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I have a friend who moved to Chicago from Indy about a year ago, after being in Indy for 20+ years. Indy is bigger than people think and has more to do than people think, but even an Indy lover like my friend couldn't keep him away from Chicago. When he first moved here, he'd mention Indy a lot since that's all he knew. He barely even mentions it now and says he'd never go back there after being in Chicago for a year. He's specifically mentioned the only place he'd go would be a warmer year round climate because he grew up in another country with an almost tropical climate.
The other interesting thing he mentioned to me was the rising cost of living in Indy. He showed me specifically listings of places that were on par if not more expensive than Chicago prices and told me how prices have risen there a lot in the last few years. He's not the only person I know in Indy to tell me this. If you ended up in Indy it wouldn't be bad at all - but the two cities are not on the same level when it comes to a lot.
The other thing people forget to take into consideration is wage increases. People saying that SF is expensive - it is, but if you have a decent job, it won't matter because wages are adjusted to the COL. It really depends on what line of work you're in. If you are in a non profit that doesn't pay well or theater or something, then yeah that would be something to consider more. If you were an Engineer though, they're going to probably adjust your pay to the COL if you work for a company that doesn't mismanage its finances. Along with this you have to consider cost of housing AND transportation. For example, in many situations it's possible to live in Chicago without a car which puts your monthly costs down a bit. That is pretty difficult in Indy. If the cost of an apartment between two places is less than say $300/month, but in the cheaper one you need a car and don't own it then it's entirely possible that the "cheaper" place becomes even or even more considering the cost of monthly transportation.
Although jobs in places like the bay area pay more to adjust for COL, it is certainly not enough. Housing is the single biggest disparity when COL is compared and I don't think the jobs pay enough to account for the difference. Factor in the higher taxes and it brings that adjustment even lower.
With the internet though, for the same job a higher salary in a high COL city can give you more purchasing power in certain aspects - for example - a person in SF is paying the same amount as someone from Iowa for the same items on ebay, amazon & the websites for stores.
You're paying a premium for culture, diversity, more variety, and a wider range of things to do. I can look on LAist, LA Weekly, Time Out LA, or the /r/LosAngeles subreddit and find a few hundred different things to do on any given day. Life is more than ordering things on Amazon.
The Bay Area paying more is a myth. Its about the same as anywhere. And with a lot of foreign workers on Visa's I've seem some obscenely low rates suggested for jobs in the Bay. I've seen people try to offer 75k for Java Developer jobs that required at least 5 years experience. This is well below market rate. Sr. Dev Ops engineers top out at 120k. But Dallas has listings for the same roles for the same salary. So the idea the Bay pays more is pure myth. Look at the average salary at Apple, they're paying Java Developers 95k. Objective C developers only make 5k more at Apple. Google doesn't even pay substantially more on average. Contracts try every trick in the book to get you a lower rate as well. Including suggesting 1099 and Corp 2 Corp working arrangements. I made 80k in Atlanta, and lived better there than my 110k salary in Silicon Valley. Desirable neighborhoods in Atlanta would be $1100 a month. Average neighborhoods in San Francisco and San Jose start at $1800-$2000. And if you want some space, you're easily paying $2500.
I am making more in Philly than I made in Silicon Valley, with $950 a month rent, easy commute to work, and cheaper everything. It feels good that I dont need to wait no more than 15 minturs for a bus, and know i'll be at work in 20 minutes. I like not needing a car note.
Chicago is "cheap to compared to other big cities"!? What cities do you consider "big"? I see only NYC, Honolulu and S.F. as being more expensive. D.C., Boston and L.A. are equal to Chicago in cost. No other big city is close in cost of living to Chicago.
$1800 a month would get you a very desirable place in Chicago. This is not true in the cities you mentioned. $1800 is the max you'd probably ever pay for rent. If you're talking $2000-$2200 that's basically ultra high end. I know some people who live decent on less than $1000 in Chicago. In SF, you can't even rent a single room for $900, let alone an entire apartment.
$1800 a month would get you a very desirable place in Chicago. This is not true in the cities you mentioned. $1800 is the max you'd probably ever pay for rent. If you're talking $2000-$2200 that's basically ultra high end. I know some people who live decent on less than $1000 in Chicago. In SF, you can't even rent a single room for $900, let alone an entire apartment.
Yeah, and that's in the most expensive parts of the city too. I rent a 1 bedroom downtown with a gym and doorman for $1400/month (and previously it was slightly below that). It's not luxury, but it's not vintage either - it's a decent place. You can find 1 bedrooms for around or under $1000/month in nice areas. There are decent areas where $1500-$2100/month would get you a 3 bedroom in a 2 or 3 flat building. In other words - an entire floor. Food costs in most major cities I'd say average to the same. If you live in downtown, you'll be paying more of course, but outside of that the food all the way down to groceries is just as cheap as you'd find anywhere else.
You're paying a premium for culture, diversity, more variety, and a wider range of things to do. I can look on LAist, LA Weekly, Time Out LA, or the /r/LosAngeles subreddit and find a few hundred different things to do on any given day. Life is more than ordering things on Amazon.
What?
Quote:
Originally Posted by branh0913
The Bay Area paying more is a myth. Its about the same as anywhere. And with a lot of foreign workers on Visa's I've seem some obscenely low rates suggested for jobs in the Bay. I've seen people try to offer 75k for Java Developer jobs that required at least 5 years experience. This is well below market rate. Sr. Dev Ops engineers top out at 120k. But Dallas has listings for the same roles for the same salary. So the idea the Bay pays more is pure myth. Look at the average salary at Apple, they're paying Java Developers 95k. Objective C developers only make 5k more at Apple. Google doesn't even pay substantially more on average. Contracts try every trick in the book to get you a lower rate as well. Including suggesting 1099 and Corp 2 Corp working arrangements. I made 80k in Atlanta, and lived better there than my 110k salary in Silicon Valley. Desirable neighborhoods in Atlanta would be $1100 a month. Average neighborhoods in San Francisco and San Jose start at $1800-$2000. And if you want some space, you're easily paying $2500.
I am making more in Philly than I made in Silicon Valley, with $950 a month rent, easy commute to work, and cheaper everything. It feels good that I dont need to wait no more than 15 minturs for a bus, and know i'll be at work in 20 minutes. I like not needing a car note.
The high pay for cops and fireman is simply because their unions demand middle class salaries, in ca.
Since a middle class salary is much lower in other states, the cops will not make as much in say nyc or chicago.
But the catch is because the cops in California make so much money, cities in California typically have under funded police forces, because they can't afford to hire more cops with out a federal aid package.
The high pay for cops and fireman is simply because their unions demand middle class salaries, in ca.
Since a middle class salary is much lower in other states, the cops will not make as much in say nyc or chicago.
But the catch is because the cops in California make so much money, cities in California typically have under funded police forces, because they can't afford to hire more cops with out a federal aid package.
Oakland ca is a perfect example.
As ex SFPD and liaison to Oakland PD and current fed I can easily tell you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about.
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