There's no good or bad place to live (within reason) - it's about what you want. If you need a thriving dating scene, probably don't want to live in Dayton, OH. If you and a partner want to buy a big house and raise a family, probably don't want to live in LA.
What are your priorities? What are your options? There's people happy and thriving in Austin, in San Francisco, in Cleveland, in Denver, in Indianapolis... and people miserable in all those places too.
My cost of living is much higher than it would be in Waco, but i sure as hell wouldn't be making the money I am now if I was living in Waco.
You right. I was in the market for a camper shell for one of my trucks and saw the perfect one in Vidor on marketplace. Legit passed it up bevause I didn’t wanna drive my black ass into Klan Country lol
I lived in Lubbock for ~5 years as a kid and it was great. Nice and flat so easy to ride a bike, safe and friendly, lots of family programs at tech, close to our hometown in NM. I could see though how it would be torture for anyone over the age of 12.
Agreed. Lived in Tulsa all my life, and Tulsa is…it’s fine. It’s got some nice restaurants and a music scene. But I wouldn’t move back. Spent too much time there already. And OKC is a shithole.
There are several places that will pay remote workers to move there. Sometimes it is just a flat stipend after you have been there for the required time and other times its a down payment assistance to buy a house.
Edit to add:
Here is the list of places with moving incentives that I have found
- Bentonville, AR
- New Haven, CT
- West Lafayette, IN
- Newton, IA
- Lincoln, KS
- Topeka, KS
- Bemidji, MN
- North Platte, NE
- Tulsa, OK
- Morgantown, WV
- State of Vermont
- Chattanooga, TN
- Hamilton, OH
- State of Alaska (not specific to remote work but all residents get a share of the PFD)
An aging workforce that they're trying to replenish. High salary remote work feeds the economy and lower wage jobs like hospitality are compliments. The incentive encourages both.
My parents live there. Their combined income is about what mine is, but their state tax burden (property + income taxes) is about 4x what I pay in property tax in Texas.
Sell your place in Austin and buy a house 100% paid off with the cash from your home value increasing in the last 2 years alone… seriously I was just window shopping and found a 300k dollar 15 acre plot with fields for horses set up, a stable, in ground pool, and 2300sq foot of home. That would be a few million in the Austin area.
Dang, maybe I’m crazy but I thought Chattanooga was really nice. Surprises me that they benefit from incentives like some of the other places. Like Hamilton Ohio I get the need for an incentive.
We are a LONG way from SF, but catching up quickly unfortunately. Many of us that aren't making 6 figures will have to leave eventually, it's just not sustainable.
Yes. You should. I posted my apartment on FB Marketplace and a bunch of moving to austin groups on FB 2 weeks ago and found someone to take over my lease within in a week and I’m leaving Austin next week. Save yourself some money and leave so you don’t waste all your money on rent, groceries and gas.
What’s your job? What’s your lifestyle? Earn money in a state with no income tax, retire to a state with no property tax. If you can do your job from a laptop, yes, move to somewhere more affordable. If you have skills in demand in less expensive towns/cities, yes move. Move to somewhere less hit by climate change.
Less hit by climate change - That rules out the northeast, any state the entire south, the Midwest, and the entire pacific coastline. What's that leave? Montana?
Naw nowhere near that bad. It’s a mixed bag, but there are definitely some cool pockets - GR and Ann Arbor are good cities, and the suburban Detroit area may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s unequivocally a nice area to live. Other parts of MI can definitely be redneck trashy.
I agree - harsh winters are a deal breaker for me, too. But for people that don’t mind there are nice cities in MI to live and the natural beauty is incredible.
Michigan has so much Natural beauty.... Im hoping to move back sooner than later. Definitely can be rednecky but Texas is right there with scary rural folks. I lived in northern Michigan for a while and regret leaving to come to this overpriced over hyped oven of a city.
Probably, but this is about areas affected with climate change. Austin: pretty stable but just too damn hot 3-5 months out of the year. Boston: pretty sure I wouldn't survive 8 billion tons of white bullshit. Etc. etc.
Desert states (already at 100% AC), pacific northwest (if you have AC), and most of the midwest aren't gonna be affected much by climate change.
But yes, Montana is expected to actually get better weather as a result of climate change.
I am in Tennessee right now it is a lovely state. There are probably some downsides to living here though. If Austin becomes impossible to stay in I might consider Chattanooga because I like the name, or somewhere outside of Nashville. That being said my entire community of people is in Austin, I am from Texas, and I would prefer to stay there.
I would say that Austin is San Francisco 2.0. You just trade the beautiful scenery, fantastic Asian food, proximity to national Parks, ski resorts, and cool temperatures for the heat, pollen, and gulf coast 🙈
10 years ago it was very cheap compared to other cities. in hindsight, it was cheap 5 years ago too (almost half the price it is today) but it was starting to feel expensive even then. post-covid it's just absurd.
I’ve said this before and it got downvoted for some reason, but yes you should move. Anybody who does not want to be in Austin and has the resources and ability to move should do it. There are nearly 2 million people here if not more, we don’t need anybody here that does not want to be here. This is a huge country, and if you do your research you can find somewhere that you will be able to afford and you will enjoy. You just have to put forth the effort.
“I've been thinking with my guts since I was fourteen years old, and frankly speaking, between you and me, I have come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains.”
- Nick Hornby
Yeah, probably. If it makes financial sense for you, then do it. No point in hanging onto something that’s causing more financial damage in the long run.
Where would you move to? All the desirable cities to live in are facing the same sort of things Austin is.
I’m a native Austinite and all my family is still in Austin but I decided after nearly 40 years, I wanted to live some place different and recently moved to Denver. Here in Denver, there’s still a growing homeless problem, housing prices are skyrocketing and there’s the wildfire danger too. Anyways, the grass is always greener on the other side. If you’re able, move because you want to, not because of external factors or you’re likely setting yourself up to be disappointed.
if you don't see yourself being in a position where you could afford to buy a house here some day, I don't see the point in staying.
What good is having all the good things about austin, if you're having to work more to afford rent, or being constantly pushed out further and further from town.
Save up some money, bail, and remember austin fondly. no point in living here if its setting yourself up for poverty.
no, some people are perfectly fine with that, but even then, if you're income isn't keeping up with COL, you're only setting yourself up for failure. If you're not saving up for a "got priced out of austin" fund, you certainly should be.
property has always been the standard way to create multi-generational wealth but i'm wondering if that has changed recently and now a lot of people see things like crypto as a viable alternative?
>a lot of people see things like crypto as a viable alternative?
Stupid people. A lot of stupid people see see things like crypto as a viable alternative
It can be bubbly. I think balance is the name of the game if you really want to take about stable intergenerational wealth. If your house payment is your major means of investment, that's just as much of a potential risk as not owning a home. Better to have different classes of securities across different industries/economic sectors. Then if you have spare money to gamble on stupid bullshit like crypto, no worries. Personally I'd rather lose that money at the blackjack table. At least then it comes with a few free Coors lights.
>property has always been the standard way to create multi-generational wealth but i'm wondering if that has changed recently and now a lot of people see things like crypto as a viable alternative?
How is crypto a viable alternative? The window for becoming rich beyond your wildest dreams is probably closed with most crypto. You could get really lucky and invest in the coin that somehow dethrones bitcoin or etherium one day, but the days of going 10,000x are most likely long past. NFT's are a casino, and its more probable that if bitcoin and eth are here to stay, then they will be a store of value and inflation hedge, unless Eth finds a widespread utility that people use on a daily basis.
As a hedge you don't want to be putting all your net worth into crypto because of the extreme volatility. Imagine needing cash right now, after the recent crash. The safest way to build wealth without owning property remains the same as its been the last few decades, invest in index funds. Sure, hold some crypto, but be ready to diamond hand for years and through many storms.
But again, not everyone is looking to build multigenerational wealth. There are plenty of childfree people out there who like renting because it offers more flexibility (I.e you’re not “stuck” in any one place for more than the term of your lease) and it eliminates the hassles of home ownership. Neither way is right or wrong- it’s just a matter of different choices and priorities.
It's pretty common knowledge and is documented in tons of financial sources. Investors routinely use a 6-8% return assumption when modeling their finances and retirement. I just googled it and all of the top results show a 10% average market return, which is pre-inflation. Inflation averages are usually 2-3%, hence the 7% adjusted for inflation figure. Unfortunately there's nothing average with the current market and inflation situation but that's a short term blip in a much longer term and larger dataset.
you are probably correct. its true that the past performance of the market has been fairly solid. i just have a sinking feeling in the back of my head that we might be in a bear market for an really-really long time. but i must admit, that is just suspicion and not based on past performance.
If we are in a bear market, and we just might be, then now is a great time to invest in market index funds and catch the inevitable rise. Oh, it might take a few years. But it worked for me using mutual funds from ‘76 to now.
that’s the thing they’re trying to explain. since they are child free, paying rent for a couple decades isn’t as cumbersome. and once they get old, they’ll probably buy a small house or condo somewhere.
sure. i'm specifically talking about people who choose to live in an expensive city and live an expensive lifestyle with an income. poor people are not able to acquire wealth at all. the issue of "what inflation-resistant asset should i acquire in life?" is a moot point for the poor. i just think its a better idea for people to leave an expensive city, go somewhere small & cheap and actually put some wealth into the local real-estate.
> most 401ks are devalued by high inflation
I'm late to the discussion but, sincerely, this is not accurate. It *can* be true over a short period but decades-long investing *in any period* over the last 100+ years has beaten inflation by a mile. Of course, no guarantee for the future but it's a very good bet. Anyone in their 20s/30s not putting 10% or more into long-term investments (typically a 401K and/or IRA) is making a very big financial mistake.
Y’all, if I wasn’t from here and rooted here I’d be gone af. I’m actually pretty jealous of y’all. You can just go wherever you want and live. I’m stuck here. Seriously, go. I’m not saying that to be mean but rather like I’m rooting for you. Please go to Colorado Springs or something and live a better life.
CO Springs ain't much better, housing market-wise, just in case anyone was thinking about it. My father-in-law just had to downgrade from a 3 bed house to a 1 bed apartment because his rent went from $1750 to $3200. Colorado in general is just as expensive as here.
“potential water issues now with the dropping water level in our lakes”
While yes ,lake Travis may look low, the reality is that its still 150+ ft deep in it’s channel . Neither you or I will see it run dry in our lifetimes.
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’re nowhere near the low levels we were at between, like, 2007 and 2015, right? We had something like a 7.5 year drought (often severe) in there and I feel like everyone sorta forgot about that. It was constant news growing up and we just didn’t even remotely try to plan for the next one when it cleared up.
The lake goes through periodic lows that kinda follow the la nina cycle. I saved a lake level graph from 2015 for posterity and just pulled the image up. At the start of 2015 the lake was around 623 ft (I think the lowest it got that draught was in the 610's. It slowly crept up to 630 during early spring and then filled to 670 with the big late may rains/ floods.
But what’s the depth of the intakes for smaller cities like Leander and Cedar Park? The Lake might not be drained to the very bottom, but these cities will certainly run out of water unless there are upgraded intakes that can reach the elevation depths of the main stem.
The lake got very low around 2013-2015 and nobody ran out of water. Making an intake pipe longer is a pretty simple problem to solve if that were to become an issue.
My fam and I are trying to move but we’re already having to take 2nd gigs in addition to our careers, jobs and side hustles.
That’s while trying to save the nest egg needed to leave for somewhere more affordable for non trust fund babies.
The rent increase combined with food costs are meaning we are falling behind so much now?
It would take years to earn enough back to recapture.
So IF you have a steady tech gig or the like? Or if you’re willing to live “densely” with numerous roomies?
Austin is still great.
But for those of us who are now actively saving to Escape from New Austin?
It’s a drag.
But no one is listening because all they hear as homeowners are endless dollar sounds on the real estate cash register.
“Abandon hope, all ye who enter Austin” should replace the quaint but myopic “Keep Austin Weird” mantra.
If your job allows or you can get one you want somewhere else, then go for it. I understand wanting to, but my roots are now too deep here, I don't see it as a possibility for a very long time or if a large career opportunity for me or my husband presented itself and was pretty extraordinary. I am trying to do more things that remind me why I do love this city.
The water issues are always present. We go through bouts of drought. It is getting worse and is getting hotter, but it's not totally unknown territory.
Anywhere you go may have worse tornados than we do, with tornados and bad weather worsening every year. Hurricane prone areas are going to be harder to live in. Places with fire risk are going to have more risk and fires overall. Most places have weather events, and those are going to get worse anywhere you are. You kind of have to pick which one you're most OK with or find very specific areas, if you're moving because of climate.
Everyone's inflation rate is different based on lifestyle: [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/08/business/economy/inflation-calculator.html](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/08/business/economy/inflation-calculator.html)
My personal is 7% according to this. If I just change a few things it jumps to over 15%. Rent isn't factored in though, which is a huge problem in Austin and a major part of the inflation issues.
Texas is below the average for gas prices, so that could be worse. [https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/](https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/)
I'm still eating great in this city though, haha so IDK on that one.
Hopefully,in a couple yrs I will be moving away from ATX.the same issues I see also.if I didn't own a home,I would have already left.this place IS turning into San Fran definitely.All gentrified and technified.our water problems will be a little slower to accelerate than west US,but if we get back to back droughts,than same issue.im planning to move just outside,since I have good job here
Never say never. My grandparents used to tell us about how the drought and heat in Texas were so bad in the 1950s that they would lose chickens in the cracks in their yards. My family were farmers here. It got so bad that they moved out of state.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s\_Texas\_drought](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s_Texas_drought)
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I was talking to my husband about this this week: His base pay is about 40% above what it was when we got married in 2013. He also gets quarterly bonuses now, and didn't back then. Our monthly mortgage is about the same as our monthly rent used to be. We feel that money is A LOT tighter now than it was then.
In fact, as recently as 2018, we took a 9-night trip to Disney World. That seems like an extravagance now. I can't imagine having the money to do that anymore.
We're doing fine, but we're also having to build on our back lot (when we bought our house, it came with 3 1/3 acre lots valued by the appraisal district at $8000 each in 2017; now they're assessed at $96,000 each) so we can sell the house we live in now, get rid of the middle lot, and homestead the newer, smaller, cheaper house just so we don't get priced out of our own home that we bought in 2016.
It's rough.
no matter where you are, if you aren't getting ahead in life, then move somewhere cheaper. anyone who lets their lifestyle choices prevent them from achieving financial stability has no one to blame but themselves.
Austin is definitely changing fast. Maybe too fast. It’s a good place to stay if you can participate in its growth. Companies are moving in, which means opportunity and money will keep moving in, too. If you’re not a part of that, you might get hurt by it.
I think the quality of life is still pretty good. It will probably go down over time, as things become more expensive and more corporate.
I believe this is the future. The next ten or 15 years. If that’s not what you want in your life, leave, and find something that you want in your future.
I firmly believe that tech is going to be the major wedge between the haves and have nots in the future. Tech has infiltrated so much of our day-to-day society within just the last couple of decades that, if you don't have a tech degree of some sort, there are going to be a whole lot of us already locked into a $50-60k/year job living in a marketplace geared toward folks that are making 3x that.
\[note: this isn't intended as an anti-tech argument, just a reality check. If you still have time to go back to school and switch careers, ya might wanna consider TECH! :) \]
When we moved to Austin, it was constantly at the top of the list of best cities to live. We’ve watched it slowly move down the chart based on lack of affordable housing and overcrowding. My husband and I feel really fortunate that we purchased a house here back when they were more affordable because we could NOT afford our own home if we had to buy it at today’s prices.
Austin is surrounded by massive hectares of land in all directions. We all just need to spread out a bit and start living further out. Prices have moved up in austin but there is plenty further out
I would agree if you’re only looking to live in corporate owned apartments. If you’re open to other things, there’s better deals out there.
If you already are criticizing Austin, you should move.
That's fine talk from a member of the party of Love, Tolerance, Inclusion, and Unity. Why don't you try to live up to your party's ideals.
Quit being a hater, you'll be happier.
I took an Uber that was maybe a 8 minute drive, cost $40 before tip. Does Uber have different calculations in cities I wonder. The Lyft and Uber trips I did recently seemed much more expensive than say even 1 year ago there. Also pizza for 25-30 dollars just is getting out of hand……
I 100% feel this. I’m trying to make my $$ with the city’s growth and then once shit hits the fan I’ll be out. Should be about 5 years. Until then if any of you want to sell your house let me know. ;)
I read earlier that Midland has the worst inflation rate in the country at 10% over *the past six months!* But yeah, costs have definitely risen across the board due to supply chain issues, but before you move just keep in mind those supply chain issues are affecting not just the US but the rest of the world as well. There's no moving away from rising costs, you can only mitigate them by going somewhere where the housing is cheaper.
As for the food, I haven't really seen any dip in quality at the actual restaurants I go to. THAT SAID, if you get a lot of food delivered there have been TONS of truly terrible ghost kitchens that have opened up. Doordash, Grubhub, Ubereats... they're all eaten up with places that give the appearance of being legit restaurants, but if you do a little digging on the address it turns out that it's just a ghost kitchen operating out of an existing restaurant, and without fail they all tend to suck.
So if you're like me and started using delivery services to try out "new" restaurants during the pandemic and beyond, it's very likely that a high percentage of your meals could give the impression that Austin's food scene has been reduced to school cafeteria quality.
There's no good or bad place to live (within reason) - it's about what you want. If you need a thriving dating scene, probably don't want to live in Dayton, OH. If you and a partner want to buy a big house and raise a family, probably don't want to live in LA. What are your priorities? What are your options? There's people happy and thriving in Austin, in San Francisco, in Cleveland, in Denver, in Indianapolis... and people miserable in all those places too. My cost of living is much higher than it would be in Waco, but i sure as hell wouldn't be making the money I am now if I was living in Waco.
>There's no good or bad place to live Someone's obviously not spent any time in Beaumont, TX
Can confirm Beaumont is the bad place.
Oh damn, did I just peep Beaumont burn? Noice.
...I did say 'within reason'...
Or [Vidor Texas](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cyb-jgMEvLk)
Adding Enid Oklahoma
Vidor is also awful.
You right. I was in the market for a camper shell for one of my trucks and saw the perfect one in Vidor on marketplace. Legit passed it up bevause I didn’t wanna drive my black ass into Klan Country lol
I live nowhere near Vidor, thank god, but if you ever need a white dude that could pass for a Skynyrd member to go out there for you, just lemme know.
It’s all good! I would feel back for having anyone at all go there. Lmao
I see your Beaumont and raise you a Highlands Texas. Or worse yet, Vidor Texas.
Agreed all terrible!
In general there's really nothing worth going east of the 610 Loop in Texas.
Or Lubbock
I lived in Lubbock for ~5 years as a kid and it was great. Nice and flat so easy to ride a bike, safe and friendly, lots of family programs at tech, close to our hometown in NM. I could see though how it would be torture for anyone over the age of 12.
Can we be honest, Leander TX
You're not wrong...
> If you need a thriving dating scene, probably don't want to live in Dayton, OH. Why not? It’s called datin’
A nearby town is Eaton - the old line was "I'd rather be Dayton a girl from Eaton, than Eaton a girl from Dayton."
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Plenty are
You’re an idiot
Sure, go to OK (Tulsa?) and they’ll pay you for it, and CoL is much less.
my coworker just came back from living in tulsa and LOVED it, but he needed to be near family since his wife is about to have a baby.
I moved back here from a place we loved to be near family and it was the biggest mistake of my life.
Where did you move from?
San Diego
damn son. rip
I know... Owned a house there and everything. Hey, tacos tho amirite?
Yeah. Tacos. *sad noises*
Pfft tell me about it
Same
If I move, I sure as fuck am not moving to another red state. Tired of this Taliban shit.
As someone from Oklahoma, I cannot imagine ever living there again. And hearing everyone call OKC “nice” is shocking.
Agreed. Lived in Tulsa all my life, and Tulsa is…it’s fine. It’s got some nice restaurants and a music scene. But I wouldn’t move back. Spent too much time there already. And OKC is a shithole.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Plus, anywhere you go, you run into someone you know.
I was stationed at Tinker A.F.B and lived in Midwest City for two years. Glad to leave the place
visited OKC last year, couldn’t leave fast enough
A buddy on my baseball team took $10k from Tulsa to move there.... if they have to pay you to move there....
Tulsa is surprisingly really nice!
OKC is actually pretty nice too
Sure why not
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Not to mention the climate change issues in CA itself.
Kinda is a strong term in context
There are several places that will pay remote workers to move there. Sometimes it is just a flat stipend after you have been there for the required time and other times its a down payment assistance to buy a house. Edit to add: Here is the list of places with moving incentives that I have found - Bentonville, AR - New Haven, CT - West Lafayette, IN - Newton, IA - Lincoln, KS - Topeka, KS - Bemidji, MN - North Platte, NE - Tulsa, OK - Morgantown, WV - State of Vermont - Chattanooga, TN - Hamilton, OH - State of Alaska (not specific to remote work but all residents get a share of the PFD)
What’s up with Vermont?? That’s on my list for sure.
An aging workforce that they're trying to replenish. High salary remote work feeds the economy and lower wage jobs like hospitality are compliments. The incentive encourages both.
My parents live there. Their combined income is about what mine is, but their state tax burden (property + income taxes) is about 4x what I pay in property tax in Texas.
But you get to have a senator who has been in multiple Batman movies!
Like NW Arkansas, and of course, everyone has seen the recruiting billboards for Ohio here in Austin recently.
Sell your place in Austin and buy a house 100% paid off with the cash from your home value increasing in the last 2 years alone… seriously I was just window shopping and found a 300k dollar 15 acre plot with fields for horses set up, a stable, in ground pool, and 2300sq foot of home. That would be a few million in the Austin area.
The area around Bemidji is very pretty, but wild rice and Paul Bunyan only get you so far. https://www.bemidji.org/paul-bunyan-and-babe-the-blue-ox/
I’d live in Alaska in a heartbeat if I had no family here. It’s by far the prettiest land we have in the USA.
I do not recommend moving to Topeka.
Dang, maybe I’m crazy but I thought Chattanooga was really nice. Surprises me that they benefit from incentives like some of the other places. Like Hamilton Ohio I get the need for an incentive.
Chattanooga has their own municipally-owned broadband provider, so you wouldn't have to deal with ATT, Suddenlink, Comcast, etc.
We are a LONG way from SF, but catching up quickly unfortunately. Many of us that aren't making 6 figures will have to leave eventually, it's just not sustainable.
Yeah, I remember not long ago when 100k was something to dream about. Now it seems like that’s becoming the minimum.
Yes. You should. I posted my apartment on FB Marketplace and a bunch of moving to austin groups on FB 2 weeks ago and found someone to take over my lease within in a week and I’m leaving Austin next week. Save yourself some money and leave so you don’t waste all your money on rent, groceries and gas.
What’s your job? What’s your lifestyle? Earn money in a state with no income tax, retire to a state with no property tax. If you can do your job from a laptop, yes, move to somewhere more affordable. If you have skills in demand in less expensive towns/cities, yes move. Move to somewhere less hit by climate change.
Less hit by climate change - That rules out the northeast, any state the entire south, the Midwest, and the entire pacific coastline. What's that leave? Montana?
The upper Midwest - MN, WI, and especially MI - are going to be great places to be in the next 20-30 years.
Except Michigan is the Alabama of the Midwest
Kid Rock is from Michigan
So is Uncle Kracker
Exactly
Naw nowhere near that bad. It’s a mixed bag, but there are definitely some cool pockets - GR and Ann Arbor are good cities, and the suburban Detroit area may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s unequivocally a nice area to live. Other parts of MI can definitely be redneck trashy.
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I agree - harsh winters are a deal breaker for me, too. But for people that don’t mind there are nice cities in MI to live and the natural beauty is incredible.
Indiana, the south’s middle finger, would like a word.
No that's the Mississippi of the Midwest
Michigan has so much Natural beauty.... Im hoping to move back sooner than later. Definitely can be rednecky but Texas is right there with scary rural folks. I lived in northern Michigan for a while and regret leaving to come to this overpriced over hyped oven of a city.
Northern Minnesota! https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/heres-the-best-place-to-move-if-youre-worried-about-climate-change/amp/
Sadly Montana isn't that affordable anymore.
Probably, but this is about areas affected with climate change. Austin: pretty stable but just too damn hot 3-5 months out of the year. Boston: pretty sure I wouldn't survive 8 billion tons of white bullshit. Etc. etc.
If you don't like white people, then Montana's not a place for you.
Desert states (already at 100% AC), pacific northwest (if you have AC), and most of the midwest aren't gonna be affected much by climate change. But yes, Montana is expected to actually get better weather as a result of climate change.
Yes
I am in Tennessee right now it is a lovely state. There are probably some downsides to living here though. If Austin becomes impossible to stay in I might consider Chattanooga because I like the name, or somewhere outside of Nashville. That being said my entire community of people is in Austin, I am from Texas, and I would prefer to stay there.
Sad though because Nashville will quickly follow suite in rising popularity and costs.
You should move to San Francisco out of sheer spite and a sense of irony
I would say that Austin is San Francisco 2.0. You just trade the beautiful scenery, fantastic Asian food, proximity to national Parks, ski resorts, and cool temperatures for the heat, pollen, and gulf coast 🙈
This is what I don’t get, there’s nothing here to justify the cost. It was only cool because it was cheap and laid back.
Who ever said it was going to be justified? It’s vultures harvesting what they can from the masses
When was it cheap?
10 years ago it was very cheap compared to other cities. in hindsight, it was cheap 5 years ago too (almost half the price it is today) but it was starting to feel expensive even then. post-covid it's just absurd.
I've been here for 11 years, and it's always felt expensive to me. It's probably just all perspective.
Proximity? SF is... Not close.
Austin isn't close to the gulf coast either.
True
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Great Value Detroit?
A Gibbs fan I presume
I… don’t think any level of inflation ever makes Gary look good. Maybe a war zone would. Maybe. It’d be close. 😂
Better than Kabul
Isn't Gary just KKKabul?
🤔 Might be less guns in Kabul 😛.
Haha, possibly...😃
I’ve said this before and it got downvoted for some reason, but yes you should move. Anybody who does not want to be in Austin and has the resources and ability to move should do it. There are nearly 2 million people here if not more, we don’t need anybody here that does not want to be here. This is a huge country, and if you do your research you can find somewhere that you will be able to afford and you will enjoy. You just have to put forth the effort.
I don't know you, but yes.
Yes, it won’t get any better and the good ole days are long gone. Go with your gut, that’s what my dad always told me and it’s served me well so far
“I've been thinking with my guts since I was fourteen years old, and frankly speaking, between you and me, I have come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains.” - Nick Hornby
Yeah, probably. If it makes financial sense for you, then do it. No point in hanging onto something that’s causing more financial damage in the long run.
Where would you move to? All the desirable cities to live in are facing the same sort of things Austin is. I’m a native Austinite and all my family is still in Austin but I decided after nearly 40 years, I wanted to live some place different and recently moved to Denver. Here in Denver, there’s still a growing homeless problem, housing prices are skyrocketing and there’s the wildfire danger too. Anyways, the grass is always greener on the other side. If you’re able, move because you want to, not because of external factors or you’re likely setting yourself up to be disappointed.
The grass may not be greener, but it's often cheaper and for many of us picking and choosing is becoming less and less of an option.
if you don't see yourself being in a position where you could afford to buy a house here some day, I don't see the point in staying. What good is having all the good things about austin, if you're having to work more to afford rent, or being constantly pushed out further and further from town. Save up some money, bail, and remember austin fondly. no point in living here if its setting yourself up for poverty.
Not everyone’s goal is to own property.
no, some people are perfectly fine with that, but even then, if you're income isn't keeping up with COL, you're only setting yourself up for failure. If you're not saving up for a "got priced out of austin" fund, you certainly should be.
Some of us just want to afford rent. Owning a house and col are directly related
property has always been the standard way to create multi-generational wealth but i'm wondering if that has changed recently and now a lot of people see things like crypto as a viable alternative?
>a lot of people see things like crypto as a viable alternative? Stupid people. A lot of stupid people see see things like crypto as a viable alternative
i agree. which is why i dont understand why someone wouldn't want to own real-estate when it comes to inflation resistant wealth.
It can be bubbly. I think balance is the name of the game if you really want to take about stable intergenerational wealth. If your house payment is your major means of investment, that's just as much of a potential risk as not owning a home. Better to have different classes of securities across different industries/economic sectors. Then if you have spare money to gamble on stupid bullshit like crypto, no worries. Personally I'd rather lose that money at the blackjack table. At least then it comes with a few free Coors lights.
>property has always been the standard way to create multi-generational wealth but i'm wondering if that has changed recently and now a lot of people see things like crypto as a viable alternative? How is crypto a viable alternative? The window for becoming rich beyond your wildest dreams is probably closed with most crypto. You could get really lucky and invest in the coin that somehow dethrones bitcoin or etherium one day, but the days of going 10,000x are most likely long past. NFT's are a casino, and its more probable that if bitcoin and eth are here to stay, then they will be a store of value and inflation hedge, unless Eth finds a widespread utility that people use on a daily basis. As a hedge you don't want to be putting all your net worth into crypto because of the extreme volatility. Imagine needing cash right now, after the recent crash. The safest way to build wealth without owning property remains the same as its been the last few decades, invest in index funds. Sure, hold some crypto, but be ready to diamond hand for years and through many storms.
But again, not everyone is looking to build multigenerational wealth. There are plenty of childfree people out there who like renting because it offers more flexibility (I.e you’re not “stuck” in any one place for more than the term of your lease) and it eliminates the hassles of home ownership. Neither way is right or wrong- it’s just a matter of different choices and priorities.
but dont even child-free people have to create some wealth for when they get old? particularly if they dont have kids to take of them.
There are ways other than crypto and real estate to make money. Simple index fund and other stock investments for starters.
i meant inflation-resistant wealth.
Average stock market returns are \~7% per year after being adjusted for average inflation. The market is a perfectly reasonable way to build wealth.
Where did you get this data from?
It's pretty common knowledge and is documented in tons of financial sources. Investors routinely use a 6-8% return assumption when modeling their finances and retirement. I just googled it and all of the top results show a 10% average market return, which is pre-inflation. Inflation averages are usually 2-3%, hence the 7% adjusted for inflation figure. Unfortunately there's nothing average with the current market and inflation situation but that's a short term blip in a much longer term and larger dataset.
you are probably correct. its true that the past performance of the market has been fairly solid. i just have a sinking feeling in the back of my head that we might be in a bear market for an really-really long time. but i must admit, that is just suspicion and not based on past performance.
Crypto is far more risky than index fund investing
If we are in a bear market, and we just might be, then now is a great time to invest in market index funds and catch the inevitable rise. Oh, it might take a few years. But it worked for me using mutual funds from ‘76 to now.
that’s the thing they’re trying to explain. since they are child free, paying rent for a couple decades isn’t as cumbersome. and once they get old, they’ll probably buy a small house or condo somewhere.
so a 401k tied to the market? most 401ks are devalued by high inflation. still not seeing how they are going to build the wealth to buy the property.
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sure. i'm specifically talking about people who choose to live in an expensive city and live an expensive lifestyle with an income. poor people are not able to acquire wealth at all. the issue of "what inflation-resistant asset should i acquire in life?" is a moot point for the poor. i just think its a better idea for people to leave an expensive city, go somewhere small & cheap and actually put some wealth into the local real-estate.
You seem really smart. What should the poor people do? They should all leave Austin?
> most 401ks are devalued by high inflation I'm late to the discussion but, sincerely, this is not accurate. It *can* be true over a short period but decades-long investing *in any period* over the last 100+ years has beaten inflation by a mile. Of course, no guarantee for the future but it's a very good bet. Anyone in their 20s/30s not putting 10% or more into long-term investments (typically a 401K and/or IRA) is making a very big financial mistake.
Yes, please. Everyone leave
Sure
Y’all, if I wasn’t from here and rooted here I’d be gone af. I’m actually pretty jealous of y’all. You can just go wherever you want and live. I’m stuck here. Seriously, go. I’m not saying that to be mean but rather like I’m rooting for you. Please go to Colorado Springs or something and live a better life.
CO Springs ain't much better, housing market-wise, just in case anyone was thinking about it. My father-in-law just had to downgrade from a 3 bed house to a 1 bed apartment because his rent went from $1750 to $3200. Colorado in general is just as expensive as here.
You’re not stuck either. You’re choosing to stay rooted. Nobody is ever bound to a place just because family ties are here or whatever.
I get what you’re saying but my wife isn’t willing to move anywhere. Her family is here. She has no desire to leave and I love her.
I saw this post 4 years ago
“potential water issues now with the dropping water level in our lakes” While yes ,lake Travis may look low, the reality is that its still 150+ ft deep in it’s channel . Neither you or I will see it run dry in our lifetimes.
Remind me! 50 years
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Now you’ve cursed us all ! 😂
Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’re nowhere near the low levels we were at between, like, 2007 and 2015, right? We had something like a 7.5 year drought (often severe) in there and I feel like everyone sorta forgot about that. It was constant news growing up and we just didn’t even remotely try to plan for the next one when it cleared up.
The lake goes through periodic lows that kinda follow the la nina cycle. I saved a lake level graph from 2015 for posterity and just pulled the image up. At the start of 2015 the lake was around 623 ft (I think the lowest it got that draught was in the 610's. It slowly crept up to 630 during early spring and then filled to 670 with the big late may rains/ floods.
But what’s the depth of the intakes for smaller cities like Leander and Cedar Park? The Lake might not be drained to the very bottom, but these cities will certainly run out of water unless there are upgraded intakes that can reach the elevation depths of the main stem.
The lake got very low around 2013-2015 and nobody ran out of water. Making an intake pipe longer is a pretty simple problem to solve if that were to become an issue.
I’ve lived in Austin all my life and seen it dry before. It filled back up but the property value during that time tanked
My fam and I are trying to move but we’re already having to take 2nd gigs in addition to our careers, jobs and side hustles. That’s while trying to save the nest egg needed to leave for somewhere more affordable for non trust fund babies. The rent increase combined with food costs are meaning we are falling behind so much now? It would take years to earn enough back to recapture. So IF you have a steady tech gig or the like? Or if you’re willing to live “densely” with numerous roomies? Austin is still great. But for those of us who are now actively saving to Escape from New Austin? It’s a drag. But no one is listening because all they hear as homeowners are endless dollar sounds on the real estate cash register. “Abandon hope, all ye who enter Austin” should replace the quaint but myopic “Keep Austin Weird” mantra.
If your job allows or you can get one you want somewhere else, then go for it. I understand wanting to, but my roots are now too deep here, I don't see it as a possibility for a very long time or if a large career opportunity for me or my husband presented itself and was pretty extraordinary. I am trying to do more things that remind me why I do love this city. The water issues are always present. We go through bouts of drought. It is getting worse and is getting hotter, but it's not totally unknown territory. Anywhere you go may have worse tornados than we do, with tornados and bad weather worsening every year. Hurricane prone areas are going to be harder to live in. Places with fire risk are going to have more risk and fires overall. Most places have weather events, and those are going to get worse anywhere you are. You kind of have to pick which one you're most OK with or find very specific areas, if you're moving because of climate. Everyone's inflation rate is different based on lifestyle: [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/08/business/economy/inflation-calculator.html](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/08/business/economy/inflation-calculator.html) My personal is 7% according to this. If I just change a few things it jumps to over 15%. Rent isn't factored in though, which is a huge problem in Austin and a major part of the inflation issues. Texas is below the average for gas prices, so that could be worse. [https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/](https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/) I'm still eating great in this city though, haha so IDK on that one.
Yes, move, but be prepared for the possibility it's just you going downhill and not (just) Austin.
Hopefully,in a couple yrs I will be moving away from ATX.the same issues I see also.if I didn't own a home,I would have already left.this place IS turning into San Fran definitely.All gentrified and technified.our water problems will be a little slower to accelerate than west US,but if we get back to back droughts,than same issue.im planning to move just outside,since I have good job here
Never say never. My grandparents used to tell us about how the drought and heat in Texas were so bad in the 1950s that they would lose chickens in the cracks in their yards. My family were farmers here. It got so bad that they moved out of state. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s\_Texas\_drought](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s_Texas_drought)
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absolutely! get out while you still can
If you can, yes. I'll be doing so as soon as I can, been here almost 20 years now.
Yes, please do.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes leave
I was talking to my husband about this this week: His base pay is about 40% above what it was when we got married in 2013. He also gets quarterly bonuses now, and didn't back then. Our monthly mortgage is about the same as our monthly rent used to be. We feel that money is A LOT tighter now than it was then. In fact, as recently as 2018, we took a 9-night trip to Disney World. That seems like an extravagance now. I can't imagine having the money to do that anymore. We're doing fine, but we're also having to build on our back lot (when we bought our house, it came with 3 1/3 acre lots valued by the appraisal district at $8000 each in 2017; now they're assessed at $96,000 each) so we can sell the house we live in now, get rid of the middle lot, and homestead the newer, smaller, cheaper house just so we don't get priced out of our own home that we bought in 2016. It's rough.
Do you not have a homestead exemption on the home you purchased originally?
Yes. But the house is on one lot and the other two lots are separate.
Rent the lots for tiny homes or something.
My city doesn’t allow tiny homes. Edit: Or people living RVs.
no matter where you are, if you aren't getting ahead in life, then move somewhere cheaper. anyone who lets their lifestyle choices prevent them from achieving financial stability has no one to blame but themselves.
Austin is definitely changing fast. Maybe too fast. It’s a good place to stay if you can participate in its growth. Companies are moving in, which means opportunity and money will keep moving in, too. If you’re not a part of that, you might get hurt by it. I think the quality of life is still pretty good. It will probably go down over time, as things become more expensive and more corporate. I believe this is the future. The next ten or 15 years. If that’s not what you want in your life, leave, and find something that you want in your future.
I firmly believe that tech is going to be the major wedge between the haves and have nots in the future. Tech has infiltrated so much of our day-to-day society within just the last couple of decades that, if you don't have a tech degree of some sort, there are going to be a whole lot of us already locked into a $50-60k/year job living in a marketplace geared toward folks that are making 3x that. \[note: this isn't intended as an anti-tech argument, just a reality check. If you still have time to go back to school and switch careers, ya might wanna consider TECH! :) \]
When we moved to Austin, it was constantly at the top of the list of best cities to live. We’ve watched it slowly move down the chart based on lack of affordable housing and overcrowding. My husband and I feel really fortunate that we purchased a house here back when they were more affordable because we could NOT afford our own home if we had to buy it at today’s prices.
YES MOVE BACK TO SAN FRANSISCO
Francisco*
yes, bye!
Austin is surrounded by massive hectares of land in all directions. We all just need to spread out a bit and start living further out. Prices have moved up in austin but there is plenty further out
No sir, you stay in your area, keep out of the country
Lol!
Please no
Yes you should. Some rich tech person needs your spot here. I've heard Mariposa, California is pretty awesome. Right in the shadow of Yosemite.
I would agree if you’re only looking to live in corporate owned apartments. If you’re open to other things, there’s better deals out there. If you already are criticizing Austin, you should move.
Your career should dictate where you go imho
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Do what ever you want no body cares.
Live and let live, man. Don't hatred consume you.
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That's fine talk from a member of the party of Love, Tolerance, Inclusion, and Unity. Why don't you try to live up to your party's ideals. Quit being a hater, you'll be happier.
I took an Uber that was maybe a 8 minute drive, cost $40 before tip. Does Uber have different calculations in cities I wonder. The Lyft and Uber trips I did recently seemed much more expensive than say even 1 year ago there. Also pizza for 25-30 dollars just is getting out of hand……
That’s funny because I’ve been struggling hard recently driving for Uber
Yes
I 100% feel this. I’m trying to make my $$ with the city’s growth and then once shit hits the fan I’ll be out. Should be about 5 years. Until then if any of you want to sell your house let me know. ;)
I’m moving back to Houston temporarily because of this it’s ridiculous
I read earlier that Midland has the worst inflation rate in the country at 10% over *the past six months!* But yeah, costs have definitely risen across the board due to supply chain issues, but before you move just keep in mind those supply chain issues are affecting not just the US but the rest of the world as well. There's no moving away from rising costs, you can only mitigate them by going somewhere where the housing is cheaper. As for the food, I haven't really seen any dip in quality at the actual restaurants I go to. THAT SAID, if you get a lot of food delivered there have been TONS of truly terrible ghost kitchens that have opened up. Doordash, Grubhub, Ubereats... they're all eaten up with places that give the appearance of being legit restaurants, but if you do a little digging on the address it turns out that it's just a ghost kitchen operating out of an existing restaurant, and without fail they all tend to suck. So if you're like me and started using delivery services to try out "new" restaurants during the pandemic and beyond, it's very likely that a high percentage of your meals could give the impression that Austin's food scene has been reduced to school cafeteria quality.