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A friend and I got into a discussion about salary and cost of living. We are both currently in Watertown NY (both former military) and he is relocating to NYC, while I am relocating to Rochester, both for school. The debate started by him saying he would have a higher salary in NYC but then I reminded him that the cost of living is much higher in NYC than Rochester. Then vice versa I said that the cost of living was lower in Rochester so the salary doesn't matter as much.
I understand that a lot depends on the field of employment, the quility of life you want to live, the list goes on, etc, etc. I am married with three kids and prefer a slower pace, while he likes to club, bar hop, etc. So the life we live is much different.
I wanted to get the opinion of the people on here to see what you guys prefer and why. Not in specific relation to the situation I described above, but just in general. Would you rather live in a place with a low cost of living such as Rochester and bring home lower pay (but still livable of course) or live in a place like NYC where the cost of living is much higher but your salary was also higher?
Due to stage of life, Rochester. It may depend on the job opportunity though and other factors like the commute, location in the metro, the school district, etc.
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If I was single NYC would definitely be the more attractive location over Rochester. Cost of living can be subjective and about the only negative to the Rochester area for me would be the winter but if your good with it than it's a wash.
In either case taxes and expenses with living in NY will usually run higher than most other states and casting a wide net when looking at where to settle may bring surprising results.
What it looks like with COL is that it is more of a metro/city/municipality thing rather than a state or even regional thing, as COL can vary greatly within states or regions in this regard as well.
Then, it can come down to the personal skills/education in relation to the job market, as well as the pay for the things a person can do for employment.
Also, being a veteran, you may be eligible for things that a state may offer that isn't in another state. That could help in terms of COL and will apply to those eligible. So, COL could even depend on the person too.
If I was single NYC would definitely be the more attractive location over Rochester. Cost of living can be subjective and about the only negative to the Rochester area for me would be the winter but if your good with it than it's a wash.
In either case taxes and expenses with living in NY will usually run higher than most other states and casting a wide net when looking at where to settle may bring surprising results.
I'm perfectly fine with Rochester winters, a little less snow than where I am now is perfect. Although Rochester does have fairly high taxes compared to the rest of the county, I am fortunate that Monroe Country provided tax breaks for veterans to go along with low housing cost.
Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 16 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,220 posts, read 17,075,134 times
Reputation: 15536
Glad it works for you and your happy with your decision, that's all that really matters. After a career in the service I ended up staying in Virginia where I was stationed for most of my career. No tax break but the tax obligation is not an issue here and it was right for us. I am sure your single friend will look elsewhere if over time he's not happy with his choice but for know he's probally enjoying it....
I was also wondering, while I know you are looking at Rochester, have you thought about checking out programs like these listed here?: SU Veterans Initiative
Would you rather live in a place with a low cost of living such as Rochester and bring home lower pay (but still livable of course) or live in a place like NYC where the cost of living is much higher but your salary was also higher?
For me, it depends on the situation. I lived in Syracuse for 4.5 years and was perfectly content there. I never considered myself a city person and was happy with Syracuse's smaller size. I relocated to Philly 6 months ago and am so insanely happy here, even more than I ever was in Syracuse. For me, Philly is the perfect size. NYC is way way WAY too big for me, I could never live there. COL here in Philly actually isn't that much more than Syracuse. Some things are more expensive, but other things are cheaper... so overall it comes out as a wash I guess.
I was also wondering, while I know you are looking at Rochester, have you thought about checking out programs like these listed here?: SU Veterans Initiative
I actually considered SU, at one point it was my top choice for school but after meeting with both SU and RIT and both of their veteran services I felt RIT was a better fit as far as the programs offered. I also have family in both Roc and Syr and while I do like both cities (not to big, not to small) Rochester is a better fit for what my family is looking for.
For me, it depends on the situation. I lived in Syracuse for 4.5 years and was perfectly content there. I never considered myself a city person and was happy with Syracuse's smaller size. I relocated to Philly 6 months ago and am so insanely happy here, even more than I ever was in Syracuse. For me, Philly is the perfect size. NYC is way way WAY too big for me, I could never live there. COL here in Philly actually isn't that much more than Syracuse. Some things are more expensive, but other things are cheaper... so overall it comes out as a wash I guess.
I actually lived in the Philly/Jesery area for a year while my daughters were in CHOP. I did enjoy everything Philly has to offer but it was still a little to much for me as far as traffic, crowds, etc went. Glad you are enjoying yourself though!
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