It was multifold and cheaper played a big roll. When we lived in NYC the daily tasks of living took more time. Commuting was longer. Getting groceries took up more time. Shopping for clothes took up more time all because of the extended commuting involved to accomplish those things. Bodegas did make grocery shopping easier for the daily stuff. Also, in NY everyone is hustling to make as much as possible. Or at least that is the feel you get making you hustle also. Down South things are a bit slower and laid back. In NY to have a comfortable lifestyle you had to spend a lot of money. That is not the case in the south. When we moved I made more money, paid less taxes, and spent less on the daily necessities of life all while living in a more comfortable/larger home. This gave us more for discretionary spending which allowed us to work less, have more time and money for travel, friends, and for family. Plus, by spending less we were able to become financially independent in our 40s.
Life got cheaper and better when we left the east coast. I used to love living in NYC until I stopped and saw how much better life can be elsewhere especially with all the extra wealth we got to build.
There is a cost to living in the NE and west coast. For some the cost is worth it, for others it is not.
Sounds a lot like "mainly better because it's cheaper".
My hundreds of former Iowa-based colleagues used to tell me all the time that life was better in Iowa than on the west coast. And invariably, they mainly pointed out that it was cheaper.
Moving away from a VHCOL was one of the best financial and psychological decision we made as a family.
Plenty of people say they could never leave, I was one of them at one point. I just did not realize what I was missing until I got to experience it.
Statistics: Posted by EnjoyIt — Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:04 pm — Replies 77 — Views 11365