"You have a garage and a family room at grade, and a main level on the second floor, so you walk up seven risers to get in, then you enter the foyer and walk up another seven risers to your two bedrooms, or sometimes three," Cross says of the typical floor plan.

"Then you walk down to the foyer again and then another seven risers down from there to grade level, which is your family room."

Makes a Baby Boomer’s knees hurt just thinking about it.

Calculators Measure Cost of Moving

Question: We’re going to be making a move for retirement and are looking for sources to determine the cost of living in different communities. Do you have any online resources? Answer: Moving to a city can be baffling. A cost-of-living calculator can take some of the mystery out of relocating.

Here are just a few: Bankrate.com’s Cost of Living Comparison Calculator. Select your current city, the city to which you’re moving, and current income. The calculator displays a range of relocation factors, including home prices. Homestore.com’s Salary Calculator. Calculates cost of living for hundreds of U.S. cities and the salary you’ll need to match your current situation. CityRating.com’s Cost of Living Comparison Calculator. Determines the cost of living in two different states based on your current income.