Differences between NY vs SF/LA for IB?

Curious how people's experience differ. Would like to hear from someone who experienced both cities especially but any input is appreciated.

Please rate (out of 10) each city on: Compensation (more detailed the better) Lifestyle (subjective, but factors would be something like hours, protected weekends, night life) Exit opportunity (assuming for tech buy-side SF/LA is tops and NY tops in all others, is the assumption correct?) + other factors you'd like to add in

2 Comments
 

Hi basicallymonky, check out these resources:

  • i-Banking vs. Big 4 TS (Transaction Services)? between work done in TS versus work done at an i-bank. Could anyone speaking from experience expand on the ... in knowing whether it would be wisest to jump into an i-bank or the TS department of a Big 4, given ... Please excuse my ignorance regarding this thread, but I'm a bit confused as to the difference ...
  • Boston versus New York? Hours, comp, culture differences? (as a 1st year IB Analyst) in Boston versus NYC? Obviously, it seems like Boston compensation is ... Hi Guys, Wondering if there are any broad, universally accepted differences between doing the job ... discounted a bit to NYC, but, are Boston hours correspondingly less? Is the culture different? Thanks! 2017 ...
  • Moelis LA vs Moelis NY. How do they compare in terms of exit opps and career projection? What would you choose? The company is pretty good at letting you transfer and I plan on applying for either NYC or LA. Do you ... become a PM at a hedge fund. Also, are you aware of any other difference between the offices? Does the ... I do not succeed in moving to th buyside as an analyst, which city is better for an associate still ...
  • Is I-banking a still possibility for me? crucial in this field, which is pretty discouraging. Is I-Banking still a possibility for me? What should ... realistic advice would really help me at this point. Do I still have a shot at I-Banking ... particularly investment banking, is what I want to do after hearing my managing partner's experience at ...
  • Silicon Valley vs. Wall Street: Working at Google vs. Goldman Sachs "fun" environment Cost of Living Difference Between NYC and Silicon Valley The GS employee makes quite ... Prestigious Post-College Job? Silicon Valley > Wall Street Preparing for Investment Banking Interviews? The ... Which worker would have the more luxurious lifestyle? Many investment bankers today turned to Wall ...
  • Investment Banking: New York vs. Hong Kong / Singapore Wall Street has, for a long time, been considered the gold standard for investment banking. Recent ... hub for future finance lies outside the US (with a lot of people betting on London). How does New York ... I'm interested in comparing New York to Asia (Ex-Japan). With 4 of the 5 fastest growing economies ...
  • London Vs. NY.. which one do you prefer & why? I don't know.. Tell us what you think. Wish you all a very nice day. new york city IB in london ... Hi everyone, I want to know what you think about these two cities in terms of Investment Banking ... and M&A. I've noticed everyone is going crazy about NY on many forums, probably because ...
  • London vs New York Money wise NY Which One Do You Prefer? Why? I F***ing Hate New York Why is Everyone Obsessed with NYC? Pros and ... degree, or is that only possible after having some years of experience? London vs. New York Cost of Living ... Differentials WSO users have strong opinions about the differences between London and NYC incl
  • More suggestions...

I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Asperiores nihil optio hic quia voluptas est et. Quasi ratione vero veritatis saepe asperiores assumenda vel. Hic quasi sed et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”