Massachusetts vs Missouri (live, cost, state, better)
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I love all three of those cities, but Newburyport and Salem are part of the Boston MSA/NECTA. Newburyport is especially expensive, but Salem isn't too bad, if you don't mind having a smaller home than what you'd get in MO. The regular train service and the beautiful downtown would be worth it for me.
Northampton is great and it's part of the Springfield MSA - Although it's a bit more expensive than West Springfield or Westfield, it has some unbeatable cultural amenities.
I lived in Northampton for a bit in the early 1990s. I know a number of physicians in the Springfield hospitals. It’s either Longmeadow where you go to die or more socioeconomically mixed Northampton that has a pulse. Anything else along the Connecticut River between those points is pretty sketchy.
Stockbridge and Lenox is nice in a trustifarian and NYC summer community way but it’s a very limited economy.
I haven’t spent much time in Salem. Jury duty a couple of times. I never had any reason to go there.
It’s tough to find the mix of affordable, good schools, and a high paying job beyond health care or legal that exists everywhere. With telecommuting but needing schools, Mattapoisett/Marion is pretty affordable coastal town. The demographics are the usual 60%+ college educated adults that make for the stronger school system. The regional middle and high schools are good but not to gold plated Boston suburban level.
I’m a salt water person. I put a premium on good boating and swimable water. IMO, anything north of Provincetown is mediocre boating and the ocean is frigid. I used to line on the back channel in Portsmouth NH so I’m no stranger to the frigid water.
That's what scares me about moving back to the Boston area. What if, hypothetically, I fall on hard times and need to rent. Do I really want to rent with 7 other people? I'd do it if I didn't have a choice, but it's certainly not ideal at all.
At least in many places in MO, I'd be able to afford a one bedroom.
Being objective and not going on image alone.........
COL: MO
QOL (probably the most important): MO. Yes it's the most important. But a high COL affects QOL more profoundly than any single category.
Cities: MO. KC/STL vs. Boston, MO wins (IMO)
Suburbs: Tie
Rural Areas: Tie
Transportation: MA
Public Schools: MA
Higher Ed: MA
Economy: MA, but not by as big a margin as many would think
Arts/Culture: MA. But KC has some incredible museums.
Things to do: MO overall as a state
Nightlife: N/A
Shopping: MA
Sports: MA
Food/Cuisine: Tie
Outdoors: MO, by a nose
Climate: MO
Crime: MA
State government: MO
Local government: MO
Which state would you prefer to live in? MO
Which state would you prefer to visit on vacation? MA
We lived in MA for a year and a half and have visited MO many times over the decades. Both have their pluses and minuses. But MO is a better fit for us. MA is just too darn expensive, people aren't as friendly, and it too Liberal for our tastes. Very little diversity of thought. To me, all of that lowers MA's QOL. But still, it has its merits. The single biggest thing I don't like about MO is how incredibly landlocked it is. But MO is very underrated, IMO.
That's what scares me about moving back to the Boston area. What if, hypothetically, I fall on hard times and need to rent. Do I really want to rent with 7 other people? I'd do it if I didn't have a choice, but it's certainly not ideal at all.
At least in many places in MO, I'd be able to afford a one bedroom.
Just because you can do it doesn't mean it's ideal. Many people simply want their own place (which is understandable) and the fact is that it's far easier to do that in MO than MA. You can your own decent 1br/1ba in good part of Kansas City for $700/800. I'd definitely rank Boston ahead of KC as a city, but it shouldn't be too hard to see why having your own 1br at $700 within walking distance to shopping, dining, nightlife, etc. in KC would be more appealing than paying $1000 to share a place with a roommate in Boston.
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