The idea here is to avoid sampling slum, high-crime, or undesirable neighborhoods that members have already avoided. Finally, we use an income screening process, to identify appropriate neighborhoods. For comparison purposes, civilian salary equals the sum of military basic pay, average BAH, BAS plus tax advantage. Current residential vacancies, identified in local newspapers and real estate rental listings, are an important source of data. Vacancies are selected at random, and subjected to the screening process, described above.
Telephone interviews establish the availability and exact location of each unit sampled.
We also contact apartment and real estate management companies to identify units for rental pricing. It is not uncommon for us to consult real estate professionals in a locality to obtain confirmation and additional sources of data. Finally, DoD and the Services conduct on-site evaluations at various locations to confirm and ensure reliability and accuracy of the cost data. Future enhancements include examining potential uses of the internet as well as housing data available from other government agencies. Founded in 1933, Runzheimer is a recognized leader in the field of collecting cost of living data in the United States and around the world.