Chicago vs Portland vs New Orleans (living, best, cost, state)

[Goodhabitguys]

So me and my friend are planning to move to the US (were both citizens)
Were aged 21, looking for a mostly young scene city, with a bunch of bars, clubs,
and good nightlife overall, its very important that there is a low cost of living, and transportation
(that it wont be hard to go from place to place without a car cause we have no license)

thanks

[Windy City Polak]

Chicago if you're the type of guys to watch baseball and eat pizza.
Portland if you're the type of guys to explore nature and drink coffee.
New Orleans if you're the type of guys to get drunk and party.

[annie_himself]

I know Portland has decent transit but living there without a car?

Since you specifically mention COL, transit, and nightlife, I think either Chicago or New Orleans will be fine.
New Orleans isn't ideal without a car though, but I would imagine it's overall better for younger people, not that Chicago isn't good.

Overall transit is much better in Chicago, COL is probably about the same, New Orleans has the bars and nightlife on lock, and you can get around decently well in New Orleans, depending on which neighborhood you live in.

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by Goodhabitguys

So me and my friend are planning to move to the US (were both citizens)
Were aged 21, looking for a mostly young scene city, with a bunch of bars, clubs,
and good nightlife overall, its very important that there is a low cost of living, and transportation
(that it wont be hard to go from place to place without a car cause we have no license)

thanks

All 3 cities offer great nightlife, especially for young people seeking bars and clubs. New Orleans has the lowest CoL, though this is changing rapidly, while Chicago has the best public transit.

With your friend as a roommate, you should be able to afford a decent apartment in Chicago near the L.

[Shakeesha]

I would choose Chicago because it's better than the other two. Chicago is a big city, whereas New Orleans is small.

[Mr_NoCoolName]

Portland may not have the wildest nightlife scene, but its has a very high density of bars, if that makes sense. A seemingly endless stream of low-key dive bars and cocktail lounges with varying degrees of hipster infestation. Someone posted a link in one of the other threads showing that Portland is actually the densest bar city in the country (per capita) for cities above 500K. And the city overall has a unique, quirky charm which adds some interesting color to the nightlife.

That said, Chicago and New Orleans are better to party in and are probably both top 3 or 4 cities for nightlife in the country. Really, only NYC and - for some people's taste - Vegas and Miami (and maybe, maybe LA) can compete with these two. Portland, despite the massive volume of bars, has a more one-dimensional and less dynamic and vibrant nightlife scene than either Chicago or New Orleans. Honestly - Portland's nightlife feels more like a hybrid of Milwaukee and Austin, and is much more comparable to these two places (both also good bar towns in their own right). So - in short, if you're looking to party, Chicago and New Orleans are nearly as good as it gets in this country.

Chicago has the best transportation of the three, then Portland, then New Orleans. All have walkable cores, but Chicago's walkability and urbanity extends over a much larger area than the other two. New Orleans is definitely cheaper than the others. Portland is the safest, although honestly Chicago's downtown core and the north side are quite safe as well.

I'd probably go with Chicago overall - it is not only a great drinking town with an incredible bar scene, but it also has a true big city feel and there is a lot of opportunity for urban exploration. Don't expect NYC or London, but it is absolutely a big, cosmopolitan world city in its own right. It's also one of the friendliest big cities in the country since it's in the heart of the Midwest.

[jessemh431]

Since you mention having good public transportation as an option, Chicago is the #1 choice for that. And for cost of living. New Orleans wins for best nightlife. But the cost of living and transportation in New Orleans is worse than in Chicago. Portland has okay options in your criteria, but I Chicago is probably the best city in the country when looking for an affordable city with good public transit and great nightlife. That's why I'm trying to move there myself.

[Trafalgar Law]

For me;

To live in: 1) Portland; 2) New Orleans; 3) Chicago

To visit: 1) New Orleans; 2) Portland; 3) Chicago

I'm more outdoorsy and out drinking type, so Portland is a better visit for me. Especially with Mount Hood right there, I went hiking there last winter and also ziplining there last winter from the afternoon to the evening. Always a lot of fun and taking the 80 minute drive to the coast is spectacular. The Pacific Northwest has the best stretch of coastline in the lower 48 states, in terms of scenery and awe factor, in my opinion.

As for you, you should go to all three cities and then decide. All three are so different from one another that you can literally like one and not like the rest at all.

[Minervah]

I lived half my life in Chicago and half in Portland. I would choose Chicago over Portland so that's how I voted. You need a car in Portland unless you live downtown or the very expensive close-in neighborhoods. I lived there careless for over thirty years and watched the bus system that once served all neighborhoods disappear to the point where one had to travel first to downtown to get where they needed to go and then out again if they wished to travel to another neighborhood. The only one or two exceptions are the very limited crosstown bus services in the few areas to which you could transfer.

I finally had to begin to either rely on friends to drive me places the buses no longer served or take cabs. If you move to Portland without a car, Uber will be your friend. Or a bicycle.

Light rail is good if you live in the burbs or along the line but again, going to downtown is the main purpose.

In Chicago, you can get to anywhere at anytime on the CTA.

Jobs of course are going to be more plentiful in Chicago and so is nightlife. Portland does have good entertainment and great scenery outside the city. If you like the outdoors, it's a paradise. It's a great place to vacation because there is so much to do but living there with the high COL and the scarcity of jobs makes it difficult for many people. It just doesn't appear meet your list of needs.