The option to move cities comes along in almost all of our lives at some stage. Be it for better career opportunities, academic prospects, moving in with your partner, wanting a fresh start, or simply having the resources to finally move to your childhood dream city. Before you make that leap, there are a number of things that you might need to look into.

Every city is different and comes with a list of its own pros and cons, so it’s always easy to decide where you want to go if you have an idea about what you are looking for. With all that in mind, let’s get started and discuss a few things that can help you make a decision.

Expectations

Ask yourself this: what makes you want to relocate in the first place? What are your goals and expectations from the city? What will you gain from the move? You can have multiple reasons, just make sure you are absolutely clear on WHY you plan on relocating so that you can manage your expectations.

Weather

This is one of the most important factors to consider before moving. You might love the summer, but are you sure you want year-round sunshine? Plus, not everyone can handle a bitterly cold climate either. The North of the country is literally the polar opposite of the South in many ways and the East Coast doesn’t quite agree with the West Coast either. In short, make sure you look into the average temperature and precipitation rates along with the air quality of your desired city.

Career Opportunities

One of the most important things about moving, which is also a pretty obvious one, is to ensure you move to a place that offers a bunch of career opportunities within your preferred field. We spend almost a third of our day at work, which is reason enough to reach out to people in the same industry as you and discuss the job market in the city alongside job related events and networking groups in the region.

Cost of Living

Cost of living is probably top on everyone’s priority list. It’s good to be completely aware of your earnings and costs before moving. This ensures that you actually build a life in the city and not just barely make ends meet or worse, end up in debt. Every city comes with its own costs – some are pretty expensive to live in while others, not so much. A good idea is to make a rough draft expense report. The idea behind this chart is to calculate the cost of food, transportation, housing, and utilities (these factors essentially make up your cost of living). You might also want to look into any city or state-specific taxes. Some states have a low tax rate which can help you save a lot of money taxes. You can always discuss this with a local tax adviser to help make your calculations easier.

Food Options

If you come from a place where food is highly regarded, then adding this to your list of considerations is a must. Most cities these days have a wide selection of cuisines, however, not all cities offer that privilege. Consider any dietary preferences that you might have and make sure that the restaurants in the city have a menu to meet those requirements or not. It is always best to research the cost of food and whether grocery stores have a decent range of imported products as well.

Social and Professional Networks

If you are somebody who wants to live in the proximity of friends and family while choosing a new city, then you might need to consider that as well. This idea might not seem as important to some people as it may to others, but who doesn’t like to be around people they love and care about? This aspect can play a significant role in your entire relocating idea and could possibly influence your decision if you are finding it difficult to choose between two cities.

Similarly, when you’ve spent most of your years in an industry, you are used to seeing a lot of familiar faces. Moving to a new city also means starting everything from scratch – even your professional identity.

You might already have a list of your own by the time you stumble across this post. Now, all you have to do is ensure you take these ideas into account when choosing one of these cities. Keep all these factors buzzing through your head and try to check as many boxes as possible before you finally decide on moving!