For anyone else who’s lived out of town, you know the reality of rent costs. My friends in Manhattan find it laughable that you can find a multi-room apartment in a charming Western New York neighborhood for far less than $1,000.

Buffalo has been ranked second in a list of America’s most affordable major metropolitan areas, in terms of rent costs. The median cost of renting a place in Buffalo in 2009 was $515 per month, according to Bizjournals.com. The only city to beat out Buffalo was Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania city that boasts a meager $510 rent rate.

Not only is Buffalo affordable, its rental average is less than half the price of that in other major cities. According to the statistics from OnNumbers, 18 major U.S. cities claim a median monthly rental rate of $1,000 or more. San Jose, the priciest city on the list, charges the average renter $1,340 a month. Yeesh.

I, for one, am glad the rent is so cheap. The money I would’ve spent on rent had a still lived in New York City is now going toward feeding my Imperial Pizza, Mighty Taco and Wegmans addictions.