Chicago vs New York City cost of living/friendliness comparison (best, state)
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I'm a college student looking to move to one of these cities after graduation. I have friends and family in NYC, so that will weigh into my decision quite a bit, but considering I have lived the suburban life since I was very young, I thought maybe Chicago may be a less overwhelming option. I'm certainly looking for a change to a city environment, and to be honest, I think either will provide me the change that I'm looking for. Some people say Chicago cant compare as far as things to do with NYC, but for someone coming from living in Florida all their life, anything will be a huge step up.
As a recent grad I'll have some concerns regarding the COL. I'll only be making about $55k/year no matter where I live. The job I'm expecting doesn't adjust more than a thousand or so no matter where an individual lives. From what I've read and seen on various calculators, NYC is much more expensive than Chicago. One from CNN equated $50,000 in Chicago to $79,000 in Brooklyn, and $95,000 in Manhattan. Is Chicago really this much cheaper? I would pay a little bit of a premium to be around friends and family, and to be within distance to my sports teams, but if the difference is that great it would be illogical for me to do so.
One more thing, I've also heard that people are much friendlier in Chicago, from people looking to be friends to approachability of women to date. I've been told it has to do partially with the fact that Chicago is a little slower of a city. I know this is obviously a very subjective thing, but anyone who's lived in both cities for any time can probably comment on it.
nyc is overrated and eryth within 2 hrs of it is hella overpriced and not worth the cost, eryth is more expensive, not jus housing, economy is bad in both, but at least chi is like 40% cheaper so easier to get by when times get tough, esp being a new college grad
dont kno bout friendliness personally or how easy the women are, but everyone i talked to (not just online) told me chi is more easy going, since its the midwest, i can tell u tho that there is not much friendliness in NE, esp NYC
id go to chi if i was u
Last edited by OleSchoolFool; 11-25-2012 at 11:09 PM..
I'm a college student looking to move to one of these cities after graduation. I have friends and family in NYC, so that will weigh into my decision quite a bit, but considering I have lived the suburban life since I was very young, I thought maybe Chicago may be a less overwhelming option. I'm certainly looking for a change to a city environment, and to be honest, I think either will provide me the change that I'm looking for. Some people say Chicago cant compare as far as things to do with NYC, but for someone coming from living in Florida all their life, anything will be a huge step up.
As a recent grad I'll have some concerns regarding the COL. I'll only be making about $55k/year no matter where I live. The job I'm expecting doesn't adjust more than a thousand or so no matter where an individual lives. From what I've read and seen on various calculators, NYC is much more expensive than Chicago. One from CNN equated $50,000 in Chicago to $79,000 in Brooklyn, and $95,000 in Manhattan. Is Chicago really this much cheaper? I would pay a little bit of a premium to be around friends and family, and to be within distance to my sports teams, but if the difference is that great it would be illogical for me to do so.
One more thing, I've also heard that people are much friendlier in Chicago, from people looking to be friends to approachability of women to date. I've been told it has to do partially with the fact that Chicago is a little slower of a city. I know this is obviously a very subjective thing, but anyone who's lived in both cities for any time can probably comment on it.
Any input is welcome guys.
NYC is a lot more expensive. The question I'd have is what room for advancement do you think you'll get for the jobs in the two places. NYC might still be worth it if the job there is more prestigious or has a much faster track towards advancements. If it doesn't seem like there's going to be a lot more rewards for living in NYC and you aren't crazy about having to live in the biggest city in the US, then I'd go with Chicago and just visit NYC with some of the money you'd have saved from not living there.
NYC is a lot more expensive. The question I'd have is what room for advancement do you think you'll get for the jobs in the two places. NYC might still be worth it if the job there is more prestigious or has a much faster track towards advancements. If it doesn't seem like there's going to be a lot more rewards for living in NYC and you aren't crazy about having to live in the biggest city in the US, then I'd go with Chicago and just visit NYC with some of the money you'd have saved from not living there.
Both jobs would be for the most part identical. Its an international company, they have offices everywhere, and are usually very accommodating with office location selection. Within the company, advancement is pretty structured. As far as exit opps, as long as your in a huge city that is a financial hub, there really shouldnt be much of a difference. Hence, I'm trying to base my decision on how much cheaper Chicago is, and how much friendlier the people may be.
Both jobs would be for the most part identical. Its an international company, they have offices everywhere, and are usually very accommodating with office location selection. Within the company, advancement is pretty structured. As far as exit opps, as long as your in a huge city that is a financial hub, there really shouldnt be much of a difference. Hence, I'm trying to base my decision on how much cheaper Chicago is, and how much friendlier the people may be.
in that case go to Chicago. Chicago is much much cheaper than NYC. When comparing housing prices in Near North Side, Chicago with Manhattan, it's basically half.
Both jobs would be for the most part identical. Its an international company, they have offices everywhere, and are usually very accommodating with office location selection. Within the company, advancement is pretty structured. As far as exit opps, as long as your in a huge city that is a financial hub, there really shouldnt be much of a difference. Hence, I'm trying to base my decision on how much cheaper Chicago is, and how much friendlier the people may be.
If cheaper is what you want, then yea, definitely go with Chicago. Friendly is kind of a neighborhood by neighborhood thing and dependent on how you interact with people, so I'd toss that out. Both are filled with transplants, so you'll probably find it pretty easy to fit in.
in that case go to Chicago. Chicago is much much cheaper than NYC. When comparing housing prices in Near North Side, Chicago with Manhattan, it's basically half.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
If cheaper is what you want, then yea, definitely go with Chicago. Friendly is kind of a neighborhood by neighborhood thing and dependent on how you interact with people, so I'd toss that out. Both are filled with transplants, so you'll probably find it pretty easy to fit in.
Yeah, I mean as I said, I'd be willing to cough up a bit more of monthly expenses to go somewhere with family and friends instead of completely starting over, but if all-in COL expenses are going to be almost 40% lower like I'm seeing, it would be very hard to justify.
Location: Cleveland, OH USA / formerly Chicago for 20 years
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On a $55K income, I'd definitely go with Chicago if I were you. In NYC to swing it on that amount, you'd likely have to live in a small place in either a very scary or very remote, inconvenient neighborhood, or else live with roommates. In Chicago, you can have a nice apartment all to yourself in a very good neighborhood on that amount, yet still have enough discretionary income left over to go out and do the town whenever you want. Also keep in mind it's not just the housing that's much more expensive in NYC, it's the income taxes too. In Chicago you'll pay state income tax, but no city income tax.
As for friendliness, the conventional wisdom is that Chicago is friendlier, but I do know people who have lived in both cities who tell me that isn't necessarily the case. Both cities do, however, have lots of transplants, which means there are plenty of people besides yourself who need to make new friends, which should help your situation.
If you're a college senior, I'm guessing you're only 21 or 22. In all likelihood, you'll be going to grad school/B-school/law school after 2-3 years in the working world. If you're only making $55K, you're not really going to save that much money no matter where you live (unless it's with parents). You'll also have fewer obligations (less loans, no wife and kids, mortgage, etc.). 21-24 is that "sweet spot" age where you can afford to blow the little money you have with little consequence. So I'd say hole it up with some roommates in Manhattan or Brooklyn, do the Big City for at least a year, and blow your salary on drinks and parties. You'll never be 22 again and being 22 in New York City is unlike being 22 anywhere else in the world (save London perhaps).
Leave the pragmatism for your late 20s/early 30s. Blowing money at 23 is not nearly the same thing as blowing money at 33. You're not going to be destitute for the rest of your life because of financial decisions you made in your early 20s. You'll have a long career to earn all of that money back and then some. This is assuming, of course, that you don't have any severe obligations (i.e., unemployed parents dependent on your income, helping with sister's tuition, etc.). Barring that, I would move to New York.
A lot of college grads move to New York on $50-$60K salaries. They stay for a couple of years, have fun, and then apply to grad school. They'll usually get a friend and rent a large 1BR apartment together, set up a partition, and then treat it like their own separate spaces. That may sound weird at first, but a lot of people do it since they're not really home that much anyway.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 11-27-2012 at 07:37 AM..
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