Living in an Oasis City will be like living on an island.  Lower rents, less crime, friendlier people, relaxed ambience, and less need for a car.  But, even on a populous island like the Isle of Wight – you should…

EXPECT MUCH LOWER WAGES..! 

Economic theory dictates that lower living costs be reflected in lower salaries

OA-Cities will have much lower livings costs compared with OB-Cities

Housing will be much cheaper, whilst Car expenses will disappear aside from the modest cost of occasional short-term rentals for “outside” trips.  Utility bills will also be greatly reduced with water & power sourced onsite at low cost.

Then there is the much-hated Council Tax – aka community charge – which is claimed to fund local services such as…

police, emergency, road and bridge maintenance, street lighting, bus passes, libraries, museums, parks & gardens, recreational facilities, waste collection and disposal, street cleaning, social services, courts, planning, admin, etc.,

Or so we are led to believe but, when one looks more closely at where the money is being spent, most of it goes on “housing benefit” and other social handouts.  According to this Guardian article and this one – by 2019 around 70% of C.Tax is spent on SOCIAL SERVICES like “care for vulnerable adults”, “looking after children”, “homelessness” and “children’s education”.   

OA-City public services will cost less and be far more efficient

Many of the public services mentioned above will become redundant, whilst others (like waste collection) will be much cheaper, with no need for expensive collection trucks and requiring far fewer staff on lower salaries.  Higher population density means cheaper and more efficient services, as evidenced by the surprising fact that England’s lowest council tax zones are in densely-populated central London – Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Southwark, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets.

Estimated cost-of-living (in £) for 2 typical young couples in 2022

OBeCity Couple      OAeCity Couple

             3200              2200   COMBINED MONTHLY EARNINGS

1000                 600   RENT    

300*                   50    CAR COSTS (3 yr old small car in OB-City vs. 2 days rental in OA-City)

200                     0     COMMUNITY CHARGE 

300                  150     UTILITIES/PHONES/INTERNET/TV

450                  450     FOOD & DRINK 

150                     50    HOME stuff, etc

400                 300    LEISURE & VACATIONS  

200                 150    ALL OTHER STUFF

             3000              1750     TOTAL MONTHLY SPEND     

               200                450     MONTHLY SAVINGS

• *The true cost of car ownership is almost certainly much higher when factoring in accidents, fines, legal costs, etc., and the many other unplanned mishaps courtesy of the “joy” of car ownership.  

Assuming my assumptions are reasonably correct, OΔCity living costs will be at least 30% and possibly 40-50% less than a conventional OβeCity..!  

WHY OA-CITIZENS WILL HAPPILY ACCEPT LOWER WAGES…

The harmonious stress-free environment of OA-Cities will create a huge demand for residency, and long waiting lists

QUALITY OF LIFE and SAFETY ISSUES – not incomes – will be the main attraction for prospective citizens

No cars, no commuting, low rents, less furniture and household goods to buy, etc

Citizens will need less money to live, and to live very well at that, so logically they will be content with lower wages.

OΔCities will attract investors and businesses keen to take advantage of the lower pay scales