Atlanta vs. Houston for an upward move (living, cost, better)
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My SO and I are considering a move, we are an early 30s, currently residing in Miami. Our main gripe with Miami is the cost of living compared to the wages, and lack of growth opportunities. Our combined salaries are around $125,000/year. I work in IT, Windows server admin and SQL, she works in clinical research. While a lot of people are really trying to push for the "next Silicon Valley" thing that has been circling around here in Miami, right now there isn't much and honestly I'd be surprised if anything ever came of it. I feel quite limited in my field here. Every job that I find that seems perfect for me is a significant pay cut. Offering like $47k/year for a sysadmin job that requires experience and intricate knowledge of certain systems seems ridiculous to me.
She feels the same way. Companies are making cuts due to COVID and removing benefits, raises, etc. We both kind of feel stuck. High rent, low wages.
We are currently paying $2200 for a 1bed/2bath apartment. We are looking to settle down permanently (or mostly permanent at least) somewhere in the next few years and buy a home. Here in Miami, for ~$300,000 you won't get a whole lot unless you're way out from downtown, looking at a 1hr+ commute. Even then, it's not going to be a nice place.
If it matters, we're a mixed couple, white and Hispanic. We both want somewhere that the cost of living is lower and where there are more career advancement opportunities. We're both in the middle politically, maybe slightly more to the left.
We are looking at Houston and Atlanta. I like walkable, dense cities but I understand neither of these fit that bill. Traffic is awful in Miami so we're used to that, not really a concern... anywhere is better than the Mad Max-esque shenanigans that we have going on here. We'd likely rent for a year or two before buying. Considering our situations, I'm just looking for some input. I do know that there is a good amount of IT work in Texas of all sorts, so that is a plus. Diversity is also something we both want, before COVID we were always out trying different foods from around the world.
Personally I think Houston fits better for all of this, but like I said I'd just like some further input.
I’m going to say for the whole tech theme, Atlanta probably has the edge although Houston is no slouch. In either city you should be okay in your field as far as being as system admin, but if you start looking to move up and grow in the field, I’m going to say Atlanta has more opportunity. I will say that in tech, the need to continually push your experience level up is universal regardless of which metro you live in. Always be hungry for knowledge, experience and certifications because if you’re not, you will be sold out by someone who is. Right now the big thing is automation, SDN, AWS, and security. Knowing those will get you a reasonable chunk of change. As for Covid cutting into salaries? Welcome to life. That’s happening everywhere. I took a $40k hit from $140k to $100k and it took me pretty much the rest of 2020 to find a job from when Covid hit. It’s just hard times and times we have to be tougher.
Houston is slightly more affordable IMO because it has more housing inventory. I don’t know how it is in Miami but you’ll need to watch out for flood plains when choosing a place to live in Houston. Mold is something you will have to combat in areas as well.
In neither city will you be close to Downtown in a desirable area for less than $300k though.
Last edited by Need4Camaro; 01-12-2021 at 08:41 PM..
Either one will be a good choice. What’s your preference when it comes to weather/climate?
The two cities can have very different weather and scenery.
You should also perhaps consider Raleigh and the broader Research Triangle region of NC, given your professions.
Atlanta and Houston have a rapidly growing IT scene. Atlanta a bit more. They’re both to the point where it’s better to move on a place you prefer. Plenty of IT jobs in both. IT isn’t a career where you need to move to Austin/Raleigh/Boston anymore
You'd do fine in either. Atlanta is prettier, more of a 4-season climate, and isn't hurricane/flood prone like Houston. Just depends on what you personally prefer when looking at everything on the whole. I prefer Atlanta, but Houston is good too. You won't be in either's center city, but you can find nice homes in the $300k range in a commute time way under an hour in either metro area. Good luck wherever you land.
You will do well in both the cities. I lean towards Atlanta because Atlanta's IT market has a slight edge over Houston and Atlanta is prettier than Houston in general with a well rounded climate.
Yeah, Miami pay lags majorly in comparison to urban areas its size in the US. Pay is amazingly low while rent and housing is expensive in many Miami areas. I can understand why a move would be desirable.
As for Houston and Atlanta, both cities are growing well and plentiful jobs.
I would lean towards Atlanta though due to a bit more diversity in jobs. Houston tends to have a huge sector focused on oil and gas. Also, it is super HUMID in Houston in the summertime, more-so than Atlanta often.
A few Houston areas are prone to flooding occasionally, as well.
Midtown Atlanta is becoming a "true urban, walkable city area" and if you visit, you'll see over the past 5 years even, it looks a lot like northeastern and midwestern cities in that particular neighborhood. It is very walkable and much more dense.
Atlanta is the overall better pick, but both areas are robust and growing well.
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