Where would you move?

[bcking 3,157]

I would just add the caveat that not all salaries in NYC are high. There is a lot of competition for jobs so that can drive pay down.

In medicine (at least as a physician) NYC is notoriously one of the lowest paying areas of the city despite the atrocious cost of living. Same job you make at least 20-30% less than other big cities.

[LJ75 3]

Thanks everybody, your inputs have really helped narrow down my choices. Not sure how much is visible, but I updated the table I posted earlier. I added COL index and property price to income ratio. Some of the elements are very subjective and I may be even incorrect.

I just tried to quantify everything, since I have no emotional preferences for any of the areas listed.

However, my wife and I did have a long conversation with my Syracuse area based brother and his wife, who strongly encouraged us to move there, since everything will be easier and they would be able to help us - more with sound advice rather than financially (we will have enough funds for the first year or two). Still not sure though. In plain terms, our first two choices are Minneapolis-St Paul and Charlotte, followed by those other places you see on the list.

Rent is based on rent.com, housing on trulia.com, schools on greatschools.org, COL and price to income ratios on numbeo.com etc.

There's still plenty of time to decide, and all your inputs are welcome.

[caliliving 606]

it depends on your style of a lifestyle.. if u can, you and your wife should move out there, maybe stay a week at your famly members and travel around! the west coast is so chill and relaxed, very much my style! portland and seattle are beautiful! mountains and oceans, and lots to do for nightlife.

charlotte is very hot and too southern for me.. but some may like it.

i have been to houston and dallas.. hot, humid and just not my scene! of course, i hear austin is amazing and even the COL there is going up because there are alot of start ups and companies there! i think it is also booming with millenials.

if you are going to move to minnesota, you might as well stay close to your famiy . in syracuse/rochester as it is very similar.

upstate NY is cool but very rural... you have a family so maybe that is good for you.

apply to jobs and see if you get any hits.. see where most of your high level marketing jobs are and where they would pay well..

while it is a good idea to ask people for suggestions, i think the best idea is to go visit some of these places! like one person said about his mom loving colorado and then hating it for a simple reason and moving.. just because some people love seclusion and to live in the middle of nowhere doesnt mean someone else will.. and some people love city life but others hate it.

and i agree, once you are settled in a life with a job, career, kids are settled it is very VERY hard to pack up and move across the country.. i would spend a bit extra now (since u have the money) to go visit these places and see where you feel like you are at 'home'

[LJ75 3]

We go out moderately, love gardening, spending time outdoors, yet it would be great if our kids had some company. It's be also great to have access to some walking zones, where you can just stroll, walk, go to some cafes, etc. I've lived on three continents, so I can adapt easily, and wife and kids are quite flexible too. Ideally, we would like to go for an LSD (look-see-decide), but don't think it's feasible - There just isn't enough time, and once we are there (well, we still need to pass this DV interview and get our visas), we'll need to start looking for jobs, visiting schools, buy a car and so on.

Maybe once we are there we can fly out to some of alternative locations before we settle, we'll see.

West coast sounds great, but realistically, it's quite expensive. In Seattle, our rent would be 2000+, and decent houses / areas are almost 500K. Portland is not much better either, and the same amount of money gets us much more in most other places I listed in the table. We are not in IT, and I'd rather be conservative with our projected salaries in the beginning.

As for the jobs, it's quite simple - there is direct correlation between the size of the city and number of openings. Of course, it also means that there a lot of people applying for the same job like you...

[PurplePassion 1]

atlanta isnt good you shouldnt consider it

[LJ75 3]

atlanta isnt good you shouldnt consider it

Care to elaborate?

[flying_postman 6]

I'm in the same boat as you as a DV winner in 2014 but I'll be moving fully to the US in March 2017. I did a "look and see" in May focusing on 3 cities Raleigh NC, Charlotte and Austin, TX and I strongly suggest you do the same for your top 3-4 cities. For example I researched Raleigh based on its' proximity to RTP and it's a great city (beautiful homes in the historic district) but as a single guy the pace is a bit slower and looks like a very family oriented town (If I had a wife & kids I would definitely settle in Raleigh).

My top pick ended up being Austin, with Charlotte being a close second based on Austin having most my "pros" but I'm still concerned about the traffic and the steady increase in real estate/rent so some compromise would be necessary.

I selected those 3 cities based on my background in IT and these ranked high in terms of tech vacancies, COL, weather which are my top priorities and I'm hoping this translates to a decent IT job and place to live when I land in Austin next year. Also its' good to see you're putting some thought and analysis into this.

[PurplePassion 1]

Care to elaborate?

even if I did you wouldnt understand. I was born and raise there. Its filthy and dangerous.

Edited December 1, 2016 by PurplePassion