Thinking about a location change for commercial banking career

Hey folks, I am currently a credit analyst with a bank in the southeast. Even before entering my current career I’ve been thinking about a location change to Southern California and now it’s been something I’ve been really thinking about as of late. I’m working to become an RM at a middle market commercial bank and work my way up to management. With the economy being much better there and the business environment much more diverse than where I currently am, I believe that would be a positive. However, I also know that the cost of living is really high and I’m unsure as to whether it’s too high to save, buy a home and live comfortably. What are your thoughts? Is it even worth it? Should I look at other areas like Atlanta or Dallas?

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I work in a similar field in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, and though pay isn't the best, it's still not bad. I'm able to save a fair amount, so I would imagine at an ever larger bank in a larger metro area you'd still make pretty good money. I know a good amount of PM/RMs that make great money, so you should be fine.

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