Austin, Seattle/Bellevue or NJ/NYC for job?

[tristatecommuter]

Here is a fourth option - Southern Fairfield county in CT. Comparable to Millburn/Short Hills for excellent schools and not so good commute, have access to the beach, and a charming New England life style. (I assume your opportunity is with a company whose name begins with the first letter of the alphabet).

[blazerj]

Originally Posted by vrr106

We are a family of 4 with an almost-high schooler and almost-middle schooler. A new job opportunity has these 3 potential locations - Austin, Seattle or NYC. Our priorities ranked in order are:
- Good public schools
- Reasonable commute
- Good weather
- Cost of living
Home budget is $2M
If NYC is chosen, the most likely location to live would be the Short Hills/Millburn Township area.
Very interested to hear from people who have lived in more than one of these locations.
Here are the pros and cons we have identified:

1. Austin Pros: No state income tax, easier commute, good weather Cons: Average schools, crazy real estate market even at the $2M level with ridiculous appreciation over the past year, High property tax

2. NJ Pros: Good public school Cons: State income tax, High property tax, weather, long commute

3. Seattle/Bellevue: Pros: No state income tax, okay commute, good public schools. Cons: Weather, real estate bubble

I've lived in that area of Jersey and currently live in Austin. For $2M, look into the Westlake area (Eanes School district). It has it's issues, but is as good as any public school district in NJ.

Aside from that, I'd look at which area has more jobs that you are interested in in 2-4 years. That's actually the reason we moved to Austin.