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I need to live in one of the following cities (Boston, NYC, Chicago, LA, San Francisco/Bay Area, DC) for work, but the problem is that I am more of a country person. I've only lived in NYC and Boston, and liked Boston much better. I hate the high cost of living, lack of space (how tiny the apartments are in NYC), and competitiveness in cities. And I really do not take advantage of city living, since I cook at home and stay in most nights. I think the ideal solution may be to live in the suburbs of a city. Ideally, the suburb should be within close commute to the city (20~30 min) and has a low cost of living. (I know this is probably too idealistic, but it's just a goal.)
I would also prefer it if the city has a general more laid back attitude and less competitiveness, though I guess that is probably too much to ask for in any big city.
Thank you so much for any advice or insight. It's my first post, even though I have been lurking the forums for a while, so please go easy on me if I made some mistakes
Avoid DC. A 20-30 minute commute will only get you a few miles outside the city, and this area takes competitiveness to a new level! I live around 30 minutes outside the city with no traffic (12ish miles), and my 1800 sf house from the 60's cost close to $500k. During rush hour, it'd take easily 60-90 minutes to drive into the city.
Rent on a 1 bedroom apartment would be somewhere between $1200-2000 depending how far out you want to go. The problem is that while DC is a major job hub, the suburbs are too (in VA: Alexandria, Arlington, Tysons Corner, Reston, etc) so going further out doesn't necessarily result in lower rents. PG County in MD is close in and cheaper, but the cheaper places are in some sketchy areas. Montgomery County, MD on the other side is just as expensive as the VA suburbs.
That said, if you can flex your hours (lots of people work 6-3 or 11-8 or something similar) you can avoid the worst of the traffic and live in some of the further out areas. We also have pretty good public transportation options, so if your work is on a metro or VRE line, you may be able to tolerate a longer commute since you could zone out for the time on the train.
I think Chicago could be your best bet. Check out Skokie or Evanston on the northside. It's about a 30-40 minute commute via train to the Loop in downtown.
Crown Point Indiana and Munster Indiana have some of the best schools in the state outside of the Indianapolis Suburbs.
Plus the cost of living and taxes are lower in Indiana than Illinois and munster is only a 25-35 minute commute to the loop depending on traffic.
You can also buy a bigger house for less in Indiana due to the fact Indiana has a 1% cap on property taxes which helped our state earn the title of the nations most affordable housing market. Illinois doesnt have a property tax cap and it can run 5%+ or higher.
Also Crown Point/Munster and St John are very safe cities with a down to earth culture that has a small mix of country too.
Crown Point Indiana and Munster Indiana have some of the best schools in the state outside of the Indianapolis Suburbs.
Plus the cost of living and taxes are lower in Indiana than Illinois and munster is only a 25-35 minute commute to the loop depending on traffic.
You can also buy a bigger house for less in Indiana due to the fact Indiana has a 1% cap on property taxes which helped our state earn the title of the nations most affordable housing market. Illinois doesnt have a property tax cap and it can run 5%+ or higher.
Also Crown Point/Munster and St John are very safe cities with a down to earth culture that has a small mix of country too.
I wonder about income taxes in terms of working in Illinois, but living in Indiana. I thought about possibly looking into NH if the OP picked Boston due to no income tax, but I believe that MA takes some out for income taxes and it may be a bit too far of a commute.
I wonder about income taxes in terms of working in Illinois, but living in Indiana. I thought about possibly looking into NH if the OP picked Boston due to no income tax, but I believe that MA takes some out for income taxes and it may be a bit too far of a commute.
i think you pay the 5% rate although im not sure.
i think there has to be a tax agreement between states to not pay both to some degree.
regardless though Lake County Indiana or Northwest Indiana doesnt have the county option income tax either so thats a plus.
Thank you for all the helpful advice, guys! And thanks for raising the points of living in a low tax state like Indiana, and working in Chicago. That sounds like a wonderful idea!
From your replies, I am leaning a bit towards Chicago. However, I haven't been to Chicago before. Is the cost of living and general quality of life better than say, Boston (since I lived there for a few years)? Also, in regards to the "laid back" attitude of cities, do West Coast cities, such as San Francisco and LA, have a more laid back attitude in general than Chicago or Boston?
Thank you so much!
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