Cost of Living

Having recently moved to Vancouver (ahem, yesterday), while looking for a place I can call home, the ridiculous cost of living of this city hit me while I was being naively optimistic about what I could afford.

Which got me thinking about the exclusivity of postal codes (ok, so it doesn't work as well as zip code, but you know what I am getting at). A glimpse of water, a mountain view will all cost you. Which seems fair - more desirable means more valuable. But is it?

How do we monetarily value views that should be available to everyone? The hardwood, the high ceilings, the fancy gym - that you can slap a value on. But isn't it a bit sad that you can buy a view or accessibility or fresh air? (Ok, so I am being dramatic about the fresh air)

Isn't it a bit absurd? Shouldn't we all have these things?