Consider your ancillary needs and wants: proximity to groceries, drugstores, a variety of interesting restaurants. Will you need a car in downtown Detroit to go anywhere or do anything interesting? Add parking, monthly auto costs, insurance… also think about your ability to entertain yourself and others (theatre, museums, galleries, sports) or managing relationships—will a newfound love have to be around the corner? In NYC everything and everyone is within 45 minutes by subway, bus or an ever-unique walk. Perhaps the unseen benefits are worth the additional expense, perhaps not, but in the end I suspect you’ll spend most of the money you saved by living in Detroit on travel to continue to remain stimulated.

Note: written with no disrespect to Detroit! I grew up in Denver and faced the similar conundrum of where-is-it-worth-what to live the life I want.