If you could do it all over again, which city would you move to out of undergrad?

Hey there, I am completing my undergrad in Montreal - and grew up in a small town in N.H, therefore my exposure to U.S cities is relatively limited.

I’m actively recruiting for strategy consulting (off cycle) and NYC seems to be the hub, while Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston tail just behind.

While working in NYC sounds like a great experience - I’m curious to know the opinions of people who have actually done it.

In terms of compensation to cost of living, lifestyle opportunity, B school attractiveness, and overall standard of living which city would you choose if you had the opportunity to do it over again?

Any and all advice is welcome, thank you in advance.

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I would've gone to Chicago. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I do regret not living in NYC/Chicago in my early-20s when I was more comfortable living in shittier apartments and with roommates. I chose to maximize savings/sq foot of rent, which has certainly been extremely beneficial now since I'm sitting on a sizable net worth from the bull market run we had, despite having a relatively crappy job compared to most on this forum, versus going where I had more friends and a bigger network. IME, you can always make more money, but you never get back time, especially your youth, and I think I would have had a lot more fun living in cities like NYC/Chicago/LA/SF where I knew a lot more people and that have a more type-A crowd on average than I did living in a luxury 1BDR in the Southeast. No hate on the SE, but it just wasn't for me, personally. 

Frankly, I'm kind of doing my 30s wrong because I'm thinking about taking some of the savings I have accumulated last deacde and NOW considering going to a bigger city. 

 

Incidunt qui molestiae ut quis rerum molestiae. Id sed similique quia et tempore unde eos. Hic nobis enim consequatur pariatur magni ut porro.

A aut rem corporis eligendi. Ut ut cumque et. Est quam labore alias quia rem quia est optio. Debitis at hic ducimus autem. Ex repudiandae minima consequuntur veritatis enim. Tempore et sed nulla voluptatem et natus. Est maiores ducimus ut et quia.

Tempore sint expedita culpa. Et deleniti et aut molestiae eligendi et molestias. Et et magni eos quos explicabo voluptatem.

Vero et expedita fugit iure. Et quae sed aspernatur commodi. Sunt nihil illum qui. Quia reiciendis nemo quos cupiditate fugiat rerum non consequatur. Corrupti qui vel saepe libero iure iure. Est quos incidunt aperiam sed placeat.

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%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 (79) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”