Job offer...Where should I go?

Figure it this way.

Weather: Sacramento probably wins that one

Scenery: Vancouver by a mile

Education: Don't know

Cost of Living: Probably Vancouver but I don't know

make a list like that, fill it out, order it in terms of importance to you, then decide.

P.S. I personally go with Vancouver, wouldn't live in Texas, and Sacramento cost of living would mean less money in my pocket.

runner312 wrote:

Vancouver, BC, Austin or Sacramento. salary is the same in all 3 offers, and I'm a regular guy with small children. Any help?

Sacramento is ungodly hot in the summer. I love California, but I wouldn't want to live in Sacramento.

I'd pick Austin. Not really a Texas guy, but Austin isn't really like most of Texas. I'd move there in a heartbeat all things being equal.

I would pick Austin in a heartbeat. Then again, I have never been within 200 miles of any of those locations.

without a doubt i would pick vancouver...

runner312 wrote:

Vancouver, BC, Austin or Sacramento. salary is the same in all 3 offers, and I'm a regular guy with small children. Any help?

come to Austin! if you need a place to stay before you get your own place, swing by the Marriott. our hottub is so hot! the girls are topless! i've seen it!!

That decision should take you about .4 seconds. Vancouver is the only of the three that is a true world-class city (ranked #15 most liveable in the world by Monocle Magazine).

I have only been to Sacramento once, but if you like empty lots and garbage its the place for you.

Vancouver is an awesome city. The climate is very mild - not too hot or cold - and great scenery plus the best skiing in the world is only 2 hours away. However, it is also very expensive to live there so that might be a big factor.

runner312 wrote:

Vancouver, BC, Austin or Sacramento. salary is the same in all 3 offers, and I'm a regular guy with small children. Any help?

Try here:

You'll want to use the cost of living calculator first. Dollars in one city aren't the same as dollars in another. While "salary is the same" may apply gross, the amount of goods your dollar buys in each community will be different.

runner312 wrote:

salary is the same in all 3 offers,

Maybe, but it'll go further in Vancouver. Not to mention money saved on healthcare.

Personally, I'd go to Vancouver first, then Sacramento, and Austin if it were the only place I could get a job. I'd take a paycut to not live in TX.

But have you visited any of these places before? Did you travel to the companies to interview? This doesn't seem like a decision anyone else can make for you. Can you talk to someone within the company about the cost of living, school districts, and average commuting time before accepting an offer?

yetanotherchick wrote:

Personally, I'd go to Vancouver first, then Sacramento, and Austin if it were the only place I could get a job. I'd take a paycut to not live in TX.

Austin is an Oasis in Texas. Liberal enough for this very liberal Democrat, a decent music scene, and cool artsy fartsy stuff going on. When considering where to retire in 18 years or so, Austin is one of the cities I'm seriously considering.

Is it also considerably cooler and less humid than the rest of TX? I hate hot weather.

stay away...austin sux!

yetanotherchick wrote:

Is it also considerably cooler and less humid than the rest of TX? I hate hot weather.

it's about the same temperature, but actually MORE humid than the rest of texas. not a comfy place in the summer.

as for the "decent music scene," i'd say that's an understatement; behind new york and LA, it's probably the third best music scene in america. SxSW is like a transient mecca for music lovers.

kohlberg wrote:

That decision should take you about .4 seconds. Vancouver is the only of the three that is a true world-class city (ranked #15 most liveable in the world by Monocle Magazine).

Mercer 2007 has ranked it #3 and the economist ranked it #1 for 4 years straight (ending in 2005). It is awesome.

However, it is really expensive. Housing is way more than your other 2 cities and booze and gas and other standard stuff is more too.

You should let us know what you are looking for and we can give you more specifics.

i.e. do you mind driving your car to go places, do you want to live in a detached house with a yard, do you ski, sail, hike. Do you like hot weather, do you mind rain, etc. etc.

As well what kind of salary are we talking about here?

You will certainly have better access to outdoor activites here and it is spectacular, but it will cost you.

In Vancouver you can get busted with thousands of plants and not even serve jail time.

two words: exchange rate.

right now the dollar is doing poorly so it wouldn't be that big of a concern, but before that the canadian dollar was worth significantly less than the american dollar. once our economy gets kicking again, the canadian salary, although still "equal" to the other salaries, will actually be worth less.

so if you're only planning on staying for a few years, don't worry about it; but if this is long-term, worry about it.