i live in an OOT community. by choice. there are many many ppl who move to an OOT community for many reasons, finances being one of them. both the cost of living and the standard of living is drastically different than in NY/NJ area, where i’m from.
oot is not moving to a desert. yes, most of us dont have family here, but the community becomes our family, and my friends become my sisters. AND, if anyone were to have financial difficulties here, it would NEVER come to the case where a community member is begging on the street. do we miss family events? all the time. we go in whenever we can. in an OOT community, you can buy a 3-4 bedroom house for about 140-180k, depending on the size. some might consider that a starter house with 3-5 kids, and when they need it and/or can afford it, they move to a bigger house or renovate. as for kosher food products, some are more than NY/NJ, some less, some the same. ppl are moving out of town in droves because of the high cost of living in NY/NJ. i miss my family and friends, but i would never move back. i cannot fathom how i could afford it.