$10K is too much money to turn down. Take the job in Houston. I had a similar predicament with Schlumberger. I said screw you, I'm staying in Austin.
well officially its 900 sq. ft. but i don't count the other 150 sq. ft. b/c that makes up my HUGE balcony, which i never use. i live off of parmer and mopac in NW austin near my old employer. its a pretty nice complex and i'm too lazy to pack all my junk up and move. i'm sure i could find better deals, but again laziness takes over.
Um, I turned down way over $10K in salary to move from Austin to CA five years ago, everyone's situation is different. I wanted to make a big geographical move. When I moved from Houston to Austin I got a slight increase. Take everything into account. If you have to, live with friends for a while!
$10K would be nothing more than a cost of living adjustment if moving to CA! in terms of real disposable dollars, your position wouldn't have changed all that much! but houston is a cheaper place to live than austin...AND they're throwing in more money.
I pay 585 for a 550 square foot apartment. It's a ****hole. Walls so thin that I can hear my neighbors tell each other secrets. My rent is supposed to be 610, but the original land lady didn't raise it on me for some reason.
Go for the money. It's not Austin, but I would live in any major city in the US. There's culture there. It's cheaper, with arguably more things to do. It's easy to get Rocket tickets right now and downtown is exploding. Austin is a great town. But, it wears on me at times and I'm afraid it may end up being Dallas south in a few years. One of the things I would miss if I moved would be the watering holes and the lakes of Austin. I would definitely live in HOuston though. Every town is what you make of it. Of course, being an Asian guy, I probably wouldn't live in the deep south.
Drewdog, Houston is a great place to live! Great clubs, bars, and hangouts, plus there are beautiful woman all over. I hate to say it but I love Austin and I understand why you wouldn't want to leave. Austin is a college town, and you have to growup sometime.
Wow. And 10K goes alot further in Austin as well. Bold move. I'd like to live in California some day.
Houston is great. I stayed in Austin for a little while once and although it's nice and all I'd still take Houston. Some can say what they will about it being dirty, but it's not that bad. The arts and museum scene is really good. The Rockets are right there. Galveston's just a short drive away (say what you will about Galveston, but it's great to go there on a nice day.) There are all types of things to do like Kemah, clubs (richmond or downtown), Astroworld, sports, and all types of other stuff. Plus it's cheap. If it's the 4th most populated city in the world, it can't be that bad, can it? Plus it's not, like Houston and Austin are on opposite sides of the planet.
After having spent some time in NYC this past year, I'd have to say it's diversity is overrated. Sure...it's diverse and all, but I can't see it having Houston beat in this regards. If so....not by much.
Rudyards Pub is enough reason to live in Houston. But even if its not for you, you'll find the perfect bar here within a month. I'd rather drink in Houston than Austin any day. The music scene's not terrible here either. Rudyards, the Axiom (my place), Mary Jane's and a few other bars have good shows all the time. And most cool Austin bands pass through here on a regular basis. If you go for cool theater, Houston's got the best in Infernal Bridegroom. There are a ton of good restaurants if you eat meat. Being vegetarian, I'd rather eat in Austin. But any town is about the people who live there more than any scenery or attraction. And inside the loop, Houston people are pretty alright. As for money, you still can't beat Houston rents in any major city. And if you'd be getting a raise, you'd be living better than you have been. Plus you'd be a short drive from Austin if you wanted to visit on weekends. I go every couple months. As for the other cities you mentioned, I understand the dilemma about Houston vs. Austin. But Houston's a way better place to live than Phoenix, Denver, Vegas or (at least according to Chris Weber) Sacramento.
I've always wanted to check out Denver. Whereever I live, it will be west of the Mississippi. Well, I'd consider chicago.
Dude, trust me. You want to move to Houston. The only thing you have to deal with is Infernal Bridegroom, but you'll get used to it.
