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Thank you so much for the well written and thought out reply! We have heard only great things about Austin and it sounds like it has a lot to offer. Thank you again- you have given me some great points to google!
Is the cost of living in Austin that much higher than Greenville? I understand big cities usually are but when looking at the hip, urban family neighborhoods in Greenville, I’m not seeing much of a difference?
Also want to explain a little further- our income will be the same regardless where we live and as long as there’s an airport within an hour or so, he can commute very easily. Proximity to airport isn’t an issue when it comes to these two cities.
Last edited by LenLenLen; 09-08-2019 at 07:33 AM..
Reason: Wrong quote
Yes, Austin will be much more expensive than Greenville and your money will go further. Austin is the most expensive city in TX, and is one of the more expensive metro areas in the country.
According to Zillow, the average home price in Greenville is $187k, in Austin, it is $372k. So there is a large difference in the average home price between the two.
The two metro areas are much different in size. If you prefer a small metro area, Greenville may be better suited to you. If you prefer a larger metro with more amenities, the difference in home prices may not matter when it comes to choosing Austin. Either way, with a $500-600k budget, you will have many options in either metro area, including some great options in the more urban, inner-city areas of Austin.
Maybe it would be best for you guys to visit both for 3 or 4 days each to get an overall feel of each area to see which you prefer. When in each city, experience the local cultures by eating locally, visiting the grocery stores, visit a city park or trail, and faux commute in areas you are interested in during peak hours of travel. Austin is one of the top 10 worst traffic cities in the country, while I'd imagine Greenville to be quite pleasant to drive around in.
The average home price doesn’t really mean much to me, honestly. I’d love to know the averages in hot, competing neighborhoods. Not sure that info is readily available however. Traffic, is traffic. We live in Charleston, everyone complains of traffic. We’ve lived in Seattle and Chicago and everyone complained about traffic. It’s all relative LOL. Yes, of course we’ll visit. We’ve already been to Greenville and we’ll make it to Austin too. Just trying to get a feel for the vibes, on paper at least. Thanks again!
For everyone I know who’s moved to Austin, they felt the expense and competitiveness in the job market was not worth the trade-off for what the city had to offer. I haven’t lived there myself to say for certain, though. As someone who moved from a very expensive city to a boring one with cheap COL, the trade-off was worth it on a quality-of-life level.
Where did you move? I wonder about the same thing... is the vibrancy worth the expense? Also, Greenville is vibrant as well and also still growing- would it make sense to get in before it starts making major “top 10” lists.
Where did you move? I wonder about the same thing... is the vibrancy worth the expense? Also, Greenville is vibrant as well and also still growing- would it make sense to get in before it starts making major “top 10” lists.
I've always thought that was the best way to do it, if you're looking at investments. For the hot cities, the barrier of entry is way too high. Gotta think a place like Greenville Grand Rapids, Boise, and/or Tampa would be better investments than say Portland or Denver.
Greenville has been on top 10 lists for 15 years or so.
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