Interesting. My only criticism is that the study lumps all neighborhoods together. Yeah, it's cheaper to live in some parts of DC, but then schools and crime are an issue.

Very interesting, thank you. Required reading for anyone considering the real cost of living (housing+transportation) of different DC locales.

Interesting Urban Land Institute report on combined housing and transporation costs in the Washington, DC metro area is just recently available and it includes a combined cost calculator. As quoted from the ULI web page:

Beltway Burden: The Combined Cost of Housing and Transportation in the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan Area ( http://commerce.uli.org/misc/BeltwayBurden.pdf ) The Terwilliger Center's most recent report documents the challenges faced by area working families who are forced to "drive 'til they qualify" for housing, incurring higher transportation costs that eventually erode their housing cost savings.

As a complement to Beltway Burden, the Terwilliger Center released the Terwilliger Cost Calculator ( http://www.uli.org/sitecore/content/ULI2Home/ResearchAndPublications/TerwilligerCenterforWorkforceHousing/Research/Cost%20Calculator.aspx ), which provides consumers with up-to-date Washington, D.C. metro area housing and transportation cost data that they can use to make informed decisions on where to live and work.