If you were 100% remote where would you live?

[JLee]

For context, I have lived in FL, NH, AZ, and most recently NJ (~6 years, ~2 years owning a house).  I love the southwest but Phoenix is now a little hotter than I'd like.  My SO and I just did a road trip out west and went through Cleveland, Chicago, Des Moines, Denver, Gunnison (CO), Moab (UT), and Salt Lake City.  We both loved SLC but housing costs, much like in most of the country, have basically doubled in a very short time.  My house in NJ has also gone up a bit, but not remotely as much as places like Phoenix, SLC, Denver, Boise, etc.

I am stuck with a commute at the moment, but my ideal situation would be 100% WFH until FIRE (hopefully single digit years from now, I'm right at the barest of barebones now and am probably 3 years away from "ehhhh I couuuuld make it work", realistically likely longer to build up the fun-fund) - I really love SLC, but housing costs and the water situation are both concerning.  Is there some up and coming gem that I haven't thought of yet?

Priorities are Costco access, ideally somewhat walkable but at least a walkable / cute downtown area, reasonable proximity to outdoorsy stuff (4x4 trails, mountain biking, hiking, lakes etc), and enough space where I can have a reasonably sized shop (ideally 1/4 acre minimum lot sizes - I have no interest in apartments/condos).  Aside from housing prices, SLC and Boise both look pretty good (SLC especially for the lack of mosquitoes!) but it seems we are 3 years late to the party and everybody else has figured it out already, lol.

[dougules]

You might start out looking at the relocation guide thread.

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/mustachian-relocation-guide/

[youngwildandfree]

I think I would be a nomad. At least for a while. Every place has pros and cons depending on the time of year.

[Pigeon]

I wouldn’t move anywhere. My house is paid off and my family and friends are here in upstate NY and that’s what’s most important to me. I like where I live. The downside of winter is having to drive in bad weather and being fully remote makes even that not an issue.

[MudPuppy]

Assuming I HAVE to relocate in this scenario, probably north Mississippi or eastern Carolinas.

[dougules]

Assuming I HAVE to relocate in this scenario, probably north Mississippi or eastern Carolinas.

Why north Mississippi?

[MudPuppy]

Family

Edit: also warm, green, and LCOL

[chemistk]

In your shoes (largely influenced by my own experiences), I'd personally move to NW Michigan. I've mentally committed to the fact that I'd love to have my home base be up near Traverse City when I'm close to FI. Kinda touristy in the summer but breathtakingly gorgeous, Costco in the region, a large regional airport with direct flights to major cities, and water will pretty much never be an issue.

[LightStache]

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Super affordable, high rises with rooftop pools, cheap access to the rest of asia and australia.

[yachi]

Costco access seems a silly think to prioritize.  Wyoming, Rhode Island, and West Virginia are out completely, but also most of Delaware.  Sam's Club and BJ's are not acceptable members-only grocery shopping alternatives?  If you move somewhere with cheaper food costs, are you actually going to save any more shopping there? 

Your other priorities seem to be set up for higher prices, so I'm not surprised that's what you're finding.  Built up city place - but also 1/4 acre lot.  Walkable - but also 1/4 acre lot.  City - but also close to outdoor things.  These things can be found in the same areas, of course, but when they are they cost a premium because you've narrowed your search to "lots of square feet" where each square foot is expensive.

[JLee]

Costco access seems a silly think to prioritize.  Wyoming, Rhode Island, and West Virginia are out completely, but also most of Delaware.  Sam's Club and BJ's are not acceptable members-only grocery shopping alternatives?  If you move somewhere with cheaper food costs, are you actually going to save any more shopping there? 

Your other priorities seem to be set up for higher prices, so I'm not surprised that's what you're finding.  Built up city place - but also 1/4 acre lot.  Walkable - but also 1/4 acre lot.  City - but also close to outdoor things.  These things can be found in the same areas, of course, but when they are they cost a premium because you've narrowed your search to "lots of square feet" where each square foot is expensive.

Not my priority. :)

Boise and SLC used to be quite inexpensive, but things have changed. Even Phoenix housing has nearly tripled since I bought there.

[AccidentialMustache]

I am 100% remote and I would continue living in my midwestern big-10 college town.

From your list @JLee I would ask why you only seem to be looking at the major cities? There's more to IA than Des Moines and more to IL than Chicago. I can't speak to the rockies, but I suspect there's smaller towns in the 100-300k pop that are big enough to attract a costco and small enough to make housing inexpensive and still be proximate to the local outdoor amenities.

[JLee]

I am 100% remote and I would continue living in my midwestern big-10 college town.

From your list @JLee I would ask why you only seem to be looking at the major cities? There's more to IA than Des Moines and more to IL than Chicago. I can't speak to the rockies, but I suspect there's smaller towns in the 100-300k pop that are big enough to attract a costco and small enough to make housing inexpensive and still be proximate to the local outdoor amenities.

That’s just where we happened to drive through. Gunnison CO has a population of ~5000, but it’s also the coldest place in CO and is still shockingly pricey.

This just might be the new normal, houses are expensive.. 

[Fishindude]

In your shoes (largely influenced by my own experiences), I'd personally move to NW Michigan. I've mentally committed to the fact that I'd love to have my home base be up near Traverse City when I'm close to FI. Kinda touristy in the summer but breathtakingly gorgeous, Costco in the region, a large regional airport with direct flights to major cities, and water will pretty much never be an issue.

We've got a lake home place near TC and I'm kind of losing interest in the area, been going there for 40+ years.   Getting a bit too overpopulated and developed for my liking, real estate prices are getting pretty stupid as well.  Serious heavy traffic in TC May thru Sept, also pretty long hard core winter conditions.   You had better enjoy skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing or something like that.

I've considered ditching the lake home for a farm away from things a bit, but that stuff is typically way overpriced in my opinion, $5k - $10k per acre for sandy ground that has no income potential and will barely grow anything.

If we were to relocate, I like the Ohio river valley region of OH, KY, IN, IL.   Pretty inexpensive, variety of climate and weather, good rainfall, good soils, as well as some very pretty remote and relatively unpopulated areas.

[Dancin'Dog]

I'll have to get back with you after I've studied the Costco location map.  LOL 

[boarder42]

We live on a lake with a great group of friends who host house parties all the time. We're centrally located in the us and can be anywhere within 4 hours or so in the continental us. I've convinced 5 couples to move to our lake community and my parents live a block away.  3-4 of the couples are going to be FI in the next 5-8 years.  As much as I'd love to live in the mountains where there are better outdoor activities and scenery we basically have the perfect life setup here for ourselves.

So if I could live anywhere I'd stay where we are

[alsoknownasDean]

Does it have to be one location?

Where I'd want to live in winter and where I'd want to live in summer are very different.

[JLee]

We live on a lake with a great group of friends who host house parties all the time. We're centrally located in the us and can be anywhere within 4 hours or so in the continental us. I've convinced 5 couples to move to our lake community and my parents live a block away.  3-4 of the couples are going to be FI in the next 5-8 years.  As much as I'd love to live in the mountains where there are better outdoor activities and scenery we basically have the perfect life setup here for ourselves.

So if I could live anywhere I'd stay where we are

That's awesome!  My family is all over (Maine, Florida, Texas, and my brother is currently stationed in South Korea) and I also have good friends scattered all over the place.  Staying in the northeast has value for proximity to some family and friends, but going somewhere else has value for proximity to less humidity, fewer mosquitoes, lower property taxes, etc. It's all a juggling game, and we're sorting through how to prioritize things.

Does it have to be one location?

Where I'd want to live in winter and where I'd want to live in summer are very different.

I don't actually know...  We're in the early stages of thinking, so likely open to most anything. When I get particularly frustrated with work I consider buying a little camper (trailer), hooking it up to my truck and just leaving -- but that comes with its own set of complexities too.

[HPstache]

I think I'd stay where I am.  Bellingham often comes up as ideal FI towns, I got in when Real Estate was relatively cheap, and my family is all within 20 minutes... can't complain!

[dougules]

Family

Edit: also warm, green, and LCOL

Makes sense.  I spent four years in the most aptly named town in the South, Starkville, and in retrospect it was way too rural for me personally.  A lot of people like that, though. 

[iris lily]

Costco?

Ok. I can’t grok this, but to each his own. We all have different values and prioritize different things.

[JLee]

Costco?

Ok. I can’t grok this, but to each his own. We all have different values and prioritize different things.

Sometimes when the list involves more than one person, you end up with an odd combination. :)

[pecunia]

Just South of Gitchi Guumi.

[brandon1827]

I like being in northern middle TN. Low cost of living, fairly temperate climate, lots of outdoor activities, etc. Nashville is close enough that we can drive in 30-40 minutes if we want to do something fun like dine out or go to the theater. Lack of major dangerous weather with the exception of a tornado every 20 years or so, lol. People are nice and mostly keep to themselves. All in all, I can't complain. However, I can potentially see a move north in retirement.

[roomtempmayo]

If you like SLC but not the cost of living, there are great places in southwest and south-central Colorado that are much cheaper.  If you draw a line from Grand Junction southeast to Santa Fe, there are lots of great spots.  But no Costcos that I know of.

[boarder42]

If you like SLC but not the cost of living, there are great places in southwest and south-central Colorado that are much cheaper.  If you draw a line from Grand Junction southeast to Santa Fe, there are lots of great spots.  But no Costcos that I know of.

Why not just look for a budget grocery chain as opposed to it having to be Costco. Like Aldi or even sam's club

[Morning Glory]

If you like SLC but not the cost of living, there are great places in southwest and south-central Colorado that are much cheaper.  If you draw a line from Grand Junction southeast to Santa Fe, there are lots of great spots.  But no Costcos that I know of.

Why not just look for a budget grocery chain as opposed to it having to be Costco. Like Aldi or even sam's club

Sam's club hotdogs just aren't the same. 

[JLee]

If you like SLC but not the cost of living, there are great places in southwest and south-central Colorado that are much cheaper.  If you draw a line from Grand Junction southeast to Santa Fe, there are lots of great spots.  But no Costcos that I know of.

Why not just look for a budget grocery chain as opposed to it having to be Costco. Like Aldi or even sam's club

That is a question for the gf, not for me :P

I'm going to be in New Mexico soon -- I may swing through ABQ and Santa Fe to poke around a bit. The water situation in the whole southwest is concerning, though.

[HPstache]

This is why I chose Costco as my prediction for one stock to beat the S&P500 over the next 20 years.  People are so incredibly loyal to Costco, it's amazing that it's so important that people would factor their moving plans based on whether or not it has a store!

[JungYo]

I'm going to be in New Mexico soon -- I may swing through ABQ and Santa Fe to poke around a bit. The water situation in the whole southwest is concerning, though.

This was going to be my suggestion - we went out there several years ago and absolutely fell in love w/ the Santa Fe area, northern NM. The one huge hesitation is water, not sure of the situation in northern NM but I suspect additional residents won't help things...

[MudPuppy]

Family

Edit: also warm, green, and LCOL

Makes sense.  I spent four years in the most aptly named town in the South, Starkville, and in retrospect it was way too rural for me personally.  A lot of people like that, though.

I would be closer to Tupelo, but there’s no Costco there, only a Sam’s.

Sorry, OP, I made the assumption that “Costco” was just shorthand for that type of bulk/wholesale shopping opportunity.

[clarkfan1979]

If I could only have one home the answer is San Diego.

If I am allowed to have 2 homes. I would choose Koloa, HI (Kauai) for Oct-Feb and Breckenridge, CO for March-August. I would reserve September for traveling to new areas.

I already have a rental on Kauai that will transition into my primary residence. I'm currently working on buying land near Breckenridge in the Fairplay/Alma area in the next 12-18 months.

I love my current job. However, I just saw an ad posted this past week for a gig that is 95% remote, but must still claim Colorado as primary residence. It's a condition of employment. I was thinking the dream wouldn't happen for another 10 years. However, it might get here sooner if I could land a remote gig.

[RunningintoFI]

This is why I chose Costco as my prediction for one stock to beat the S&P500 over the next 20 years.  People are so incredibly loyal to Costco, it's amazing that it's so important that people would factor their moving plans based on whether or not it has a store!

This defines me.  I have spent 100% of my professional career [9 years] within 10 minutes of a Costco by design.  All of my lunch staples are purchased at Costco on a weekly basis and makes grocery shopping a breeze.  It may seem crazy but do you know how easy life is when you don't have to think about your grocery list and it works no matter where in the country you are?? 

As to the OP's question, I actually love Omaha for the fact that you have mild weather most of the year with incredibly affordable living and quality medical care and internet service.  Hidden benefit, you can fly to everywhere in the country fairly quickly and the lines through the airport are basically non-existent. 

Otherwise New Zealand.  Stunning country with wonderful people. 

[Metalcat]

DH is 100% remote now, and I'm retired, and we would live exactly where we currently live.

Geographic freedom was a big part of my career choice, I never wanted to end up having to live somewhere that wasn't ideal for me. DH also has a rather location-flexible career.

In terms of QOL, this is my very, very favourite location to live long term. If I didn't have health issues, I would consider living as a nomad, but DH isn't into it. He did it for years and won't consider it again until he's retired as well.

[Rdy2Fire]

Since it seems this is a serious criteria, I'd start here

https://www.costco.com/warehouse-locations

Also looking at the site seems there are locations in

Canada, UK, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Iceland, France, Spain and New Zealand

[Dancin'Dog]

Since it seems this is a serious criteria, I'd start here

https://www.costco.com/warehouse-locations

Also looking at the site seems there are locations in

Canada, UK, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Iceland, France, Spain and New Zealand

That's a nice list of place to visit and/or move to.


Maybe in another decade or two there'll be one on Mars.  ;)  Talk about "out of this world savings!"

[ender]

I am 100% remote and I would continue living in my midwestern big-10 college town.

From your list @JLee I would ask why you only seem to be looking at the major cities? There's more to IA than Des Moines and more to IL than Chicago. I can't speak to the rockies, but I suspect there's smaller towns in the 100-300k pop that are big enough to attract a costco and small enough to make housing inexpensive and still be proximate to the local outdoor amenities.

Midwest college towns are pretty much our list too (or nearby). I lived in one for ~15 years and loved it, you get the feeling of a small town but also the hub of the area so tons of amenities.

[kenmoremmm]

Earlier this year I changed companies, was given a 100% FT WFH arrangement, and moved from the US to the Canadian Rockies.

[simonsez]

Timely vid released from the Geography King on YT today:
"Off-the-Radar Good Cities to Work From Home"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPnIv_20tvM

[FLBiker]

I am 100% remote, and I switched to this job specifically to enable us to live where we wanted to live.  Last year, we moved from Tampa, FL to Kentville, Nova Scotia.  It is awesome.

Small town, walkable downtown, French immersion in the public schools, large hospital in town, next town over has big box stores (5-10 minutes drive), town after that has a university and nice restaurants (20 minutes away).  I believe there's a Costco ~ 1:15 away in Halifax, but that's too far for me to bother.  Outdoor activities are great, people are super friendly.  Housing costs are good, but it has changed a lot in the last year.  We bought our place for $250K CAD last July, and a place significantly smaller than ours on our street just sold for $360K.  It's crazy right now, but I think that's true lots of places.  Another thing we love is that the Annapolis Valley is a real farming area, so there is tons of local produce (which is nice from both a freshness and a food security POV).  Water is plentiful.  No hurricanes or earthquakes, and it doesn't get as cold as it does inland.  It certainly snows here, but I'm the type that finds that fun.  I don't mind shoveling, and there are plenty of folks who have snowblowers if it really comes down.  We also have a garage, so I don't need to scrape of the car.  Plus, I work from home, so I don't need to go anywhere when it's bad.  And I love sledding. :)

Looking back at your list, you can definitely get land.  And if you're open to well water and septic, housing gets cheaper and land gets more plentiful.

All that being said, if we didn't have a kid, I think we would have been international nomads for a while.  We're both ESL teachers, so that would be very easy.  I really like Thailand and Taiwan, and I'm interested in Central America (although I don't speak Spanish).  I was also very interested in New Zealand but DW felt that it was too far from family (and, unlike me, she saw that as a negative :) ).  We've been here for a year, though, and we absolutely love it.  I've lived lots of places (Boston, St. Louis, Tampa, London, Honolulu, Taiwan, China) and this is the first time I've ever felt like I could stay in a place forever.

[marblejane]

@JLee You should check out Grand Junction, Colorado. Super cute, very walkable downtown. Backyard is Colorado National Monument, tons of great desert hiking and mountain biking, plus water activities on the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. The two rivers I believe make water access in the area not a concern. House prices are the most reasonable I've seen in this part of the West. It gets hot in summer but highs do not usually go above 90, and it's a dry heat. No Costco though - you'd have to live with a Sam's club.

[StashingAway]

For context, I have lived in FL, NH, AZ, and most recently NJ (~6 years, ~2 years owning a house).  I love the southwest but Phoenix is now a little hotter than I'd like.  My SO and I just did a road trip out west and went through Cleveland, Chicago, Des Moines, Denver, Gunnison (CO), Moab (UT), and Salt Lake City.  We both loved SLC but housing costs, much like in most of the country, have basically doubled in a very short time.  My house in NJ has also gone up a bit, but not remotely as much as places like Phoenix, SLC, Denver, Boise, etc.

I am stuck with a commute at the moment, but my ideal situation would be 100% WFH until FIRE (hopefully single digit years from now, I'm right at the barest of barebones now and am probably 3 years away from "ehhhh I couuuuld make it work", realistically likely longer to build up the fun-fund) - I really love SLC, but housing costs and the water situation are both concerning.  Is there some up and coming gem that I haven't thought of yet?

Priorities are Costco access, ideally somewhat walkable but at least a walkable / cute downtown area, reasonable proximity to outdoorsy stuff (4x4 trails, mountain biking, hiking, lakes etc), and enough space where I can have a reasonably sized shop (ideally 1/4 acre minimum lot sizes - I have no interest in apartments/condos).  Aside from housing prices, SLC and Boise both look pretty good (SLC especially for the lack of mosquitoes!) but it seems we are 3 years late to the party and everybody else has figured it out already, lol.

Read about the Inversion before you decide on SLC.

[dodojojo]

I'm 100% remote now. Was about 90% remote for many years but was obligated to drop by the office for administrative tasks (pick up mail) on short notice. With two pets, I'm not able to travel too much. I try to not go away for more than 2 weeks.  If not for the pets, I'd likely spend more time visiting family in the US and overseas, overcoming my stays ;) and just travel more.  Having said that, I'd still spend a lot of time in my current place--I need some community, routine and seeing my friends.  I don't know if 100% digital nomad would work for me. 

[PDXTabs]

I'd be very interested in Mexico, Chile, Portugal, Albania, and Ukraine.

[dougules]

For context, I have lived in FL, NH, AZ, and most recently NJ (~6 years, ~2 years owning a house).  I love the southwest but Phoenix is now a little hotter than I'd like.  My SO and I just did a road trip out west and went through Cleveland, Chicago, Des Moines, Denver, Gunnison (CO), Moab (UT), and Salt Lake City.  We both loved SLC but housing costs, much like in most of the country, have basically doubled in a very short time.  My house in NJ has also gone up a bit, but not remotely as much as places like Phoenix, SLC, Denver, Boise, etc.

I am stuck with a commute at the moment, but my ideal situation would be 100% WFH until FIRE (hopefully single digit years from now, I'm right at the barest of barebones now and am probably 3 years away from "ehhhh I couuuuld make it work", realistically likely longer to build up the fun-fund) - I really love SLC, but housing costs and the water situation are both concerning.  Is there some up and coming gem that I haven't thought of yet?

Priorities are Costco access, ideally somewhat walkable but at least a walkable / cute downtown area, reasonable proximity to outdoorsy stuff (4x4 trails, mountain biking, hiking, lakes etc), and enough space where I can have a reasonably sized shop (ideally 1/4 acre minimum lot sizes - I have no interest in apartments/condos).  Aside from housing prices, SLC and Boise both look pretty good (SLC especially for the lack of mosquitoes!) but it seems we are 3 years late to the party and everybody else has figured it out already, lol.

Read about the Inversion before you decide on SLC.

My sister was complaining about this as well as all the smoke from the fires in CA and OR.  It's to the point where she's considering moving back here to the land of never-ending pollen allergies. 

[spaniard999]

I feel everyone is biased lol.
Spain for me...

[dougules]

I feel everyone is biased lol.
Spain for me...

Everyone is biased.  For almost any place there are people who would jump at the chance to live there and people who would it hate living there. 

[Anon-E-Mouze]

I'd keep Canada as my home base but would look into lower-cost university towns with high walkability scores and decent public transit. (I can't drive because of eyesight problems.) Other priorities would be: lively arts scene (I'm a photographer in my spare time), more than one vegan restaurant, and lower-than-average risk when it comes to climate change perils (so, no fire or flood zones for me, thanks). We're thinking about Kingston, Guelph, London or Peterborough, Ontario. Vancouver Island is a possibility, too (lived there as a kid and spent a couple of years at the University of Victoria).

We lived in Paris for a couple of years and if this pandemic ever ends, I'd love to go back and stay somewhere in France (probably a medium-sized city) for a month or so at a time.

[GodlessCommie]

Re: Costco... I saw yet another site that allows you to find a place that satisfies your criteria, and it had Costco and Ikea as filter options.

So OPs girlfriend is far from the only one. My DW, on the other hand, insists that we live within a striking distance from Ikea; given that she only considers a move because I want it, I feel it's fair to accept it.

Having a quarter acre lot, but also a walkable neighborhood seems like a contradiction, but really isn't. Many college towns have that; and even in bigger places, like Pittsburgh, 1/4 acre is not unheard of. College towns will also usually be close to outdoorsy stuff.  Costco may be a problem, though.

[GuitarStv]

I'd keep Canada as my home base but would look into lower-cost university towns with high walkability scores and decent public transit. (I can't drive because of eyesight problems.) Other priorities would be: lively arts scene (I'm a photographer in my spare time), more than one vegan restaurant, and lower-than-average risk when it comes to climate change perils (so, no fire or flood zones for me, thanks). We're thinking about Kingston, Guelph, London or Peterborough, Ontario. Vancouver Island is a possibility, too (lived there as a kid and spent a couple of years at the University of Victoria).

We lived in Paris for a couple of years and if this pandemic ever ends, I'd love to go back and stay somewhere in France (probably a medium-sized city) for a month or so at a time.

I went to university at Guelph, and really liked the town both during the school year and in the summers.