Deciding between Cities - Need Help
Hey All, I have two offers after 2-3 YE in IB but having a hard time deciding between the two. I'm 25 years old and single for reference.
VC Associate (software) - $120k - all-in in Chicago
PE Associate (business services): $300k all-in in Los Angeles
I am thinking I will make more money in Chicago because of Low Taxes / Low COL. Plus, I hear Chicago has the best weather during the summer, whereas LA has really terrible dry air year round. Plus LA is just too expensive, home prices are crazy there (home prices are super important to me as a single 25 year old), and taxes are 4% higher there which will really eat into the additional $180k I will make in the LA job.
Anyways, leaning towards Chicago, but just wanted to check in with WSO to confirm. Happy thanksgiving
Comments (28)
Bro PE for $300K in LA hands down easiest decision of your life.
"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
Seconded. Between the two that's definitely the better choice.
Tough decision though because COL in Chicago is ~$180k per year lower than Los Angeles. Plus summers in Chi-town are sick as fuck
No way the difference is actually that big https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator
$300k LA zero question..CHI is cold as fuck
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Learn moreLA isn't that much more than chicago, plus the weather is like 1000x nicer literally all the time. LA gig all the way!
Bad attempt at a troll post lmao
Here's the thing, COL in Chicago is literally so low that it makes up for $180k of income differential between the opportunities. You can get an 8000 SF house in Chicago for like $500k whereas in LA, a 2k SF apartment is $2mil. Since I'm 25 and will be buying a house in about 10 years, this is a huge concern for me.
I really think the $120k job in Chi-town is the only way to go and the other commenters are dead wrong. I'm not hearing any explanation for why I'm wrong. Plus all my bros from Cincinatti, Ohio State, Michigan State, etc will be there.
Are you this dense? 10 years is a long, long time. There's nothing stopping you from lateraling back to CHI or for that matter even lower cost of living cities in the MIdwest like CLE. As of right now LA is the way better pick.
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Troll post
Enjoy being broke in HCOL Cities while I rake in $120k in Chitown. $120k in Chicagoland = $350k in NYC / LA / SF at a minimum. Just look at the housing prices bro
Housing prices are not relevant when you're 25...
Array
Take $300k LA offer, then lateral to CHI for a $300k job.
This dude talking about buying a house, how the hell do you know you're gonna be In Chicago in 10 years?
take the money, 300k, now, and figure out the home buying later
UCSD, Strider my dawg, is that you?
Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
why are you asking us if you already know the answer
Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
LA
Interested in health tech, consulting, and entrepreneurship.
Go to Chicago and refer the other job to me cause I am better and more decisive
Are you fucking crazy? VC is basically back office, and you're seriously contemplating living in a cold, dangerous city known for violent Tyrones, while making 1/2 of what you'd make in PE in LA (hot girls)?
Don't feed the troll, this is idiotic. Barring other factors (i.e. family / friends), LA is clearly the better offer here
Guy is just trying to crap on Chicago as it's well recognized that living there gets you very high value for money. That said, it's clearly not going to be enough for a 180k gap. I would take making 200k in Chicago vs 300k in NYC / SF any day of the week but Chicago vs. LA is going to be a lower COL differential
I'm assuming it's a nice trolling of all the midwestern crowd here on WSO who talk about how Chicago is the best city in US :)
LA bro are you for real? With that big of a comp difference I'd go to Syria over Chi
OP is an autist just trying to shit on Chicago, ignore him
Y'all realize the level of autism on this forum is next level right????
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