NPR.

N.R.

Huntsville, Alabama is growing fast.

About 18 people move there every day.

And you can see lots of reasons why.

It's where the rocket that put the first man on the

moon was developed. There are plenty of space and defense sector jobs, a big music venue. And in the

center of town, there's an art museum and a pond where Rachel Ramos and her daughter, Raina,

are feeding the ducks. See, it's only 25 cents for a cup of duck food. Yeah, I can't get more duckies.

25 cents might sound like a great price, but the price that really matters for Rachel is 1,250.

That's how much she pays each month for a three-bedroom apartment.

Three bedrooms. That is a steal.

Yeah, I thought my two-bedroom in Birmingham was cheap, but. That is a steal. Yeah, I thought my two bedroom in Birmingham was

cheap, but this is definitely a steel. And Rachel also thinks the city's pretty affordable.

Compared to other places that I've lived, like Montana and Florida, I find it less expensive to live here.

The cost of homes in Huntsville by square foot is about 25% cheaper than it is nationally.

But Rachel is worried about those good times and low prices lasting.

I am concerned about it because just with any place that I've lived where there was a lot of expansion,

prices tend to kind of go up.

This is an economic paradox that many cities face.

One of the drivers of high prices is people moving to a city for low prices.

This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Waylon Wong.

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