Best city to live in in early-mid 20s?
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Pro
NYC hands down. Food scene, dating scene, work scene etc. All amazing
I found some great international food in London. Also had traditional British food which was incredibly planned. And to the OP, It really depends what you're into. Do you like water sports? Live somewhere coastal. Do you like hiking? Live near some mountains. Personally I was born in Virginia, so the thought of living anywhere that's not near the coast kind of freaks me out. I love the Pacific Northwest also. If Seattle and Portland aren't so expensive, I'd probably move there. Norfolk, VA is cool, but it's a smaller city compared to others mentioned here. I really like Philadelphia, New Orleans, Austin, San Francisco, Chicago. I'm not crazy about huge cities like NY. Too many people and stimulation with lights, noise, etc.
Rising Star
Chicago, and quite frankly it’s not even close when you take all factors (cost of living, friendliness, things to do, city culture, etc) into account.
The winters are how we pay our dues for living in the greatest city in America from June-September.
Yeah if your idea of good times are hot dogs, bars with giant tvs, and average looking people
Did not expect so many to say london
Works well for MBB / IB / if part financed by parents. If you’re on a Big4 grad scheme frankly it’s a joke. Any serious professional job pushing you 60 hours a week should pay you enough to live reasonably well. London or for that matter NY only really works on a decent salary. Forget saving or you’re going to be pretty bloody miserable, wearing garbage, eating garbage and your idea of a good night is a six pack and Netflix.
However, if you can put down the cash, there aren’t many places better, nightlife is some of the best in the world, as is the shopping, culture and dining.
They are all a bit different but here is my two cents on some major options. Ultimately you gotta pick what feels right to you based off what’s important.
NYC is the best experience. Weather is terrible for 8-9 months out of the year. Diversity and general excitement is unparalleled. If you love the arts and food, it’s amazing.
Chicago has a great scene and good cost of living for a major city. It’s growing and dying at the same time. The cold winters are a real thing and you have to be prepared for it.
SF - as long as tech continues to rule the world, it’s probably the best career move if you want to move to industry. Rent is gonna suck, the weather is never amazing, but never bad either. Nightlife and arts are not nyc and never will be… but it’s waaay easier to leave the city and get away than nyc. If you are gonna compare it to NYC the whole time… you will have a bad time. The “bay” is very different than SF.
Seattle is the best city in America for a solid 8-10 weeks a year with long summer nights, low to no rain, and actually has affordable housing, however, the other 9-10 months can be a bit of a gloomy drag. If you find a cozy cup of coffee on a cold day appealing, you can def make it work. Pac NW is best for nature access that isn’t overrun by a close by city / tourists.
LA is great for all of the reasons you think it is. Yes, the weather is that great. It’s miserable for all of the same reasons that come to mind. Yes the traffic is that bad. It’s much more of an urban sprawl than you can imagine.
Honestly, if the industries line up with what you want to do…San Diego is an amazing compromise of weather, traffic, cost of living, outdoors, but.. it’s also a bit slower than an urban city center.
Lagos, Nigeria Africa.
Actually it was a joke 😂lol. I grew up in Lagos and I will never move back
Boston!
Marawi, Philippines and Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique are two underrated global beach towns. Super cheap cost of living and much much safer than top pick locations like Chicago or San Francisco. Lots of my friend moved their straight out of college.
Forget the coast, Marawi is adjacent to a lake culture that dwarfs anything you’ll find in the states.
Stockholm, Copenhagen or Berlin! Where are my mainland Europeans at??
Copenhagen definitely!
Living in Berlin right now…
It’s cheap and kinda fun but not comparable.
But would love to switch to either CPH or Stockholm if I’d get the chance.
My fav would be Amsterdam though
Miami
Agree with S&1. Unless you’re getting tables at LIV Thursday-Sun you’re in a great international city. Under the greatest governor of all time. Lol
Ps I’m from NY
Sheboygan
Charlotte
Chief
Wow, y'all just wanna drink huh
Chief
NYC and/or London. Everything else is incorrect
NY/LA/Chicago/Boston/SF/DC (if you’re public sector)
Internationally — London, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo (if you speak the languages)
NYC. I don’t see myself living there in my 30s and beyond, but those few years in NYC were fantastic. It’s the obvious answer for a reason. It has a lot to offer.
Baltimore
Cheapest cost of living of this thread, great airport, fun(not good, but fun) sports teams, close to NYC, DC when you want a big city experience
I cannot believe I’m the first to say San Diego! International city, amazing food, proximity to Mexico, incredible weather, EXTREMELY convenient airport
It’s definitely slower compared to the other big cities, and there are far fewer young professionals per capita. There’s not as many lucrative job opportunities here aside from what BCG6 mentioned. However, Deloitte, BAH, and Accenture all have a presence here. There are a number of large industry offices here as well, Amazon, Illumina, Sony. Cost of living is higher than many places in the US, but cheaper than both the other CA hubs. I find this surprising as the weather, traffic, location, and people are preferable IMO. I truly enjoy living here because of great work life balance and opportunities outside the office, while still advancing a professional career. If you have the opportunity to come here, take it!
College towns
Toronto. I came to Toronto at the age of 23 and have spend my entire 20s here. Probably London and New York could have been may be little better than here
I came to attend University of Toronto from India on funded masters. UofT’s academic environment (aka nerds), downtown campus, multicultural food, good night life, pubs, decent parks in the city, hiking options made it all fun
Boston! Large concentration of Universities and young professionals (including Cambridge and Somerville on the other side of the Charles River)
NYC for sure. You usually don’t have to worry about the things that make it cost prohibitive in your mid-20s (e.g. childcare, buying property, etc). London is also a great place to live, but the salaries are so much lower than NYC and cost of living is still very high
Also, part of what made London great was the ease of travel to the rest of Europe. It will be a long time before that returns due to the pandemic, and it may never be the same due to Brexit
Tampa is the best
Underrated