It costs a lot of money to live behind the Zion curtain...but it's TotAlLy worth it, right?

Utah's always had low wages compared to the cost of a mortgage, IMO. And you don't really get much for what a house costs you. Meanwhile, there's a whole subreddit thread on exmo talking about how Utah employers are cheap with their employees because they'll just accept it because they're good little mormons. I found that to also be true. Add in tithing, and obedience to priesthood authority and you will understand good little mormons' desire to be taxed and governed to death.

anyway - and as usual - I'm not selling anything here - maybe consider building a mortgage-free log home with an unbeatable ROI.....just don't build it Utah, lol. Even NY is cheaper than Utah. wow. The one caveat is that because of taxes, New York is more expensive overall. We considered moving there, upstate, to be near friends, but just couldn't make it happen because of the cost of taxes. Those same friends ended up moving to Utah a few years after and were farther ahead financially.

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/days-work-afford-monthly-mortgage-state

Days Of Work To Afford A Monthly Mortgage, By State

"Thinking of buying your first home?

"Here’s some useful data to see how much work it will take to make that a reality.

Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao maps and lists the number of eight-hour workdays it takes to afford a monthly mortgage payment across the U.S."

This data is sourced from Today’s Homeowner, based off median hourly wages and home prices in each state, assuming a:

30-year mortgage

5.8% mortgage rate

6% down payment
----
"Ranked: Days of Work to Afford a Mortgage in Each State
"Hawaiians have to work the most number of eight-hour days (33) in a month to afford mortgage payments in their state.

"Not only is this more than the actual days in a month, it also implies that even working weekends is not enough for those making the median wage."

[Apologies for formatting]

State Workdays Median Hourly
Wage Median Home
Prices Monthly
Mortgage

Hawaii 33 $23 $909,000 $6,030
California 28 $23 $788,000 $5,241
Utah 26 $19 $572,000 $3,834
Idaho 22 $18 $472,000 $3,183
Nevada 22 $18 $467,000 $3,150
Washington 22 $24 $624,000 $4,172
Colorado 21 $23 $586,000 $3,925
Arizona 20 $19 $448,000 $3,027
Montana 21 $18 $453,000 $3,006
---
And at the bottom:
Arkansas 9 $18 $179,000 $1,295
Iowa 9 $19 $192,000 $1,372
Mississippi 9 $17 $166,000 $1,200
Oklahoma 9 $18 $182,000 $1,306
West Virginia 7 $18 $139,000 $1,028

National Average 14 $22 $355,852 $2,431

As your post shows, there is a big disconnect between taxation and what people know regarding the benefits (water, sewer lines, road repair, education) from that taxation.

I would also add that taxes are not the only things driving home prices up. As I've commented elsewhere, businesses purchasing housing units to earn profits from rental payments are taking a big bite out of home affordability. If the proposed 25% tariff is applied against Canadian lumber used to build many U.S. homes, then you could see prices go through the roof. And, of course, if the promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants go through, then there will be a lot fewer people in the construction industry available to build new housing.

I agree with you about Utah's minimum wage laws. Unfortunately, the (mostly) Mormon government, at the behest of the state's official church, prefers to keep it that way--poor people are more likely to be amenable to control by the church than their wealthier counterparts are.

This is the result of trickle up economics.

People will put up with a lot to live in a place where they have family and cultural ties, including low wages and no housing affordability.

The New England town where I went to high school has always been on the wealthier side, but it's gotten ridiculous in recent years. A very ordinary house will go for over one million dollars. When I told a former classmate that she could get a lot more house for her money in central Maryland (and even we are getting pricey,) she stated that it was important for her to stay close to her family members. And I get that.