I'm a 21M who is about to graduate with a 130K remote SWE job at a tech company. The breakdown of the TC is 100K base, 10K RSU, 20K bonus. I am very happy with this offer but not sure where I wanna live. My main priorities are doubling my TC in 2-3 years, having an easy time landing interviews, meeting other people in tech, and expanding my network. I'll be moving with my GF who is an architect. We will split the rent, groceries, utilities, and all that good stuff. I am in between Austin and SF and here's my breakdown of each place.
San Francisco:
- HCOL
- 2400 for an average 1 bedroom
- Great tech scene
- new city for me and GF
- Salary will be adjusted (105K - 115K for base. 115K is less likely)
Austin
- MCOL
- would get a very nice 1 bedroom with 2400
- booming tech scene
- already have friends there (went to high school in Texas)
- no income tax
I am worried about limiting my career growth if I move to Austin but also worried my GF and I would not be able to live well with 160-170K in combined base salary in SF (we are pretty frugal tho). If my TC was above 200K, I would definitely move to SF but that's not the case. The main questions I cannot answer are
- Will I have an easy time landing interviews with big tech companies in Austin?
- Is the tradeoff between COL and career growth worth it?
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comments
OP doesn’t have this problem tho
If you're under 30, single, and not socially awkward Austin is the best city in the US and possibly the world to be right now.
https://us.teamblind.com/s/iwd8oAvW
That said, Austin is definitely not "backwater" for an early 20s person. It's got an incredible nightlife and social scene. Probably better than SF in that arena to be honest. Just be sure to live near downtown, not out in the burbs.
My biggest concern for OP is that working remote it may not be super easy to meet people if you aren't extroverted.
SF advantages outweigh Austin since 2022.
For that kind of money you can buy in Tarrytown.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1802-Matagorda-Dr-Round-Rock-TX-78664/52832875_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
What is the cheapest comparable house anywhere within 1 hour from Sunnyvale today?