Your experiences moving from a low cost of living area to a high cost of living area?

Paradigm shift. I moved from Louisville, KY to SoCal. In KY, you could live quite well in the suburbs on less than $100,000 and own a large home, have disposable income to burn, travel, have no debt, no car payments and afford to heat and cool your home. I was self-employed and the business did very well, I paid my employees well, we had great benefits and the economy there could sustain the business. When I sold my home, I suffered sticker shock just looking in Southern CA communities. At the time, they wanted $300,000 for a run down, 30 year old home, needing major plumbing and electrical upgrades in a questionable neighborhood. I could only afford a condo and even that was in the $250,000 price range with AC, heating and water bills that were higher than my mortgage in KY. Then it came time to pay the state of CA taxes and another shock to the pocketbook. Out here you simply have to earn more or spend way less to have the same standard of living. It is ironic however, your brain starts to wrap around how expensive it is to live here after a few years and you find that $600,000 for a house in the suburbs isn't that expensive. And, don't believe that everyone out here makes more money. In reviewing applications for my rentals I see what people make, how much debt they carry and what their assets are. That is why it takes 2 people working to support a family out here, the concept of a stay at home mom is economically not feasible for most people. It was worth it for me, but it took a lot of long hard work for a lot of years to restore the lifestyle I had when I lived in KY.

well it was awesome but only because i could afford it....if you cant then you might have to make some sacrifices...like no more cable tv or internet and you might even have to give up your A/C...i've heard its horrible when when you cant afford it but when you can it its definitely worth it because your kids will definitely get a better education and you'll most likely live in a safer community.

You should get a large salary increase. It all depends on your lifestyle. You will most likely live in a smaller living area. I like the city far more than rural living. I like having the convenience around me. If you have children I would keep them rural.

We moved from a high cost area (NJ) to a low cost area (IN)!! I am now a stay at home mom, my husband makes $80,000 a year currently, and made the same salary in NJ. We sold our house there for $480,000 with property taxes of $10,000 per year for a small 4 bedroom home in IN, and bought the same size house for $240,000 here with property taxes of $2,000 for 2 acres. I would not have been able to be home with our children if we stayed in NJ, I had worked as a chemist before children. Our expenses went from $6,000 or more a month to less than $3,500. We have retirement savings now, college savings, and only owe $60,000 on our home. We had a hard time moving away from family, but now love Indiana (except for the weather-tornadoes!). The East Coast is too crowded, too expensive, and the people are not as nice as in the Midwest. Before you move, you need to find a job and interview of course, and look into house prices and property taxes too. My huband made the same salary in NJ as in IN, it sure goes a LOT farther here. You would have to make double your salary now to have the same standard of living, and I don't know where you live now, but I hope you like traffic and a long commute! My husband's commute in NJ was 60 miles for 1 1/2 hours each way, now it is 10 miles for 15 minutes. The Midwest is by far a better environment to raise children. My SIL lives in Manhattan, has a 6 month old baby and HATES it, they have 1 car but have to park it 12 blocks away, forget about going anywhere in bad weather. Have you visited the cities you are considering living in? Where in the Midwest do you live, would you consider moving to a larger Midwest City, or close to one (Chicago, Indianapolis?) That way you get some of the culture but not all the expense and filth of big cities!! You can visit for the day/weekend then go home at night.

You will make more when you move to the more expensive area, but you won't have as much space in your home... Luckily, a lot of this evens out. You probably won't need a car in any of those cities, so you can just keep an old clunker or rent one when you want to leave town. That could save you quite a few hundred per month between your car payment, insurance, gas and maintenance. Going out for meals is pretty affordable in cities too, often cheaper than cooking yourself if you find the best deals (since you always throw some food away...) Lastly, you'll be walking more since you don't have a car, which will make you healthier and could lower what you pay for life or health insurance. Good luck in whatever you chose! If I could go anywhere, it would be London :)