In low-cost areas, employees are more likely to be earning the minimum than elsewhere, meaning that a mandated increase has greater impact.

Kodak's cost-cutting programs are ahead of schedule, and it has moved some manufacturing operations to low-cost areas like China.

Everyone agrees it is harder to support a family in high-rent New York than in low-cost areas like Louisiana and Arkansas.

Meanwhile, in the final bill, Congress set a minimum payment for low-cost areas, which a Clinton Administration official says could lead to windfall profits.

Members of Congress from low-cost medical areas were also concerned about using costs of care in individual counties as the basis of payments to private plans.

The sites, which together have 700 employees and cover nearly three million square feet of space, are in relatively low-cost areas with largely blue-collar work forces.

"We're seeing more and more entrants to the low-cost area."

The future of television production, like that of many other consumer goods, lies largely in low-cost areas of Asia, especially China.

And when they come, it's a struggle to live on $1,500 a month, even in a low-cost area.

This will be accompanied by an oil development boom in low-cost areas, primarily the OPEC countries.