11–20 of 44 posts
US tech salaries still seem to be disproportionately higher than elsewhere, so perhaps places like Seattle, Austin, D.C., Raleigh NC, St. Louis.
If you are in tech, Seattle has high salaries and no state income tax. Housing costs are rising, but I had a nice 1BR in Capitol Hill for ~ 1700 before buying a 3 BR townhouse in West Seattle with the same monthly cost for mortgage and taxes combined. Walk scores > 90 in both neighborhoods I've lived in and have never had a car. The equivalent housing would cost at least double in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, the win…
Some people get used to it. I did. But I'm from the Midwest, so my perspective is "hey, at least I don't have to shovel it". Me, since we've spent the summer doing outdoor stuff, it gives me a few months to catch up on more indoorsy stuff. Get caught up on reading, spend more time with my musical instruments, that kind of thing.
But still get outside: wear your headlamp, put your Gortex(tm) on, try to hold on until March.
You'll have to figure out what you want out of a place besides just low COL. You can't just mitigate your disdain for a place by looking at your savings account. That's one positive about my time in NYC, the city really forces you to figure out what you want in a place to live.
People will decry the violence (of which the vast majority is confined to the disadvantaged parts of the city[3]) and the weather (which you get used to and should stop being a wimp about), but I find the salary / cost of living ratio far outweighs the disadvantages.
[1] https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/chicago/the-l-rent-map-w...
[2] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-bicycli...
If you are in tech, Seattle has high salaries and no state income tax. Housing costs are rising, but I had a nice 1BR in Capitol Hill for ~ 1700 before buying a 3 BR townhouse in West Seattle with the same monthly cost for mortgage and taxes combined. Walk scores > 90 in both neighborhoods I've lived in and have never had a car. The equivalent housing would cost at least double in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, the win…
Chicago. Affordable rent[1], dense, car optional, highly walkable, good transit, best biking city in the country[2], phenomenal restaurants and beer. I've met several visiting New Yorkers that refer to Chicago as a "smaller, cleaner New York." I've been here 8 years and have never had trouble finding a new programming job when I wanted one. People will decry the violence (of which the vast majority is confined to the…
If you are in tech, Seattle has high salaries and no state income tax. Housing costs are rising, but I had a nice 1BR in Capitol Hill for ~ 1700 before buying a 3 BR townhouse in West Seattle with the same monthly cost for mortgage and taxes combined. Walk scores > 90 in both neighborhoods I've lived in and have never had a car. The equivalent housing would cost at least double in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, the win…
Is 1700 for a 1BR considered "Low COL" ?
Chicago. Affordable rent[1], dense, car optional, highly walkable, good transit, best biking city in the country[2], phenomenal restaurants and beer. I've met several visiting New Yorkers that refer to Chicago as a "smaller, cleaner New York." I've been here 8 years and have never had trouble finding a new programming job when I wanted one. People will decry the violence (of which the vast majority is confined to the…
Do any of the large tech companies (Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple) have offices in Chicago?
Chicago has a well-diversified economy, so it's not dominated by any one industry or company. There are a ton of bigcorp jobs, but they're more likely to be for companies like Hyatt, Walgreens, McDonalds, United, Allstate, etc. Legal and finance (particularly quantitative & algorithmic trading) are big as well.
If you are in tech, Seattle has high salaries and no state income tax. Housing costs are rising, but I had a nice 1BR in Capitol Hill for ~ 1700 before buying a 3 BR townhouse in West Seattle with the same monthly cost for mortgage and taxes combined. Walk scores > 90 in both neighborhoods I've lived in and have never had a car. The equivalent housing would cost at least double in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, the win…
Is 1700 for a 1BR considered "Low COL" ?
If you are in tech, Seattle has high salaries and no state income tax. Housing costs are rising, but I had a nice 1BR in Capitol Hill for ~ 1700 before buying a 3 BR townhouse in West Seattle with the same monthly cost for mortgage and taxes combined. Walk scores > 90 in both neighborhoods I've lived in and have never had a car. The equivalent housing would cost at least double in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, the win…
Is 1700 for a 1BR considered "Low COL" ?