
Ask HN: If you could move anywhere for a tech job, where would you go? - tylerpachal
I live in Toronto, Canada and work as a Software Engineer for a medium-sized startup.  Overall I like it here; but I am in my mid-twenties and since I don&#x27;t really have anything tying me to Toronto (I just rent an apartment and don&#x27;t own much furniture or a car) I often find myself wondering&#x2F;fantasizing about other places I could move to for work.<p>I hear Colorado and Texas are good spots for software engineers, and places in Europe sound nice as well.  I worked a contract in South Korea and had a good time there but can&#x27;t see myself living in Asia long term.<p>If you could move anywhere for a tech job, where would you go?
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codegeek
If you move to the US, make sure you factor in Health Insurance costs that can
cost anywhere from a few hundred to few thousand per month.

If I could move anywhere for a tech job, I will go with Hong Kong (a bit
biased as I lived there once already). Technically, it is China but they have
their own economy and Hong Kong is an awesome place. Yes, housing is expensive
but everything else is cheap and quality of living can be outstanding. If you
are single, HK can be a great place.

EDIT: I realized that my context was not clear when I talked about healthcare
costs. I was assuming that OP may not have a regular job where employer covers
most of the premiums. If the OP was on their own (freelancer etc), then the
costs are definitely in the hundreds to few thousand per month. But even if
you have employer sponsored plan, it can cost you a couple of hundred easily
depending on the type of plan. If you are married with kids, then add more.

~~~
flexie
Not sure why anyone would downvote this. It's a valid concern for anyone
coming from Europe or other places with universal healthcare and whereas most
tech companies in the US offers healthcare, many small ones don't and if you
start your own company it's a big issue.

~~~
friedman23
Health insurance in the US is around 70 to 100 dollars a month depending on
your company and plan.

~~~
mwpmaybe
If it's a big company, and if it's just you...

~~~
friedman23
It never gets to be a few thousand even if you have a family of 6.

~~~
mwpmaybe
You're still assuming a big company. Imagine you work for a startup and have
to purchase insurance on an exchange.

~~~
friedman23
I'm really not assuming big company, I'm assuming teacher.

~~~
mwpmaybe
You've been saying company, and the GP set the context of company, but okay,
fine. Big organization: company, not-for-profit, union, government, etc.

~~~
friedman23
Are you really going to nitpick my words? I'm sorry that me saying 'depending
on your company and plan' didn't include every possible profession in the US.
Your argument is still shit and untrue. If healthcare cost more than a few
hundred dollars to thousands 90% of americans wouldn't be able to afford it,
which last time I checked wasn't the case.

~~~
mwpmaybe
It's made affordable for most people because it's heavily subsidized by the
primary's employer or the government. Without a subsidy it can cost anywhere
from a few hundred to a few thousand per month.

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bsvalley
Currently in California looking to get out. It's too expensive, too crowded.
The state of California is beautiful but laws and people ruined the whole
thing. I feel like we don't have enough privacy here, we live on top of each
other even outside of the main cities.

If you're coming from Toronto I think the weather is not your main concern...
So definitely avoid California. You'll get a higher paid job and will spend
the extra money into taxes, housing, etc. So it's all fake here people don't
save more money (we're all cash poor in Cali).

Texas is the best alternative to California in my opinion. It's warm(er), you
get more space and privacy for less, people are actually nicer (especially
around the Austin area) and the food is amazing. I've always thought Texas was
the craziest place on earth but after visiting a couple of times I totally see
myself staying over there for a few years.

~~~
ghaff
I have trouble recommending Texas--even Austin. Personally I pretty much hate
the climate for much of the year and it's not an ideal spot for most of the
outdoor activities that I favor.

Other than the West Coast, I'd probably advocate for either New England or
Colorado.

~~~
bsvalley
The weather is clearly your concern. Colorado and New England are certainly
high on the list in terms of nice places, but winter is a big problem. I'd
rather go on a 2 week trip to the mountain in the snow, than spend 6 months
waking up early on the morning with a shovel in one hand and a bag of salt on
the other hand :)

~~~
parressh
I live in Denver and I only have to get my shovel out about 5 times a year.
Coming from the Midwest, the winters here are amazing, comparatively. There's
plenty to do in the winter and the mountains are great.

------
jwilliams
If the criteria is "for a tech job", then move to San Francisco. The
environment here and the learning on offer is unparalleled. And when I say
learning I mean good, bad, indifferent, easy, hard, etc.

This is not to say you can't get those elsewhere, but the density here makes
it more likely and more intense. A few years at a couple of SF tech companies
is a decade of experience elsewhere. The tech companies here are in all
different industries, sizes, stacks.

I say that coming from Australia, living full-time in SF - and still openly
struggling with the lifestyle here now and then.

If you're trying to balance lifestyle, then I'd follow the other comments here
-- Melbourne and Sydney are both terrific cites, great lifestyle and
accessible culturally, but still different enough for North Americans to be
interesting. The tech scene is still early, but growing rapidly. I haven't
spent much time in Austin, but that feels like it may have similar attributes.

I quite like Denver/Boulder and Seattle too, but you might find that's not a
huge enough departure from Toronto.

If you like big cities, New York or London might suit. If you're not a fan,
then you'll be paying all the big city costs (rent, lifestyle) and getting
zero back. London can be particularly tough. London might be worth it if you
want a base to explore Europe. Otherwise can be a hard city to live.

Western Europe could be fun too, but the tech scene is much more varied and
patchy. If you're looking at, say, Paris or Berlin, then you'd really need a
passion for those cities. Plus I'd also suggest you'd want to narrow down to
the 2-3 companies that you'd want to work for there -- i.e. the company first,
the city second.

See also: [https://hired.com/state-of-salaries-2017](https://hired.com/state-
of-salaries-2017)

------
cel1ne
I'm very happy working remote and living in the heart of Vienna, Austria,
which was voted best city to live in a couple of times in a row:
[http://www.businessinsider.com/what-life-is-like-in-
vienna-2...](http://www.businessinsider.com/what-life-is-like-in-
vienna-2013-1?IR=T)

------
walljm
The pacific coast is amazing and gorgeous. I would not necessarily want to
live in a major city (SF or LA) but would want to be within a couple hours
driving distance. But a house on the beach? yes please.

Really, anywhere where there is lots of nature and the illusion of seclusion.

~~~
tcoff91
You should move to Santa Barbara then. 2 hours north of LA, gorgeous weather,
beaches, mountains with great hiking, etc... it's really nice. There are a lot
of tech companies that have sprung out of UCSB.

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AncoraImparo
Back home to Ireland. My heart never left, but my wife couldn't really make a
living there. So I am in the USA.

~~~
noufalibrahim
While the circumstances of the original poster are different, this is a
sentiment that I personally relate to. I have ties to the place I live in
beyond my work and "cool tech. people". I'm willing to make some amount of
sacrifice on the job/tech/earning front just to maintain these. That's the way
I'd approach this.

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spoonie
To be honest, as I get older: rural Northeastern Ontario where I grew up gets
more appealing. Internet access and the good-tasting-beer scene has gotten
much better. And these days anything I'd want to shop for I can get delivered.
The perks are reasonable housing costs and easy access to outdoor activities:
own your own lake? Why not!

(This said after working in Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, London UK,
Manila. And visiting many more places. A second place would be somewhere rural
but close to a ski hill, Collingwood or Charlevoix or the BC interior.)

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d0m
Think of yourself in 5-10 years from now. Where do you want to be career wise
and relationship wise? Then backtrack from that and do the first step to make
it happen. You're very lucky to not be tied to a specific location so use that
to your advantage!

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shuzhang
I like Seattle a lot, I lived there for 6 years; I've been gone for 3 years
now, but it's still my favorite.

The tech scene is world class - headquarter for 2 of the top 4 largest tech
companies (microsoft and amazon) and just about every large tech company has
an office there; plenty of promising startups too.

Real estate is super reasonable; not just cheaper than SF, but even
significantly cheaper than Toronto.

Food scene and bar scene and music are all really good.

Lots of great outdoorsy stuff to do nearby (cascade range, ocean, etc.). I've
actually never lived anywhere where people are as active on average. Several
of my former co-workers have summited mount rainier for example, other co-
workers have been racers etc. And they're really just typical tech workers in
Seattle. Three national parks are within driving distance, and besides those,
gorgeous hikes start less than hour out of the city. You will fall in love
with the outdoors there.

The weather is always mild, no extreme cold or heat. Yes, it's dark a lot, but
everyone really appreciates the sun more and the city parks are great on the
nice days.

------
jcadam
I _hate_ big cities. I hate traffic. I get extremely uncomfortable in large
crowds. I also hate snow.

For health reasons (I'm an asthmatic), I've found being right on the coast is
best (clean, moist, salty air).

My ideal place would be sparsely populated, warm, and on the coast. A small
beach town on the Florida coast would do it (where I can get away with wearing
a halfway-unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt every day). I'd consider one of the
lesser-populated Hawaiian islands if it wasn't so dang expensive :)

I live in the "Space Coast" region in Florida (just south of Cape Canaveral),
which isn't bad, but its starting to get a little crowded for my taste. Not to
mention all the freaking snowbirds from New Jersey/New York who come down here
during the winter and drive around like they're lost.

Ok, someone just give me a remote job so I can live wherever I want and I'll
be happy.

------
strictfp
Palo Alto, because the wierd mix of small town relaxed feel and tech buzz

Berlin, because of the art, free spirit attitude and good startup and hacker
scenes.

Amsterdam, due to all european head offices, great people, relaxed living and
culture.

Zurich, great university and great outdoors. Nice people. But expensive.

Boulder, for reasons already mentioned.

Melbourne, little Berlin with better weather :)

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finkin1
Boulder (or Denver) is pretty great if you like hiking, skiing/snowboarding,
rock climbing, or just generally being outside.

I currently live in Boulder and with the amount of sitting I do it's nice to
be so close to nature. I've gone skiing ~20 times this season and will be
transitioning to trail running in the spring.

~~~
ghaff
I haven't spent a lot of time there but, if I had no ties to anyplace else,
I'd very seriously consider that area. I'd miss the ocean but it pretty much
ticks all the other checkboxes.

~~~
finkin1
I recently visited the bay area and mountains + ocean is a pretty great combo
I have to admit. The traffic was a bit much for me though. Boulder population
is ~100,000 which ends up being the perfect size for me.

~~~
ghaff
I don't live in the Bay area but I've visited it a huge amount. Given a _lot_
of money and the ability to avoid commuting through the worst of the traffic,
I definitely get the attraction. But, meanwhile in the world I actually live
in, I'll stick to visiting regularly.

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beilabs
Worked in China, Ireland, US and Australia. Moved to Nepal days after the
earthquake hit to be closer to my wife's family. Love it here, completely
different pace and way of life. Highly recommended it to any digital nomads
who want to come work, visit or trek.

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douche
If I could work 100% remote? Back home in northwest Maine. It's beautiful,
it's cheap, I know everyone, my family is all there, there's a ton of stuff to
do outside, it'd be a great place to raise children. It's home, and always
will be.

~~~
justin_vanw
Why can't you (work 100% remote)?

I write software so maybe I just have a biased worldview ;)

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dmode
I live in the Bay Area and love it. I have a 3000sqft house in East Bay and I
am not even an exec in a top five company. Dual income makes it really easy.
What I really like about living here is excellent ethnic food even in the
suburbs, outdoors, ocean and access to great companies. Other things I like
about living here is that I can do the urban life if I want and go to some of
the best Michelin starred restaurants if I want or just do my suburban Costco
shopping. I also like that the wine country is only 1.5 hrs away. Healdsburg
is my favorite small town. I also like going to Tahoe 4-5 times and drive down
to So Cal few times a year. Not to mention weather.

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merchang
Made the jump from Southern California to Salt Lake City, Utah this last
October. I believe Utah has the fastest growing economy in the nation
currently, and is palpable living here. Cost of living is nice, and there is a
treasure trove of nature to explore.

The city itself is nice, but definitely not a 'big' city, and you can
definitely feel how conservative the area is once start to get outside of the
greater Salt Lake area. But if you stick either in the metropolitan area, or
outdoors it is a very pleasant place to live.

In summation: I wouldn't settle down here, but it is a great place to position
yourself financially, with plenty of wilderness enjoy.

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ivcha
If you're thinking Europe, Belgrade, Serbia. A very nice city with balanced
weather. Amazing nightlife. Emerging opportunities in tech and startups.

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RestlessMind
I suggest SFBA since you are young and without a family. You will have plenty
of options from being a founder to an early stage employee at a startup to
joining a pre-IPO unicorn to being a cog in the wheel at AppFaceGooSoftFlix.
All of them can be great for you depending on how hard you work and how
frugally you live.

And yeah, the area is expensive but you can also make a lot of money. So your
net savings should still be more than many other places (esp. if you are _not_
working at an early stage startup).

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rm_-rf_slash
Australia, certainly, just not sure where. Sydney is great but it's way too
expensive and I hear dreadful things about the commute. Adelaide is a lovely
city but perhaps a bit too dull for a young adult couple.

I've heard good things about Perth and Brisbane but haven't had the chance to
visit them yet.

Otherwise I'm happy to stay in upstate New York. It may be cold half the time
and gray for even more, but there's also a comfort in having roots in one of
the best places in the world to deal with climate change.

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holydude
Looking to relocate to South Korea or Singapore.I have worked in Singapore and
absolutely loved that place. If anyone is looking for a devops engineer for
nix or windows please hit me up.

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akytt
Teleport.org, mate. Designed so you can base your decisions on data.

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pmtarantino
Edinburgh, Scotland. Visited twice and I loved the city.

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Razengan
Japan. The perfect blend of high-tech metropolis and rural solitude, and chock
full of stuff you just can't get anywhere else.

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rhexs
A small college town with at least a handful of tech companies. Boulder, CO
was close to that for a while, but it has become far too expensive and is
turning into Bay Area Lite. Still a beautiful city if you're rich or well off.

Knoxville, TN always looked like a great place. Great outdoors, decent
weather, smallish, good job market for the size.

~~~
ghaff
In general, "college towns" can be a good choice if you don't want a big city
but want some access to culture/food/etc. College towns often punch [EDIT:
above] their population weight in those respects.

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api
In SoCal now which is very nice, but other places that come to mind for
differing reasons are:

Asheville, North Carolina

Knoxville, Tennessee

Detroit, Michigan

Charleston, South Carolina

Santa Fe, New Mexico

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edawerd
Colorado is a great place to live, and this is one of the reasons why we
(Gusto) decided to start an office in downtown Denver. It's significantly more
affordable, people are extremely friendly and open-minded, and there's an
appreciation of the great out doors.

~~~
inkjeremy
I second that. I recently moved from San Francisco, where I was for four years
as a founder of a seed-stage company, to Denver. What's great about this place
is that there is tech-company density. Google, Twitter (data team), Uber (maps
team), IBM Watson, Sendgrid, Homeadvisor, Gusto, Zillow, Opentable, Inspirato,
Sphero, Techstars, and many others are all here.

You can satisfy your ambition to "change the world with video-compression
software" and buy a house while you're at it.

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artur_makly
i think this will help clear up some reality:
[https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living](https://www.expatistan.com/cost-
of-living)

~~~
justin_vanw
This only lists major cities. If you want to save money, _don 't_ live in a
major city.

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MK999
One of the great cities of Europe, maybe Milan, (so many to choose from)
because I love walk-able cities. Toronto is very walk-able, so I think you're
already in a nice spot.

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JacobDotVI
If you are US-based and remote, I would recommend taking a serious look at the
US Virgin Islands. I would explain further but I'm currently sitting on the
beach :)

~~~
vram22
Richard Branson lives in the British Virgin Islands. Saw a video of him there.
He runs his business empire from there, almost like from a hammock :)

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bsvalley
In case you missed it:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13298734](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13298734)

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hypercluster
I would move to Japan. Maybe I get sick of the work culture etc but damn I
loved the month I spend there. New Zealand would be great too.

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nnn1234
Moving to Colorado myself. Building a platform for the future of work where
you get access to work and reward anywhere

Please check out www.crowdraising.co

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pryelluw
I visited Colorado (Denver) on a business trip and fell in love with it. Would
certainly move there if the conditions arose.

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jimmaswell
What real choices do you have in the US besides California and Washington?

~~~
ghaff
Oh please. Do you seriously believe that or are you just trolling?

~~~
jimmaswell
From what I've heard and my own experience you're lucky to even get anything
unpaid outside SV/Redmond/maybe NYC.

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disposition2
I hope to eventually make it back to Knoxville, TN.

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client4
Montana, but I'm already here so life is great.

~~~
DrScump
Which side? I have friends from west and central. My only concerns about that
region are seismic.

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pelasaco
Love my job in Germany, but as Nomad, the best places where I lived were
Portugal and Australia. I would go for Portugal, since it's not isolated in
the Pacific.

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mping
atlantic you mean?

~~~
BrandoElFollito
He probably means not isolated on the Pacific as Australia is

