Housing Dilemma

[Squirl]

If you move to a lower cost of housing market so you can buy a house, and you have kids someday, where is your extended family? Moving is a big decision but rearing kids far, far from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins can have a lifetime impact on the whole parenting and childhood experience.... So factor that in when you consider moving....

[luvmyelement]

Personally - I would move. A salary of only $42K in the northeast is almost like minimum wage in the rest of the country. There are lots of areas with better weather, cheaper housing, etc.
I'm in Tucson and I hear radio ads for Geico hiring at a starting salary of $36K - they can't seem to find enough people - and I'm sure you could negotiate higher. The difference is a starter house in Tucson will only cost $50-$75K compared to the $200-$250K in Boston. Austin TX is also really nice with tons of jobs. Housing is more expensive than Tucson - but not as expensive as Boston.

I used to live in New England and am so happy that I left. You can have a far better quality of life elsewhere (and better weather too!)