I am about 15 miles from St. Pete, FL, 75 yards from the Gulf of Mexico, in a nice sized one bedroom apartment with parking and small fenced yard: $700/mo. Gorgeous sunsets through the big west facing front windows, and 20 miles of sandy beach to get AFK and clear my head, throw a disc, walk, swim, or fish.
But I could trade it for a couch and a subway pass in a city with good subways and international impact. (SF, NYC, CHI, BOS ;)
You can definitely get a decent room in a 2-3 person apartment in Astoria (Queens) for $700/month. It's not Chelsea but it's not quite the middle of nowhere either.
I think many people outside of New York wouldn't ever consider an apartment share, but it's pretty common here. I live near Times Square in Manhattan and I'm paying $900 for a room in a (small) two bedroom apartment.
But I could trade it for a couch and a subway pass in a city with good subways and international impact. (SF, NYC, CHI, BOS ;)