Early on in our relationship, Zach and I both knew we wanted to leave the Bay Area but we didn’t know where. We were burnt out from the day to day grind of our professional careers that it was time to settle elsewhere so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor. We started calling out cities that we both visited in the past but nothing really stood out until we both blurted out “Austin!” Our eyes opened wide and our faces lit up in agreement.
We heard of Austin from previous colleagues and heard nothing but great things about the city that neither of us ever visited. Austin piqued our interest and we started to research the city and create a list to discuss what was important to us.
Here are our must-haves:
- low cost of living
- thriving economy
- new culinary adventures
- outdoor lifestyle
- access to travel opportunities
It’s no surprise that our number one reason why we wanted to leave the Bay Area was the cost of living. While condo living is better than apartment living, we didn’t want to live in a tiny box forever especially. I love my condo space as a single person but I wanted a bigger space to cook and experiment while I know Zach wanted his own space to play video games. According to Smart Asset’s cost of living calculator, the cost of living for a two-adult household is 23% cheaper in housing, 22% cheaper in food cost, and taxes is 22% cheaper in Austin than in San Jose. I also like to add that there is no state income tax in Texas so we would keep more of our salaries. We are at a point in our lives that we want to live the American dream of owning our own house. While I own my own condo, I still feel like I’m living in an apartment having to share 3 walls. It’s not fun hearing your neighbor exercise in the middle of the day while working from home.
Having grown up in the Bay Area with well-known companies popping up in our backyards like Apple, Google, Facebook, HP, Oracle, and Tesla, to name a few I was a bit worried about what the job market was going to be like in Austin. When I found out that Austin is currently called Silicon Hill for being business-friendly and low taxes, I knew that we would be able to find jobs quickly in our respective fields, Zach as an IT Systems Administrator/Engineer and an HR Recruiter role for me. During the pandemic, more companies like Oracle, Tesla, and HP have announced relocating their headquarters to Austin, Texas. I was a bit surprised but not completely shocked as the cost of living has sky-rocketed.
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As a foodie, the must-have for me was being able to have a variety of cuisines at our fingertips. I’m not going to lie, I thought Austin was all BBQ with famous establishments such as Franklin’s, Salt Lick, and Snow’s but I was amazed at how much Austin is a melting pot for all ethnic cuisines. I can’t wait to eat my way around Austin. I’ve already received a list of must-tries from colleagues. So far we are obsessed with Torchy’s Tacos because their tacos are incredibly delicious and creative. I’m currently trying all of their tacos and I haven’t been disappointed.
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Zach and I love the outdoors and prefer an outdoor lifestyle. We both love to go hiking and get lost in nature. I was thrilled to learn that there are a lot of hiking trails, lakes, rivers, and parks in Austin. We cannot wait to lace up our hiking shoes and explore trails and we cannot wait to try new water activities such as standup paddleboarding, kayaking, and canoeing.
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Here are some places we’ll be visiting
- Barton Springs Pool – natural spring-fed pool
- Zilker Botanical Garden
- Zilker Metro Park
- Lady Bird Lake
During the pandemic, Zach and I had to halt our international travel plans but we hope to travel more when it is safe to do so. Being centrally located in the middle of the U.S., we are able to cut down our travel time to the east coast and Europe. The plan is to explore more states and cities that we wouldn’t have thought of visiting had we not been in Texas like the midwest states such as Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, etc. We really cannot wait to travel again and create memories together. For now, we are very happy exploring Austin and venturing out to other cities such as Houston and Dallas soon.
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