Received a new offer for the central region (non-sw). Have flexibility to move to Austin or stay back in Chicago where I currently am. The salary remains the same. What is better off from a career/ housing move? I’m on a visa if that changes anything. Chicago seems great but the cold gets me every single time. Austin is growing but seems like housing has exponentially blown up but the weather is much better. #career #move #presales New TC 225K Current TC 155K YOE 5
Chicago is amazing if: You like big cities and plan to live downtown You like restaurants and walking around You can handle cold for 4 months of the year (it's not that bad) You like boats and lakefront and active lifestyle
Chicago is not great for you if: You're incredibly frugal/cheap You don't like being downtown You want a large square footage single family house
I do live downtown and have been here for 3 years. Honestly, the lake lifestyle and restaurants get a bit boring over time. But Chicago definitely has that big city vibe going for it. Thanks for your input!
With Beetlejuice over there? GTFO
Austin’s 65 degree winters are nice. Housings iffy but it’ll cool down eventually. No state tax. Chicagos cold af and according to my brother in the heart of the city is dying to get out and away from all the mental illness. Austin’s very clean, very new feel cause it is. You’d be here in mid blow up. Look up metas new leasing here. Great place for tech. Do it.
This is really helpful. Really leaning towards Austin based on the comments here. Thank you!
I don’t agree with the market cooling down much in Austin. I’ve lived here for 16 years, and it hasn’t ever really gone down much - even during 2008. The reason is that housing is supported by strong fundamentals- influx of population, strong economy with high paying jobs, small area of land, diversification between tech, govt, education.
I’d stay in Chi if you like big cities. Austin is trash. I’d relocate to Chicago in a heartbeat. You don’t like the cold? Get ready for 4-5 months of unbearable heat. I simple can’t leave the house all these months. Need to quickly get anything? Gotta drive in Austin unless you’re in downtown. In Chicago I had so many corner stores near my place, and that’s how cities should be built. Overall, Austin is just a village. The downtown is pretty small and getting overrun by homeless. A few blocks from downtown you start getting residential houses. Everything is spread out and flat, even the glorified hill country is very underwhelming. Housing is surging and your rent will be way higher than in Chicago. Wanna buy something? You’ll be competing with folks making 3-5 times what you are. Austin is a major disappointment. I can’t believe it’s so overhyped
we living in the same Austin ? 🧐 I’ve been here 6 months and haven’t seen not one homeless person in the city or suburbs. There is a lot of driving I’ll give you that. I’m sure Chicago’s got more of the city like, live without a car vibe. You need a car in Austin but the heat sure as hell beats wind and cold
Emmm, walk in downtown to see them? Especially near I-35. Things got better since the law prohibiting camping in the streets was passed, but they are still very much around.
@Meta : Interesting take. I have heard about traffic being awful in Austin vs Chicago. Also, Chicago rents have shot up exponentially this year. Renewal leases are going at 37% over the prior year all over downtown, Gold Coast and Lincoln park. I’m pretty sure it’s the same story in Austin?
It’s worse in Austin. My rent doubled. But sucks to hear it’s happening in Chicago too
I have to second the points Meta brought up. Also suburbs in Chicago are so much better in terms of growing a family. Aurora, Naperville have the best schools and have been consistently ranked high for raising a family. Austin suburbs are okay at best and all the nearby suburbs have blown up housing so you are looking at houses at least 45 mins drive to get to Austin. Depends on what you are looking for Chi town and suburbs if it's big city with string potential for settling down. Austin if it's just pure tech scene and comparatively larger houses
With your tc i would lease a place at domain in Austin and keep an eye out on sfh market. Domain is amazing , and you are 15 mins uber drive away to the best night life at rainey/west6th
Sfh prices are insane rn in the burbs. Idk when and if it will ever go down for me to buy something. But thanks for the input! I was looking at domain but I don’t ever have to go to the office. It’s completely remote.
If you are single then i would target the new apple campus area 78727 or 78758 zip code and avoid going to far out suburbs of Leander/liberty hill/Georgetown . House hack, Bank on the appreciation for next 5 years and then move to Leander when you are thinking of having kids is what i would do if i could do it all over again. Cheaper and better options will pop up on redfin/zillow after superbowl
Austin housing is less affordable than Chicago’s.
Tech scene is significantly better in Austin and only getting better, so between that and your weather preference I'd move. I like Chicago a lot but the tech scene there makes me sad.
Don’t remote positions even it out? Also, do you think Chicago might actually become a tech hub too?
A lot of sales positions are not full remote, so I don't know if I'd want to rely on only working remotely for the future. Plenty of people do of course but there's a trade off On the tech hubs I don't have much of an opinion, I think Austin is only recently approaching it. Chicago idk how much has changed recently but it seems quite a bit behind. So maybe?
LOL. You looking at Chicago’s racist mayor should give you the no-brainer answer: Austin
Austin will have no state tax and is a bigger tech scene than Chicago in my opinion. But Chicago is a bigger city. You just have to spend a bit in housing. Austin weather is suited for you
Chicago is a trash city tbh, very overrated.
There’s a few things against Chicago tho. High property taxes, increasing crime rate and little to no appreciation in property values. Not sure if Austin is facing some of those issues as well