Chicago vs Pittsburgh vs Toronto vs San Francisco. For a young person! (living, best)
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Hi, I'm a 20-year old British female taking a year out from college. I'm saving up until January and then hope to live abroad until September.
The four cities I've named are the ones that interest me the most. Can someone give me some insight into which you consider the best?
I'm not loaded so I'd like to live somewhere where the rent is affordable for a one bedroom apt or a studio (less than $1000 if possible, in a neighbourhood thats not really scummy, and central enough). Also need to find somewhere where a lease of seven or eight months is not unheard of.
City needs to be young and with exciting nightlife (live music as well as good nightclubs). I'd ideally be able to do some outdoor stuff too, like horse riding etc.
Hi, I'm a 20-year old British female taking a year out from college. I'm saving up until January and then hope to live abroad until September.
The four cities I've named are the ones that interest me the most. Can someone give me some insight into which you consider the best?
I'm not loaded so I'd like to live somewhere where the rent is affordable for a one bedroom apt or a studio (less than $1000 if possible, in a neighbourhood thats not really scummy, and central enough). Also need to find somewhere where a lease of seven or eight months is not unheard of.
City needs to be young and with exciting nightlife (live music as well as good nightclubs). I'd ideally be able to do some outdoor stuff too, like horse riding etc.
Any tips would be hugely appreciated!
Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco are all significantly larger than my hometown of Pittsburgh, so naturally, they will offer much more in terms of "exciting nightlife."
Let's put it this way:
San Francisco: probably has the largest percentage of young people; definitely the sunniest weather, but city proper only has one notable university. Lowest crime rate of the three American cities mentioned. Most expensive city.
Chicago: largest of your listed cities, thus, with the most stuff to do; worst crime rate however; excellent universities; excellent lakefront.
Toronto: big and cosmopolitan like SF and Chicago; good universities; stuff to do.
Pittsburgh: won't have nearly as much nightlife as the above mentioned cities, but destroys the other three in terms of cost of living. You wanted a city with a studio of $1000 or less? You can certainly get a one bedroom downtown for less than $1000.
Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is also very close to outdoor activities such as: whitewater rafting, hiking, mountain biking, boating, swimming, spelunking, camping, etc.
Another significant benefit of Pittsburgh over the other cities is proximity. From Pittsburgh is less than a six hour drive to:
Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, etc.
I also prefer the Pittsburgh housing stock over San Francisco, Chicago, or Toronto...but that's just my personal opinion.
My conclusion is this: if crazy and extreme nightlife is a must, then don't come to Pittsburgh. You likely won't find San Francisco within your price range, so I'd consider Chicago or Toronto more highly. If you can tolerate average nightlife, then seriously consider Pittsburgh; while we can't compare to the other cities in terms of amenities, we still have 100,000 college students in the county, beautiful architecture, very low cost of living, and are extremely close to some of the best cities in the world, and tons of outdoor activities. Just ask if you want some extra info on neighborhoods.
Thanks for all the replies, they've really helped!
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