The use of metropolitan statistical area leads to some very strange results here.

For the area I'm familiar with here; Trenton-Princeton are two very different worlds. You can find homes, in relatively decent shape, for 100,000USD in Trenton. Why? Because there's a murder like every two weeks around the corner. Princeton, on the other hand, won't even get you a 1/10th acre plot with no house for 100,000USD. Hell, I'd be shocked if you could find the smallest plot in the whole town for under 200k. Average home price in Princeton is like 1.2 million USD. Average price in Trenton is 165k.