There are many areas in the USA outside of NY that allow frum people to live comfortably. I’m not from New York and I am currently living in New York for School. The price of food overall is actually cheaper out of New York than in New York. Sure Kosher meat and cheese are cheaper, but the other things like fruits and vegetables and other objects are much cheaper and usually better quality outside of New York.
Almost all Jewish schools outside of New York will never reject a kid because they can’t pay for it. So there should not be any complaint about not being able to afford a Jewish education. Many people support these places outside of New York. However the choices are not always going to be perfect. But that can be a good thing as your child will learn to be more accepting of Jews from all different walks of life. In my high school class, there were kids from conservative backgrounds and kids that wore blackhats. We got along fine and we saw each other simply as, “my Jewish brother.”
There are many companies outside of the New York area. You can find a job in almost any city in the United States. While New York City has the most fortune 500 companies (72); Houston (49), Atlanta (22), Chicago (22), and Dallas (15) also have a large amount of fortune 500 companies. Most cities with a fortune 500 company have a Jewish community. (Think Denver, St. Louis, Detroit, Philly, Pittsburgh, L.A., Oakland – San Fran bay area, Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis, ect…)
It all comes down to how willing you are to leave your comfort zone. Unless the reason is something personal, there really are not so many legit reasons to stay in the New York area if you can’t afford it. Out of New York you can get by with an income of 50k, in New York that it is a much more difficult task.