IBD Dallas vs NYC Oppurtunity cost

I currently attend a semi-target school with an increasingly good reputation for fin/econ students breaking into IBD. There are people from my school getting hired all over the US. Mostly NYC, Dallas, and Houston (some Atlanta). My parents live relatively close to downtown Dallas where all the banks are located and if I accepted a job there, I would be able to live with them rent free/expense free. I would essentially pocket (and ideally invest) all income not paid to taxes. I am wondering if this opportunity cost is worth turning down a position on Wall Street. My ideal future is living at home with parents, working in the finance field for around 10 years and then eventually pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors. Call me a cuck or b*tch for wanting to live with my parents, I could care less. The money I could save would be exponential, especially if invested wisely. Is this extra income compared to the prestige/network of working in NYC worth my while? Would love to hear some veterans thoughts and opinions.

7 Comments
 

Well, Texas does not have state income tax so compared to NY you'd be saving ~6.65% of your income that would otherwise be paid to taxes for living in NY. Depending on the bank, some firms' salary base is not location dependent (WFS), so you could potentially be paid the same as a NYC 1st year. As far as prestige, I'm not sure why it would matter considering you're starting your own thing anyway.

 
Most Helpful

I would venture to say that saving an incremental $30-$50k in your early years is not going to make an overwhelming difference. Having done Dallas IB and being from there, I noticed during recruiting that I was increasingly up against pedigreed Wall St. talent and often those are the people Dallas groups look to hire. I do not personally think there is anything wrong with staying in Dallas, but from a long term career perspective, I think by-the-book Wall St. experience is more ubiquitously appreciated. NY offers you more options, Dallas is a great place if you're committed to staying there and laying down roots

An additional note is that you would miss out on some of the growth that comes with living on your own during your IB stint. Certainly forced me to do some growing up.

 

Autem qui incidunt dolorem aliquam. Quia id unde natus consequatur. Non dolorem ducimus quisquam sunt. Sequi nihil quidem nisi eaque eum sapiente culpa.

Sint est eius est unde corporis voluptas. Saepe quia voluptatem corporis et quam facere molestiae. Molestiae rem esse et quia debitis soluta. Cupiditate voluptates aut deserunt. Molestias et dolorem quaerat pariatur aut ad quia fugiat. Voluptas aut voluptatem cum atque.

Et odit aliquid laboriosam soluta commodi. Voluptatibus laboriosam natus deleniti possimus dolores sed. Assumenda ut ratione deserunt repudiandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”