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Originally Posted by Beladona
Think about it in terms of real life economics. The easier it is to come by money, the more exensive the goods in that area. That is the concept of "cost of living" in the United States. If you can get money easier in one place than another, usually the cost of living in that location is also higher.
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In real life economics, 'cost of living' increases when inflation causes the prices of all goods and services to rise, thus increasing the 'cost to live'.
However, in WoW, with two exceptions, all prices for goods and services are fixed.
The Auction House and Enchanting prices are the only variable prices.
The cost of living concept relates to necessities, such as food, housing, clothing, gas, etc.. whereas the AH is more of a luxury.
The vast majority of items on the AH are items that people have found and are trying to sell for more than the vendors will pay for them. If those items get overpriced due to inflation, it still won't have a negative effect. Everyone has the same chance to go out and get the same items as anyone else. Everyone has the same chance to sell overpriced items at inflated prices. So what's the difference?
But there's some items that you need that can't be found in the wild. Some items have to be made by other players. Some are better than what you can find in the wild, some aren't. Are they absolutely necessary? Probably not.
Some potions are great, but not absolutely required. Enchantments are pretty nice, but also not an absolute requirement.
Can you level from 1 to 60 without ever touching the AH? As far as I know, sure.
The essential element of progressing through the game, the biggest 'cost of living', is experience. Gold won't buy XP.