NYC or Charlotte and Investment Bankers costs of living in both

I am trying to decide between laterally to either NYC or Charlotte. I have offers at both. Currently working in Dallas and want a change. Also what is the cost of living for each city with the IB lifestyle. Dallas is currently like 65K. 

11 Comments
 

Depends on your career level. New York if analyst or associate, Charlotte if VP or higher. Starting in New York will open up opportunities later in your career and you can always go New York > Charlotte when you’re older whereas much harder to go from Charlotte > New York.

Plus New York is 3x more fun and interesting in your 20s than Charlotte. Better people, food, culture, nightlife, jobs, literally everything. An average night out in east village tops the best night out ever in south end (charlotte’s bar district). Experience that for a couple years in nyc then once you get tired of the HCOL, garbage, traffic, same old bars (a New Yorker right or passage) move to Charlotte to start a family/put down roots, buy a house that will 2x in value in five years, city is growing like crazy, super clean, new, 2 hours to mountains, three hours to beach, just kinda boring and homogeneous.

 
Most Helpful

So I’ve lived in NYC and CLT. For obvious reasons NYC has a better social scene. But living in Charlotte for investment banking is a literal cheat code for building wealth. Rent as an analyst at a decent apartment is 1400, and if you want to live in a baller apartment 2k for a 1 bedroom is more than enough. I put a bunch of my money away. The NYC social scene is better, more interesting dynamic people. But Charlotte there is still a lot to do and good looking women.

The truth is, if you’re gonna work 70-80 hours a week why not live in the city where you can save a ton of money so you have something to show for your analyst years. It’s not like you’re gonna have the time or energy to be out every night anyways. Charlotte is cleaner and less crime. It is a city, but sure has a small town feel so keep that in mind. Everybody seems to know everybody.

NYC is nice, but Charlotte I feel you can live way way more comfortably and still save a lot of money. Drinks, rent, are half the price and tax rate is lower.

Most banks pays the same in CLT as NYC from my understanding.

 

Eligendi nemo necessitatibus occaecati natus recusandae. Esse facilis in ut harum. Suscipit modi impedit soluta magni tenetur. Fugit optio voluptatem necessitatibus dolor quisquam ratione tempore.

Voluptas ut placeat minus autem eum. Qui laborum error placeat dolores quisquam quia qui doloremque.

Dolor suscipit dolores sed voluptate. Doloribus necessitatibus minus nemo doloremque. Perferendis accusantium exercitationem ab dolorum ullam.

Et esse quia omnis dolor. Cumque quia quia consequatur sequi. Ut nesciunt eius inventore optio quidem id et. Officiis ducimus in qui quod. Adipisci repudiandae dolores eligendi omnis minima quisquam. Corporis voluptatum corporis vitae neque totam sequi quis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
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
numi's picture
numi
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...”