamlet is not a small pig. It's a super tiny village, like I'm talking a few houses grouped together. Mind-blowing. Now, this is a favorite vacation spot of the rich and famous and a popular getaway for people from New York City,

since it's pretty close to the Big Apple, and you can get there by a rail. And Sagaponic is the most expensive village in all of the Hamptons, with a typical home value of $4.75 million. And as I looked, there were many for much more than that. I'm talking $20 million, upwards of $30 million. So what's the most expensive house in the most expensive village? Well, that would be this massive estate built for billionaire Ira Renert and his family. This waterfront compound sits on 63 acres of land

and is estimated to be worth around $200 million. And here are some of the slightly more modest homes you'll find in Sagaponic. They're beautiful. I mean, don't these houses just make you want to buy a yacht and play tennis with a little sweater tied around your shoulders. Are they too good for pickleball? Polo? What's big there? Cricket? What's a rich people sport? Booty, tooty, Mr. Smarty Pants.

Anywho, some of the notable residents of Sagaponic include Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Kurt Vonnegut, and Billy Joel, who kind of looks like Dave Ramsey if Dave Ramsey had a piano instead of giant scissors. And the cost of living here is 17.4% higher than the national average, while the median household income is 113 grand. Sounds low to me. I imagine that many of these people have a much higher income based on that list I just shared.

And fun fact for you, the name Sagaponic comes from the Shinnock Nation's word for Land of the Big Ground Nuts. Can't make this up. That's a really good name for my next album. Moving on to number two, you might be familiar with this zip code, 90210. It's Beverly Hills, baby.

Population 31,896. Now, unless you're breaking Amish, you've heard of Beverly Hills. or at the very least, the Beverly Hillbillies. It's one of those places people associate with luxury and wealth, and it's the zip code probably most famous in the U.S., thanks in part to the popular 90s TV show, which in retrospect may have just been one giant ad for denim, suspicious.

Sneaky, sneaky minks. And Beverly Hills is located in Los Angeles County, and it's surrounded by the city of Los Angeles and bursting with Botox. It's home to celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Leo DiCaprio, I call him Leo, Katie Perry, Johnny Depp, I call him Johnny, Taylor Swift, Jack Nicholson, Chrissy Teagan, Steve Martin, basically a ton of A-lister's and also Dr. Phil. He's S-tier. If you want to taste of the good life, check out some of these recent home listings in Beverly Hills. I mean, just look at these places. Doesn't it make you want to put on a floral print button up, hop on a lounge chair by the pool

and sip a fruity drink with a little umbrella in it? Maybe some of those coconut shrimp? That's the good life. Now get this, the typical home value in Beverly Hills is $5.11 million. And the median household income is close to 155 grand. Again, feels very low for these people's actual lifestyles and income, but that's what the data said. I can't argue with it. And the cost of living here is 44% higher than the national average. So it's going to cost you a pretty penny to live in the lap of luxury surrounded by real housewives. Maybe I'm crazy. And I don't know if the guys from Weezer live in Beverly Hills, but I do know it's where they want to be. See what I did there? Okay, I'll move on. And in first place, for the most expensive zip code in the U.S., we are headed to 94027. And that, my friend,

is Atherton, California. Population 6,915. It's less than 20 minutes from the headquarters of Facebook, Google, and Tesla, and it's the wealthiest city in the United States. It's part of the San Francisco Metro area, just down the road from number four on our list, Los Altos Hills. Check out some of these recent homes listed for sale in Atherton. I mean, even a small-ish humble abode here is going to require you to fork over a whole lot of cash. We're talking some trust fund money here, some company stock share type money. And the typical home value in Atherton is $7.36 million. And much like Los Altos Hills, those high home prices have a lot to do with the zoning laws. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the town's ascendance stems largely from its single-family

zoning, one-acre minimum law sizes, flat land, streamlined permits, and changing buyer demographics, which have translated into soaring house sizes and skyrocketing prices. And according to Business Insider, demand for housing in Atherton is so high that even a tear-down property like this old ranch, which looks vacant and had a no trespassing sign, sells for up to $5 million. While there's no real housewives of Atherton, yet, that's a freebie, guys, take it. Now, wouldn't you know it, Atherton is home to some notable people, like Charles Schwab, NBA star Steph Curry, and Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac.

Way to go, Lindsay, good for you, man. Lindsay, I don't want to speak too soon, but we might have a little surprise for you later. And fun fact, the town has no commercial zoning. there's no restaurants, no shops, no grocery stores. Which begs the question, how far does Lindsay Buckingham have to drive to get a Costco hot dog? Costco hot dog, really are the best. Anyway, the cost of living in Atherton is a staggering 77% higher than the national average. And as you've seen, home prices are incredibly high. But once again, so are people's salaries here. Just like in Los Altos Hills, the median household

income of An Athertonian is $250,000 in $1. Just enough to outbid the guy next to you on contestants. row. So there you have it. Those are the top five most expensive zip codes in America. Is it depressing? Kind of. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't live in these places. You just better have the income and the polo skills to support it. Otherwise, you're going to be on the front seat of the struggle bus here. And remember, these are the five most expensive zip codes out of 41,704 total zip codes in America, meaning we are talking about 0.012% of the country. Life does not cost this much everywhere. But here's the deal. If you're struggling to make ends meet where you live, remember, you're not stuck. Two of the biggest things affecting your finances are your salary

and where you live, and the good news is you can change both. You can find ways to up your income, like finding a new job with higher pay, getting some side hustles, whatever it may be. The other thing you can do is get the heck out of Dodge, unless we're talking about Dodge City, Kansas, in which case, actually pretty affordable housing. Maybe don't get the heck out of there. But for real, you can move to a more affordable part of town or a different city altogether. Don't come at me because you're 22 and you're angry because you can't afford a home in New York City. It just doesn't work like that. We're not entitled to home ownership wherever we want. And check out this cool little tool I saw recently on Bloomberg's website. It uses data from the U.S.

Census Bureau to show you how much richer or poorer you would feel by living in another city. So let's say I live in San Francisco and my household income is $119,000, which is about the median for that area. Well, if I moved to Austin, Texas and keep the same salary, I would feel over. over $23,000 richer. And if I moved to Johnson City, Tennessee, I'd feel $44,000 richer. So the bottom line is where you live can have a huge impact on your finances.

So choose wisely. Hope you guys enjoyed this video. If you recently moved to a new city, let me know in the comments how it's affected your finances. And if you're thinking about relocating and you wanna compare the cost of living in different cities, we've got a really cool cost of living calculator

on our website. I'll make sure to drop a link to that below. As always, make sure to subscribe to the channel, like this video and share it with all of your friends who wish they could borrow a cup of sugar from S-tier celebs like Dr. Phil. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.