If you had a choice of living.....

[lammius]

Originally Posted by tigre79

I think if my major life decisions revolved even partially around the distance to the nearest Macy's, I'd be very depressed.

Seriously. Unless his/her job is in retail and proximity to company or competitor stores matters for some reason.

If having a Macy's within spitting distance makes you smile when you go to bed at night, then make that a priority. Otherwise, prioritize the things that make your everyday life easier and/or more pleasant. Think about commuting, enjoying peace and quiet or lively nightlife, everyday needs like groceries, places to get exercise. Things you do less often should be lesser priorities.

Also think about schools, crime or perception of crime, housing stock (do you want condos, capes, tudors, etc., and where can you get them in your budget?), spend some time in each city and see if you enjoy them.

Then there's the money question. You'll be earning a little more in City A it seems, but housing is more expensive. What about property taxes? Utilities? Insurance? Are they considerably different? Does that widen the gap between A & B, or does it tip the balance the other way? How soon are you planning to have children? If you plan on having your second child more than 5 or 6 years from now, you could start with a smaller starter home, build equity, increase your earnings and savings, and move into a larger home when you need that 3rd bedroom.

[the city]

Originally Posted by lammius

Seriously. Unless his/her job is in retail and proximity to company or competitor stores matters for some reason.

If having a Macy's within spitting distance makes you smile when you go to bed at night, then make that a priority. Otherwise, prioritize the things that make your everyday life easier and/or more pleasant. Think about commuting, enjoying peace and quiet or lively nightlife, everyday needs like groceries, places to get exercise. Things you do less often should be lesser priorities.

Also think about schools, crime or perception of crime, housing stock (do you want condos, capes, tudors, etc., and where can you get them in your budget?), spend some time in each city and see if you enjoy them.

Then there's the money question. You'll be earning a little more in City A it seems, but housing is more expensive. What about property taxes? Utilities? Insurance? Are they considerably different? Does that widen the gap between A & B, or does it tip the balance the other way? How soon are you planning to have children? If you plan on having your second child more than 5 or 6 years from now, you could start with a smaller starter home, build equity, increase your earnings and savings, and move into a larger home when you need that 3rd bedroom.

I like having a good selection for clothes nearby as well as a good selection of electronic stores, natural food markets, and car dealerships.

Macy's being a large store sells a variety of suits, trendy clothing, and gifts I like.

On a personal note, city B is 10 minutes from where my sister lives. And city A I am half hour away from my sister and parents, so I would not fall into the trap of taking care of them.

[the city]

Would I be able to afford this type of lifestyle on $63,000 a year? And there is a chance of earning $73,000 a year

City A lifestyle
-Clothes from Macy's, Banana Republic, Men's Warehouse, Target, Sear's, and Kohl's
-Groceries from Costco, Trader Joes, and from a Whole Foods-like market
-Semi newish cars
-Trips to Hawaii every couple years (flying out of California)
-$300,000 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house

And I can see the votes are saying go for the city with cheaper housing.