Surviving the post apocalyptic hellscape that is Rifts isn't easy. While many scrape by on a squatter life style, others might want to integrate themselves better within a particular society. Especially coveted are places living inside the few civilized city states with arcologies.

Buying a place in society has both costs and benefits.

Initial Cost: this is the initial purchasing cost of the lifestyle for a specific area. It represents investment in a locale and the building of economic and personal relationships there. +15% in CS/Triax/Phaseworld/Atlantis or other "first world" societies. +25% in arcologies

Upkeep: 10% of the initial Lifestyle Cost monthly. Smaller city state lifestyles are typically average priced and the more dangerous and unstable areas like remote wasteland settlements, Burbs and Fadetowns may offer discounts to attract settlers. Upkeep can also vary due to local conditions (wars droughts and famines).

Social: Esteem associated with living in a certain area. (Charm/Impress/Seduction/Military Etiquette/Interrogation Techniques modifier)

Ambush: The area's overall security. (Detect Ambush/Detecth Concealment modifier and opposite Prowl Find Contraband Streetwise modifier) Living on the streets offers little protection against outsiders, but increases ones cred for doing shady business. Conversely the finest abodes are first rate constructions created with features which make attacking or surprising the occupants more difficult, but fewer opportunities to be in the midst of illegal things, or activities since the high lifestyle tends to put one in a nicer neighborhood free of crime and with good lighting.

Regeneration: The area's ability to instill calm and safty effects how fast one heals. (% change in healing rate)

Assets: These are money and influence generating things that a crew can purchase/conquer. Each asset has a legal owner who must be a legit registered citizen in the area the asset operates. This person gets extra benefits from the asset.

"Because a character needs a solid identity to withstand government scrutiny, the higher the level (value) of the asset, the higher the required lifestyle of the owner.
Assets include companies or things that generate revenue or have other advantageous effects. The higher the number the more valuable the assets allowed. " (more on these later)

Computers: No legit access without Low Lifestyle. Medium/High/Luxury Lifestyles give +5/10/15% bonus to computer skills due to the quality of the connection and systems used. Access is still range limited, the distance to the nearest Matrix Operator or entrance point to the network of chitown or other advanced societies is limited to 1mile or less for Low (copper) /5miles for Mid (wireless radio) /25 Miles for High (high quality military radio link)/100 miles for Luxury. (encrypted microwave/laser link which is good over long distances provided line of sight can be obtained. Needs a tower).

Chitown Arcology

Arcologies:
Only the highest technology level societies can build the luxurious Arcologies, the most well known being the Chitown towers. Some other high societies can manufacture robotics in sufficient numbers to create the massive structures. The few that can create Arcologies in North America include the CS, Free Quebec, Northern Gun, and Archie. Bandito Arms has stolen plans and is attempting to create one underground in the desert. Golden Age Weaponsmiths also have the plans in some of their salvaged military files but don't know how to use them yet. Arcology lifestyles offer a bonus at +5% to the low-luxurious lifestyles modifiers towards a higher class.

street by ~mahmoudz on deviantART

Street Lifestyle - cost 0 - social -20% - ambush -10% regen -25% - assets none

"You will live on the streets -- or in the sewers, steam tunnels, condemned buildings, or whatever temporary flop you can get. Food is whatever you are able to find, bathing will be a thing of the past, and your only security is what you create for yourself. This lifestyle is the bottom of the ladder, inhabited by down-and-outers of all stripes. But life won't be all bad; it will be free!"

The sweet life by ~Chosenbydestiny on deviantART

Squatter Lifestyle - cost 5k - social -10% - ambush -10% - regen -10% - assets none

In CS territory this lifestyle offers an illegal but well concealed abode in the sewers and basement sublevels consisting of levels 1-5 of the fortress cities or the worst of the Burbs shantytowns, not including the required Coalition paperwork. If caught in the unauthorized squat in CS territory the character can be sentenced to hard labor for vagrancy or deported from Coalition lands entirely if they do not have citizenship papers.

"Life stinks for the squatter, and most of the time so will you. You will eat low-grade nutrisoy and yeast, perhaps adding some flavors with an eyedropper. Your home will be a squatted building, perhaps fixed up a bit, possibly even converted into barracks or divided into closet-sized rooms and you'll probably share that with other squatters. Or maybe you can just rent a coffin-sized sleep tank by the night. You'll have the use of a public dataterm, when you can find one that actually works, to call or e-mail anyone, and you might be able to pick up a pirate trid station on the trid unit you found in a dumpster. The only thing worse than the squatter lifestyle is living on the streets."

ruined apartment house 2 by ~ulbrek on deviantART
Low Lifestyle - cost 20k - social +5% - ambush -5% - regen +5% - assets 1

In CS Territory this lifestyle comes with CS paperwork to legally rent an apartment in the fortress cities levels 1-10 or get registered as a prospective cs citizen hopeful and a place in one of the slightly less chaotic Burbs.

"With this lifestyle, you'll have an apartment and nobody is likely to bother you much as long as you keep the door locked and bolted. You can count on regular meals; the nutrisoy may not taste great, but at least it's hot. Power and water will be available during assigned rationing periods. Security depends on how regular your payments to the local street gangs are. When you travel, you'll ride the tube. You'll be one among the factory workers, petty crooks and other people stuck in a rut, just starting out or down on their luck."

House 323 Full Plan by ~Built4ever on deviantART

Middle Lifestyle - cost 80k - social +10% - ambush +5% - regen +10% - assets 2

With this lifestyle in Chitown you get access to property on levels 1-15 or a home in one of the more stable burbs.

"The Middle lifestyle offers a nice house or condo with lots of comforts. If you choose this lifestyle you'll sometimes eat nutrisoy as well as higher-priced natural food, but at least the autocook has a full suite of flavour faucets. You will also have a commuter car or first-class tube pass. You will have a basic vidphone, and subscribe to a few cable channels and a local news screamsheet. This is the lifestyle of ordinary successful wage-earners or criminals."

Really really tall building by ~rubendevela on deviantART

High Lifestyle - cost 240k - social +15% - ambush +10% - regen +15% - assets 3

In Chitown this life style offers access to the more elite floors 1-30 including complementary use of the medical center on level 40. Noone without this lifestyle is allowed past level 22. In the Burbs this character would own a sizable building with bribes in place to ward off all but the most determined purges.

"A High lifestyle offers a roomy house or condo, good food and the technology that makes life easy. You may not have the same perks as the really big boys, but neither do you have as many people gunning for you. Your home is in a secure zone or protected by good, solid bribes to the local police contractor and gang boss. You will have a housekeeping service or enough tech to take care of most chores, and a luxury commuter car is at your beck and call. This is the life for the well-to-do on either side of the law: mid-level managers, senior Yakuza and the like."

Marble House by ~WhiskeyFox43 on deviantART

Luxury Lifestyle - cost 1mil - social +30% - ambush +20% - regen +20% - assets unlimited

In Chitown this lifestyle allows access to almost all floors of the fortress city 1-40 as well as Imperial Sanctum subterranean levesl 1-2. Only the royal family is allowed in the Sanctum levesl 3-5, but 1-2 are said to hold countless wonders of the past kept intact for the amusement of the most elite of Coalition society. The burbs would struggle to provide for someone demanding such a lifestyle, but it is possible. The character would have a place very near the fortress city itself in one of the most heavily fortified and oldest of the permanent Burbs.

"This lifestyle offers the best of everything: ritzy digs, lots of high-tech toys, the best food and drink, you name it. You will have a household staff, maid service or gadgets to do the chores. You will be likely (and expected) to have a powerful car and a big house, a snazzy condo or the penthouse suite in a top hotel. Home security is top-of-the-line, with well-trained guards, astral security and instant response times. Your holophone is SOTA with all the features, multistation trideo, all satellite and cable channels, and subscriptions to several major newspapers and journals. You'll be on the VIP list at several exclusive restaurants and clubs, both real and virtual. This is the life for the high-stakes winners in the world of Shadowrun: high-level executives, government big shots, Yakuza bigwigs and the few shadowrunners who pull off the big scores (and live to spend their pay)."

Additional Rules from the Shadowrun Throwback blog:

"A host can also keep a guest at a lower lifestyle than her own by paying 10 percent of the cost of the guest’s lifestyle."

"A character can permanently buy a given lifestyle by making a payment equal to 100 months’ upkeep. (applies to Middle or better only)"

"A character can lose a permanent lifestyle through an enemy’s action or through sheer bad luck."

"A character can sell a permanent lifestyle of Middle or better. "

"Characters can buy a Team Lifestyle..The cost is an extra 10% per extra person. If the team is purchasing a Low Lifestyle or higher, one member of the team will have to be the tenant of record."

Additional Resources:

Settlement Generator:
http://www.rpgobjects.com/modgen/index.php?page=setgen