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Charlottesville may be a good fit then. Perhaps the I-81/Shenandoah Valley corridor of western VA may also be worth a look(i.e.- Harrisonburg, Staunton, Blacksburg/Christiansburg, Radford, etc.). What about places further inland in the mid Atlantic, as they are likely to be more affordable?
All great places. As for further inland, I'm not sure what our job prospects would be.
We considered the DC area. It's certainly not slow pace by any means, but it might be a notch or two slower than what we're used to now. That might allow us to still have decent jobs but slow things down a little. I know the property taxes in that area are much more affordable than the NYC metro area. We would also be a little closer to family there. Not exactly what I had in mind but perhaps that could be the compromise.
My family is wrestling with this very challenge right now.
Currently in Chicago (which I acknowledge is not nearly as expensive as NYC and surrounding areas). Chicago, at least in the areas we'd be interested in buying a home, is becoming increasingly difficult for the middle class.
So, we are considering options in other areas, particularly Madison, WI, which offers the quality of life (house, schools, commute, safety, walkability) we believe we want for our family.
The equation for us looks like this: The family life we want is in Madison, but the careers we want are in Chicago. We are struggling frankly to sort out what is most important. We could compromise in Chicago to get quality of life - i.e., suburbs, but that comes with sacrificing the things we love about living in the city.
I think really at the end of the day it comes down to what's most important to you as a family. For me, I'm leaning toward finding a more affordable life outside Chicago, because as our family grows I'm placing more emphasis on raising my kids, being able to spend time w/ them, etc...and caring less about career trajectory or trendy restaurants.
Good luck in your decision. May be helpful for this discussion to know a little more about what areas you would consider relocating to under the low cost/low pay scenario?
What areas are you considering in the Chicago Metro and what is your housing price range? I don't think housing in Madison is cheaper than, say, Oak Park which is on the CTA Blue AND Green lines, has terrific schools, and neighborhoods with walkscores comparable to Logan Square or Humboldt Park.
In my opinion, cost of living should rarely be a decision factor when deciding where to live, to the extent that you can afford living there. It is possible to live more comfortably in a high cost, high wage area than a low cost, low wage area. There are a few places in this country that have a fairly low cost of living along with moderate/high wages, such as Dallas and Houston.
Old thread resurrection! Has the OP made the move?
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