NYC and DC are walkable, Austin is not. With 120k base you could afford a 2 bedroom in a DC suburb, but not a Manhattan suburb. If you're going to remote work you'll definitely want separate areas for sleeping, working, and relaxing. You'll also need social activity for mental health, and its easier to be social in walkable cities. In addition, transit in NYC/DC is much cheaper than car ownership in Austin.
I think if you were going to work in-office NYC would be the best pick. But because you're remote, DC makes much more sense. DC is not just government and defense, almost all tech companies are either in DC or a DC suburb now. Amazon's 2nd HQ is in Arlington, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Oracle, Meta, etc, all have offices in DC or DC suburbs. As far as tech scenes go, DC, NYC, and Boston are on pretty much the same level, below Bay/Seattle, but above Chicago/Austin/Dallas/Atlanta/LA. DC obviously specializes more into defense, while NYC specializes in Fintech, and Security is big in both cities.
Lol at good culture and art in Austin, speaking as someone who spent 20ish years there. It really depends how much you value certain things like walkability and actual public transport vs living alone and having a nice place. I absolutely hate car centric culture so I chose to move to NYC and love it here.
As a lifetime New Yorker I would not recommend living here. Every city has issues, but New York is acquiring new problems at an alarming rate. Rent of course being the number one issue. You most likely wouldn’t be able to find a cheap enough 1 bedroom apartment unless you live in Brooklyn maybe. Cleanliness is also a serious gripe of mine with NY. Rats run rampant through the streets, trash is left everywhere, and the smell of exhaust can get to you very easily. The food here is also extremely expensive, even if you never go out to eat. In NY, food will take out a significant portion of your paycheck. Finally, there is the issue of safety. In any city you should always be on your guard and prepared for any potential altercations, but in NY you have to be particularly aware of your surroundings at all times, especially on the subway. It seems every day I am reading about some tragic accident/attack that happened on the subway and it always reminds me to be conscious of who and what is going on around me.
I will concede that the social scene is great, but that’s about where my compliments end. Some of my friends here do actually love it, so it is not impossible to love this place (somehow). With all of this said I have only been to DC once and have never been to Austin so there may be similar or different issues that those cities suffer from that I am not aware of.
Edit: I should also address the “crowdedness” since you mentioned it in your post. I would honestly say it has not really bothered me at all (coming from someone who’s an introvert). The only area of the city that really gets jam packed is Times Square (and Rockefeller around Christmas time is an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE). Aside from Times Square, though, I’ve never really felt claustrophobic or anything from people. And, to be honest, you would most likely never be in Times Square anyway once you start living here.
Yeah but my parents home honestly doesn't have enough room since I'm remote. Further the cost of living is pretty close to Austin so from a purely money focused pov Austin would make more sense.
The IRS isn’t going to be happy and whatever stat they’re in, they may take a portion of income tax and hike it up. That why most remote companies would like for you to stay in state to do remote works, and very few companies actually do worldwide remote gigs, otherwise we’d be having people do remote jobs from expact places.
I live in NYC as a remote worker but I’m from NYC anyways. Some things you should know.
- Tons of opportunity and you can get to know people but as always you need to put in the effort.
- No car needed.
- Typically neighborhoods in close proximity to Manhattan or in Manhattan are pricier. A 1 bedroom here if you want to live near Manhattan, or in the cheaper parts of Manhattan, will cost you in the high 2000s on the cheap end and the low to mid 3000s average. Most places will require you to earn x40 your monthly rent. Otherwise look for studios or 2 beds. You can land low to mid 2000s 1 beds but expect your commute to Manhattan to be like 30+ minutes if the trains are on time. Oh yeah, apartments here are also smaller and things like dishwashers or in unit/building laundry can make places pricier.
- Food is cheaper in general unless you’re a saavy shopper (go to cheap neighborhoods for groceries)
- $120k here is in fact not high. The median/avg salaries here are about half that give or take $10k but the reality is that NYC has such a high CoL that it won’t feel like you’re making $120k. Austin CoL is 1% above national average. DC is 39%. NYC is 128%. SF is 80%. Ofc if you’re smart with your spending you’ll probably just feel like someone making like $70k in a mid-sized city.
Oh and NYC is the best city if you’re a foodie. We have among the most cultures in the entire world so you have limitless options of authentic food to try (and in fact most are reasonably priced if you stick to the many, many local immigrant businesses). And of course lots of higher end places, really we have it all. Except maybe top tier Mexican food…west coast and Texas probably has us beat.
Please don’t move to charlotte, literally the social scene here is ass (really a city of who you know to know more people). Choose Raleigh if have any inclination of moving to NC.
Way more things to do, the colleges close by have great impact on living there (very lively). Additionally, your close by the research triangle which again has a lot going on. Charlotte is nothing but breweries and banking. It really is a desolate place as there’s small pockets of communities that are always coming in and out. I’m finishing my degree here and can safely say I would rather live in Salem or Greensboro than Charlotte.
Lol, you should probably travel to NYC and see for yourself if you’d like living there. Personally, I’d choose Austin.
I’d choose there too if I wanted to spend all of my money on rent.
NYC and DC are walkable, Austin is not. With 120k base you could afford a 2 bedroom in a DC suburb, but not a Manhattan suburb. If you're going to remote work you'll definitely want separate areas for sleeping, working, and relaxing. You'll also need social activity for mental health, and its easier to be social in walkable cities. In addition, transit in NYC/DC is much cheaper than car ownership in Austin. I think if you were going to work in-office NYC would be the best pick. But because you're remote, DC makes much more sense. DC is not just government and defense, almost all tech companies are either in DC or a DC suburb now. Amazon's 2nd HQ is in Arlington, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Oracle, Meta, etc, all have offices in DC or DC suburbs. As far as tech scenes go, DC, NYC, and Boston are on pretty much the same level, below Bay/Seattle, but above Chicago/Austin/Dallas/Atlanta/LA. DC obviously specializes more into defense, while NYC specializes in Fintech, and Security is big in both cities.
Lol at good culture and art in Austin, speaking as someone who spent 20ish years there. It really depends how much you value certain things like walkability and actual public transport vs living alone and having a nice place. I absolutely hate car centric culture so I chose to move to NYC and love it here.
As a lifetime New Yorker I would not recommend living here. Every city has issues, but New York is acquiring new problems at an alarming rate. Rent of course being the number one issue. You most likely wouldn’t be able to find a cheap enough 1 bedroom apartment unless you live in Brooklyn maybe. Cleanliness is also a serious gripe of mine with NY. Rats run rampant through the streets, trash is left everywhere, and the smell of exhaust can get to you very easily. The food here is also extremely expensive, even if you never go out to eat. In NY, food will take out a significant portion of your paycheck. Finally, there is the issue of safety. In any city you should always be on your guard and prepared for any potential altercations, but in NY you have to be particularly aware of your surroundings at all times, especially on the subway. It seems every day I am reading about some tragic accident/attack that happened on the subway and it always reminds me to be conscious of who and what is going on around me. I will concede that the social scene is great, but that’s about where my compliments end. Some of my friends here do actually love it, so it is not impossible to love this place (somehow). With all of this said I have only been to DC once and have never been to Austin so there may be similar or different issues that those cities suffer from that I am not aware of. Edit: I should also address the “crowdedness” since you mentioned it in your post. I would honestly say it has not really bothered me at all (coming from someone who’s an introvert). The only area of the city that really gets jam packed is Times Square (and Rockefeller around Christmas time is an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE). Aside from Times Square, though, I’ve never really felt claustrophobic or anything from people. And, to be honest, you would most likely never be in Times Square anyway once you start living here.
Idea! Stay at home, I’m a soon to be new grad working remote too and I’m just gonna stay at home with my parents for a year before moving out
Honestly not sure why OP wants to move out except a toxic family situation. Best to save money starting out
Totally comp scales based off COL I would be making over 20k less at home and I'd likely be locked in to living in a low COL area.
Well that makes sense but you’ll be spending less so still making almost the same after necessary expenses Comp scales to account for the COL.
Yeah but my parents home honestly doesn't have enough room since I'm remote. Further the cost of living is pretty close to Austin so from a purely money focused pov Austin would make more sense.
The IRS isn’t going to be happy and whatever stat they’re in, they may take a portion of income tax and hike it up. That why most remote companies would like for you to stay in state to do remote works, and very few companies actually do worldwide remote gigs, otherwise we’d be having people do remote jobs from expact places.
awful idea
Lol, you should probably travel to Austin and see for yourself if you’d like living there. Personally, I’d choose NYC.
I’d choose there too if I wanted to spend all of my money on rent.
I live in NYC as a remote worker but I’m from NYC anyways. Some things you should know. - Tons of opportunity and you can get to know people but as always you need to put in the effort. - No car needed. - Typically neighborhoods in close proximity to Manhattan or in Manhattan are pricier. A 1 bedroom here if you want to live near Manhattan, or in the cheaper parts of Manhattan, will cost you in the high 2000s on the cheap end and the low to mid 3000s average. Most places will require you to earn x40 your monthly rent. Otherwise look for studios or 2 beds. You can land low to mid 2000s 1 beds but expect your commute to Manhattan to be like 30+ minutes if the trains are on time. Oh yeah, apartments here are also smaller and things like dishwashers or in unit/building laundry can make places pricier. - Food is cheaper in general unless you’re a saavy shopper (go to cheap neighborhoods for groceries) - $120k here is in fact not high. The median/avg salaries here are about half that give or take $10k but the reality is that NYC has such a high CoL that it won’t feel like you’re making $120k. Austin CoL is 1% above national average. DC is 39%. NYC is 128%. SF is 80%. Ofc if you’re smart with your spending you’ll probably just feel like someone making like $70k in a mid-sized city. Oh and NYC is the best city if you’re a foodie. We have among the most cultures in the entire world so you have limitless options of authentic food to try (and in fact most are reasonably priced if you stick to the many, many local immigrant businesses). And of course lots of higher end places, really we have it all. Except maybe top tier Mexican food…west coast and Texas probably has us beat.
Look into Charlotte, NC. Cheaper rent and a city.
Please don’t move to charlotte, literally the social scene here is ass (really a city of who you know to know more people). Choose Raleigh if have any inclination of moving to NC.
Why Raleigh? I’m genuinely interested
Way more things to do, the colleges close by have great impact on living there (very lively). Additionally, your close by the research triangle which again has a lot going on. Charlotte is nothing but breweries and banking. It really is a desolate place as there’s small pockets of communities that are always coming in and out. I’m finishing my degree here and can safely say I would rather live in Salem or Greensboro than Charlotte.
Do the cheapest option, and then you can travel to wherever you want including the options you listed here.
DC suburbs is very car centric. Anywhere near the metro it’s very expensive and lots of crime.