For what it's worth, I work in Fayetteville, NC, right beside Fort Bragg. Most soldiers don't make a lot, but they have food, clothing and housing paid for, and a lot of them spend what they do make on their rides. All of the folks who've worked on my car here tell me that as soon as it's pay day the guys start bringing their cars out to get more good stuff put on them. The cost of living is low here, it's less than 2 hours from the ocean and about 5 hours from the mountains.