I moved from DC; lots of traffic, people etc. to a more rural, much lower COL area on the great lakes where outdoor recreational access is easy, abundant, and doesn't involve hundreds of other people. Sure, I miss the wide variety and convenience of restaurants and certain cultural aspects in DC, but the freedom I have now enables me to travel more leisurely and there's much more time for physical fitness, learning new hobbies, and family.
This is very true. After I moved down to my new job where amenities are limited I have spent so much more time learning new things and training in the gym. Last year I was around like 19% body fat; Now I'm at 12% and feel great.
This thread has some really interesting perspectives. For us, we're living in a fairly high cost of living area and are looking to move to a lower cost area (but still not "low cost") area, so our decision process is a bit different and more in favor of "move now."
I'd question the need to be in one particular place like Miami - shop around a little, maybe? Figure out what it is you like about Miami, for example, and see if you can get more of a "bargain" city that's got a lot of the positives at a lower price? There's no reason this needs to be black and white.
I love the Latin influence, the weather and the fitness scene more than anything. Ironically I don't much care for big cities; If I moved, I would prefer to live on South Beach and essentially live as an islander, very rarely venturing off the island. My ideal life is one of being able to save money while having lots of time to be outdoors and active (goal of 40 hours a week of work with a stretch goal of 20 hours). I wouldn't own a car and don't really care about having a flashy home or anything. 300 sq ft with a bed, toilet, shower, sink and some type of cooking device would be fine with me. Also kinda weird but I like to go barefoot when the opportunity presents itself. I lived in Miami for 3 months and had more fun in those three months kayaking in the everglades, deep sea snorkeling (best $30 ever spent), and working out on South Beach than I had the whole rest of my Midwestern life combined.
However I say all of this to try and give some essence to the flavor that attracts me to Miami; As for bargain replacements (I like where your heads at), trying to find a place that offers similar things AND a good job market is difficult. There are many places in Florida that are much cheaper and have a good latin influence I'm sure, but don't offer strong job opportunities. The only places I could think that would offer similar things would be perhaps some small beach towns around southern cali, Texas or somewhere else in Florida (Tampa?).
Everyone is overlooking the most important factor: if you move to Miami, you'll have to change your username.
I literally laughed out loud when I read this. *Slow clap* Well done hahaha.
My family moved to where we wanted to live and thought we would want to live forever a few years back - from Indiana to Washington. We do love it out here and financially, it has been pretty much all gravy compared to the fast train to Brokesville we were riding in Indiana. We make good money, got all of my student debt paid off and are debt free now. We are now working on stockpiling cash like crazy. We owe all of this to moving out here to where we wanted to be.
So where is the downside?
Two big things that didn't seem like a big deal at all when we moved out here. The first was that I didn't fully appreciate how expensive or how much of a PITA it would be to fly out to visit family. Though I figured we would be able to do it just whenever, the fact is, we have only been back once in 4 years. The biggest problem is that my husband does not get a lot of PTO. We have a time vs. money problem when it comes to this. We now have money, but no time. I think this can only be truly solved by moving back within driving distance of my family.
The other thing is that when we moved out here, we had little money, had no jobs, were in debt, had serious problems with layoffs and underemployment. Obviously, buying a house was not on the radar at all. But now that our financial situation has changed a lot for the better, buying a home seems more and more attractive. However, we have been completely priced out here. If we moved back to the midwest/Great Lakes, we could buy a nice house for far cheaper and be in a much better overall financial situation for buying.
These were two, now very important, things I didn't entirely anticipate when I made the move. Again, we definitely do not regret it! Living out here has brought us a lot of great opportunities and experiences. I just don't think it is for us long term anymore.
Anyway, I get that (southern) Indiana isn't paradise and don't blame you at all for wanting to escape on the next pod out, though I will admit I miss fall fun at Huber's! I am not planning on moving back to Indiana, rather Michigan, mostly for the more plentiful outdoor opportunities. It was always my second choice. And then the only way I am moving again is if we are somehow compelled to go back to Germany. My husband said we are on the first flight out if Donald Trump becomes president, heh...I joked that will probably be just in time for AfD and FDP to sweep through parliament and his head exploded, lmao.
Really enjoyed reading your experience. You say you don't regret the move, but at the same time you recognize that it isn't for you long term... Is this a case of "getting it out of your system"? Where you live somewhere exciting and you do all the things you want to do and then you get to a point where you come back to having family and finance being the primary motivators for location decisions? If that's true, do you think you would have gotten to this point had you not moved in the first place?
I also think you should live where you love.
And...for me that meant traveling around a bit in my 20's. There are places where I could make triple my wage but it wouldn't be worth it for me due to quality of life.
I think that if you are creative enough, you truly can live anywhere now and make it work...there are enough online and remote type jobs now that it is doable.
And agree with whoever said being young/dating where you want to eventually settle makes sense. If you're planning on marriage/kids then the timing on that does matter. Not saying people don't meet/marry/conceive at 45 but it's not as easy.
My only "baggage" is a 80lb Doberman; Hard to get a rental lol, but it can be done. That point aside, I am curious if you felt your career took a hit by traveling in your 20's? I would love to spend some time traveling in Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina, but feel like if I leave the career path before I'm FI, I'll get passed by. Everyone my age will have spent those years working, getting better at their jobs and I simply won't compete, and when I get back, it will take me even longer to reach FI as a result... Are these irrational thoughts?
Well, "Magic City Hoosier", the topic has changed a bit... but let's roll with it.
New Topic: How to get that job in Miami while still in Hoosier-land
Get that job first. Consider contracting - try Deloitte or one of the other Big Contract firms. If you think the Indiana address on your resume is a problem,
Get a local address. Rent a "mailbox" in South Beach or downtown Miami and put THAT address on your Miami resume, and have mail forwarded to you in Indiana. OR leave OFF the street address completely - use only an email address.
Get a career specific email address: aka. "Bob.Big4@gmail.com" (or similar), and use THAT address as your professional address (both on your resume, and for LinkedIn).
Get a local phone number ($0.99/month @ Sonetel, or others) forwarded to your existing line - put THAT number on your Miami resume. All these ideas could be done in less than an hour.
Get housing second. Craigslist room rentals.
Get out there, and
MAKE IT AN ADVENTURE. Leave with just a pocketknife, your car with minimal stuff, and your wits. Leave the car dead on the road in Kentucky, and hitchhike to Miami. etc.
I moved across country to CA several years ago. Self-paid move. The company later gave me a $3,000 'moving allowance' after making a good impression "on the job". Only regret: I should have Sold EVERYTHING before moving. I shipped a bunch of junk - couch, dresser, bed, etc - (at my expense) ALL eventually replaced via Goodwill/Salvation Army/CraigsList. I could have been $3,000 closer to FIRE + Xyears of returns.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you! I do like your approach. Makes me think of something Tim Ferriss would do haha. If I decide to move and I continue to get blocked due to remoteness, I will have to try all these things. Don't have to be there to make it look like I'm there. Very smart; Thanks for sharing!