The article seems to reference East Coast a lot. We're not talking about $50-100k burb boxes as seen in Phx.

As far as NYC: you can find an OK 1 or 2 bedroom for the middle prices mentioned in the article if you look. Even more space is possible if you venture out to a nicer part of Brooklyn. Or if you look in a non-trendy area of the boroughs, you can actually buy a house and pay stupidly low taxes (like $100/month).

As far as PA: the guy spending $340k on a house in sticksville got ripped off massively. I went to college in PA, was just in that town, and you can buy a house in a nice area, walking distance to the tram line from Philly and the small downtown area for $300k. Not a small house either.