Cheapest Bigger U.S. City To Live In?

[zatara]

It's "very easy to manipulate numbers to make them mean what you want them to mean" but your anecdotal evidence is more reliable? Riiiight. I posted hard statistical figures, the reader can interpret them as they wish. You've posted nothing but conjecture arising from fear of people taking your job.

Your original statements were:

"There are no high wages here in Austin"
"the myth that there are lots of high wages in tech." - ie there are no high wages in tech
and Austin is "saturated with too many people looking for [tech] jobs, and we don't need any more". ie there are no tech jobs in Austin

All three of these are demonstrably incorrect. As the figures show. You can argue semantics in multi-quotes more if you like, but until you post hard figures to back up your points they're going to be disreputable.

As I stated in my initial post I wouldn't recommend anyone from this forum move to Austin for game reasons. Because all tech hubs, including Austin, are awful for gaming in. But its a great city to move to for a year or two of career progression if someone is in the tech field. It's slightly bizarre that you're trying so hard to argue this point against all facts (and general tech industry opinion, for that matter).

 

[Running Turtles]

I just want to throw this tool out there: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

In Europe at least, it works fairly well. Don't take the stated prices of things to be completely true individually, but if you look at the top blue box, like in this comparison, you'll get a reasonably good idea about the price differences.

It also helps to scroll through and see if there are any huge differences in certain things. Rent tends to be a thing that varies considerably even when other prices are relatively similar.

 

[puckerman]

Actually there is one source I do consider reliable for this. I'm going to share a link to the Robert Half Technology salary guide:

https://www.roberthalf.com/sites/de...ges/at-pdfs/robert_half_2016_salary_guide.pdf

If you scroll down to page 26 in the PDF, you will find "local variances." With 100 being average, Austin does get a rating of 107.

However, Dallas gets 108, Fort Worth gets 107.5, Houston gets 107.5, and San Antonio gets 100. Midland/Odessa gets 115.

This rating of 107 is slightly above average, and that is all it is. And when you factor in the outrageous cost-of-living, Austin is a city where you will work hard and still be poor.

I'm not sure what their methodology is, but they are a company who places people in many different fields. It's their job to know this stuff.

 

[puckerman]

Your original statements were:

"There are no high wages here in Austin"

This is an example of what I call the context-dropping troll. You took one sentence out of the three and responded to it as if it were a stand-alone sentence. My original statement was three sentences:

There are no "high wages" here in Austin. I could go to other Texas cities and get a similar job for about the same money. Many people talk of going to other cities and making more money doing the same work.

And this is true, as the RHT stats prove.

 

[puckerman]

and Austin is "saturated with too many people looking for [tech] jobs, and we don't need any more". ie there are no tech jobs in Austin

I never said there are no jobs. I said there are "too many people looking." Are you saying that every tech person in Austin has a job? Are you implying that every tech person in Austin could leave their current job and easily find a new one?

There are lots of acting jobs in Hollywood, but there are also lots of people looking for them.

I'm naturally curious as to why this debate is so important to you. It looks like you live in France, so I wonder how much experience you even have working and living here in America. I have no judgments about tech in other countries. My comments are mainly applied to America. If it sounded like I was making a comment about tech worldwide, that was not my intention.

I suspect working conditions in France are much better than in America. After all, you don't have a bunch of Indians coming into your country taking all the tech jobs that Americans would love to do.

 

[Nitro]

I live in Chicago. Rents are much higher than just a couple years ago. Rents on the North side now can run you about $1K just for a studio or 1BD easy. This increase is disproportionate to the minimum wage to $10/hr.

 

[Oilrig]

As an in demand recruiter I could work for Google in austin, or any other tech company like Amazon or facebook making six figures. Which is about the same as the oil industry pays. Austin tech jobs pay well but you have to have the Experience they're looking for.

 

[Monty_Brogan]

From a renter's perspective, Chicago has to be the biggest cheap city to live in. Yes, if you want to live in a hip area that has been up and coming for years now -LS, LP, West Loop, River North, S. Loop, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Lakeview, etc, etc, you will pay out your ass. But there's still tons of neighborhoods in good areas on every side of the city that you can find cheap rent and good parking -the latter is the best part about the neighborhoods.

I pay $765 for a 1 bed apt. and I'm just south of the loop. In 25-30 min I can be anywhere in the city.

Now, buying and setting up roots here is a completely different story. But if you just want to stack some cash for a couple years and experience one of the greatest cities in the world, you can easily do it on the cheap if you try hard enough.

 

[puckerman]

I pay $765 for a 1 bed apt. and I'm just south of the loop. In 25-30 min I can be anywhere in the city.

You'll have a hell of a time finding a place that cheap in Austin right now. Even though Chicago is a big city, you don't have the Californization problem.

It's not just about the fact that people are moving to your city. It's who is moving to your city. In the case of Chicago, it's probably just a lot of people who are moving out of small towns in the Midwest.

 

[Monty_Brogan]

In the case of Chicago, it's probably just a lot of people who are moving out of small towns in the Midwest.

Not quite. Not in this day and age.

I work in construction and the number of high rises going up is mind-boggling -there are permits for 15+ tower cranes this year. Everywhere you look there's something going up and people are coming in from all over.

Chinese developers are breaking ground on a 90 story building on the river. Starting price: 1 mil. This isn't people moving from Podunk, IN. There is serious money coming into the city.

 

[nmmoooreland20]

Came in to post Chicago, hah.

 

[stefpdt]

I think Houston is cheaper to live in than Chicago, although it's smaller and arguably even more thugged out (might be a stretch). You get warm weather there though, plus a semi-quick drive to New Orleans whenever you want. I don't do cold weather so I recommend the southern U.S. when it comes to cheap and comfortable living.

 

[Oilrig]

Houston you can find cheap apts anywhere in the city. I lived there for the past 8 years and never spent more than $800 a month in rent and I lived in good areas near the hot spots. The last apt I rented was a studio apt near the galleria area for $600 a month. There's cheap living in any city but you have to put in the work to find the deals.

 

[jbkunt2]

Chicago is excellent value though.

It is way, way cheaper than most of the coasts.

I love Chicago.

 

[jbkunt2]

Just move to Pilsen/Roger's Park/Uptown. They will be as cheap as most places in any decent sized city. Fairly cool these days too.