Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here

Join Over 3 Million Real Estate Investors

Create a free BiggerPockets account to comment, participate, and connect with over 3 million real estate investors.
Use your real name
By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.
The community here is like my own little personal real estate army that I can depend upon to help me through ANY problems I come across.
Real Estate News & Current Events
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

Updated almost 3 years ago, 01/11/2022

User Stats

4
Posts
15
Votes
Kevin Rea
15
Votes |
4
Posts

Of all the places you lived, where would you move to right now

Kevin Rea
Posted

I have only ever lived in Wisconsin so I do not have a good idea as to how it compares to other places.  I know it always seems that the grass is greener in another state but I want to get some sort of consensus.

The south is only getting hotter.  Austin TX has seen the average number of 100+ days go from 14 to 24 in the last 30 years.  The north is getting warmer ... I have seen winters here get milder and milder.  I could go south, but Illinois has high taxes like California and there is an outflux of people from both states.

To me, the states in the middle seem appealing.  Like NC, SC, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Nevada.

But I want to hear what you think.  Tell me a place that you have lived before and would be the one place you would live if you had nothing binding you to where you are now.

User Stats

74
Posts
33
Votes
Ken B.
Pro Member
  • yucca valley, ca
33
Votes |
74
Posts
Ken B.
Pro Member
  • yucca valley, ca
Replied

I grew up in Massachusetts (awesome state) then vietnam ( can't recommend this (to humid)) then Miami for college (definitely nice if lots of people is your thing) then California since 1981 (nice but expensive) now moving back to Maine where my family has had realestate, forever. Still looking for a home on the water up and down coast. Definitely not worried as I have David Marshall (EXP Realty, LLC) in South Portland helping me (biggerpockets). He'll be my Broker when I move to Maine. Also, Philip Seymore is living in paradice climate wise, San Diego ( considered best climate anywhere in U.S..

User Stats

56
Posts
20
Votes
Jesse Cote
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Stratham, NH
20
Votes |
56
Posts
Jesse Cote
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Stratham, NH
Replied

@Casey Powers What did you like most about Puerto Rico? I’m considering moving there for half of the year, and staying in my home state (New Hampshire) during the warmer months.

BiggerPockets logo
BiggerPockets
|
Sponsored
Find an investor-friendly agent in your market TODAY Get matched with our network of trusted, local, investor friendly agents in under 2 minutes

User Stats

56
Posts
20
Votes
Jesse Cote
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Stratham, NH
20
Votes |
56
Posts
Jesse Cote
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Stratham, NH
Replied

@Elsa Chang Hey Elsa, what town in NH! I live in Stratham.

User Stats

4
Posts
8
Votes
Replied

I’ve lived in...a ton of places....hands down Antibes, France was my favorite but in the states any place in Florida near the beach is my preference due to lenient corporate tax laws, cheap property and no state income tax. It’s steamy hot here but that’s why you need a lovely swimming pool!
PS: I have to say Berlin, Germany is also a very awesome place to live but to cold for long term.
Here’s the laundry list of where I’ve lived...in no particular order...

Cedar Lake, IN. (11 years)

Tampa, FL. (off and on the last 30 years)

Fort Lauderdale, FL.(1 year)

St. Pete, FL.(2 years)

Clearwater, FL.(2 years)

Berlin, Germany (2 years total - over 2 different times)

Lille, France (7 months)

Paris, France (4 months)

Antibes, France (5 months)

Overland Park, KS (2 years)

Los Angeles, CA (7 months)

Houston, Texas (2 years) 

Holetown, Barbados (1 year)

User Stats

57
Posts
48
Votes
Joey Wharton
  • Colorado Springs, CO
48
Votes |
57
Posts
Joey Wharton
  • Colorado Springs, CO
Replied

Had to chime in...

had a house in Marina Del Rey, SoCal - too crowded

lived in Lucern, Switzerland - gorgeous would go back!

Barcelona - 

Santiago, Chile

Bologna, Italy

Hood River, Oregan

Gudalajara 

Puerto Vallarta

Bacalar and Huatulco, Mexico

Boulder and Denver, now in Colorado Springs for 9 yrs.

Working on a plan to live in CO (nov - april) months/New Zealand (may - oct)

User Stats

4
Posts
8
Votes
Replied

@Joey Wharton How fun! Some beautiful places you have lived! I definitely agree on Lucerne, Switzerland although I was just a visitor and not a resident.

User Stats

12
Posts
6
Votes
Maurice Bishop
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Los Angeles, CA
6
Votes |
12
Posts
Maurice Bishop
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Los Angeles, CA
Replied

I've lived in San Jose, CA., Seattle, WA. Southern California, St. Louis, MO., and Dallas, TX. Without a doubt, southern California is where I would stay. And I did, lol moved back here the first chance I got. I'm not built for cold weather 😂

User Stats

4
Posts
8
Votes
Replied

@Maurice Bishop Move to Florida! It’s always warm and no state income taxes! 😁

User Stats

144
Posts
46
Votes
Kathy Argento
  • Lender
  • All, Nationwide
46
Votes |
144
Posts
Kathy Argento
  • Lender
  • All, Nationwide
Replied

Right where I live right now......Southern California.  PARADISE ALWAYS!

User Stats

4
Posts
15
Votes
Kevin Rea
15
Votes |
4
Posts
Kevin Rea
Replied

Wow! Lots of great responses!

I am making a Google Map with places mentioned most often.  I will try to attach it to this post.

I tried to give most credit to those who have lived in the most places and tried to filter out a lot of the places that military people frequented (since it would make it a bit lop-sided).  There seems to be a lot of ex-military on this site.

I saw a lot of (in no particular order) Australia/NZ, Italy, California, Seattle/Oregon coast, Denver/Colorado Springs, Hawaii, and follow the Gulf Coast from Houston to New Orleans through Florida and up through North Carolina.

Surprisingly, Cleveland got a few votes!?  I have never been there, but assumed it was similar to Milwaukee (which is not saying very much).  I just cancelled a flight there to move my son into Case Western until he/we chose to stay home this semester.  I am happy to see that people like it there.

I didn't want to put any place outside of the continental US, but I couldn't help it.Best places to live - BiggerPockets

User Stats

322
Posts
236
Votes
Marcello Di Gerlando
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Colorado Springs, CO
236
Votes |
322
Posts
Marcello Di Gerlando
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Colorado Springs, CO
Replied

@Kevin Rea

Mommas womb. Its murder out here. Other than that I would split between Colorado, London and Sicily.

  • Marcello Di Gerlando
  • User Stats

    85
    Posts
    68
    Votes
    Erwin F.
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Seminole, FL
    68
    Votes |
    85
    Posts
    Erwin F.
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Seminole, FL
    Replied

    I would love to buy an RV and live in that for a year with my wife and three kids.  We would try to go to as many national parks as possible.  Also, I really want to visit the upper peninsula of Michigan.  

    BiggerPockets logo
    Join Our Private Community for Passive Investors
    |
    BiggerPockets
    Get first-hand insights and real sponsor reviews from other investors

    User Stats

    246
    Posts
    171
    Votes
    Patricia Taveras
    Pro Member
    • New Bern, NC
    171
    Votes |
    246
    Posts
    Patricia Taveras
    Pro Member
    • New Bern, NC
    Replied

    @Kevin Rea

    I love living in New Bern NC. Weather is great. Property is affordable. Rentals and Airbnb's are doing well. We are 35 miles from the ocean and are constantly on the boat salt water fishing. Being on the water is amazing. We catch a wide variety of fish which is a blast. I absolutely love it. This is home!

  • Patricia Taveras
  • User Stats

    5
    Posts
    2
    Votes
    Mark Totino
    • Realtor
    • Tampa
    2
    Votes |
    5
    Posts
    Mark Totino
    • Realtor
    • Tampa
    Replied

    I have recently moved to Florida from Minnesota / Wisconsin area. I can definitely tell you that only living 35 minutes away from the ocean is a huge plus . No state tax, property is affordable and there are so many Airbnb and vacation rental opportunities . Plus the lakes do not freeze for 5 months out of the year !

    User Stats

    1,059
    Posts
    541
    Votes
    Kevin Hunter
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Carlisle, PA
    541
    Votes |
    1,059
    Posts
    Kevin Hunter
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Carlisle, PA
    Replied

    Back to Kailua Hawaii.  We only moved a month ago, but already want to go back.  

    User Stats

    256
    Posts
    312
    Votes
    Andrew Weiner
    Property Manager
    • Property Manager
    • Cleveland, Oh
    312
    Votes |
    256
    Posts
    Andrew Weiner
    Property Manager
    • Property Manager
    • Cleveland, Oh
    Replied
    Originally posted by @Kevin Rea:

    Wow! Lots of great responses!

    I am making a Google Map with places mentioned most often.  I will try to attach it to this post.

    I tried to give most credit to those who have lived in the most places and tried to filter out a lot of the places that military people frequented (since it would make it a bit lop-sided).  There seems to be a lot of ex-military on this site.

    I saw a lot of (in no particular order) Australia/NZ, Italy, California, Seattle/Oregon coast, Denver/Colorado Springs, Hawaii, and follow the Gulf Coast from Houston to New Orleans through Florida and up through North Carolina.

    Surprisingly, Cleveland got a few votes!?  I have never been there, but assumed it was similar to Milwaukee (which is not saying very much).  I just cancelled a flight there to move my son into Case Western until he/we chose to stay home this semester.  I am happy to see that people like it there.

    I didn't want to put any place outside of the continental US, but I couldn't help it.Best places to live - BiggerPockets

     Add another vote for Cleveland.  I like a quite life and the suburbs are very nice for that, we have great parks and outdoor areas.  There is still a nice center section of downtown Cleveland with higher end restaurants and bars (not my scene but I appreciate that its available).  Also the airport here is big enough to get you pretty much anywhere in the world with one connection but its small enough that you don't have to worry about out of control security lines or massive traffic.  

    • Andrew Weiner

    User Stats

    56
    Posts
    48
    Votes
    Christopher Liu
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Hong Kong
    48
    Votes |
    56
    Posts
    Christopher Liu
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Hong Kong
    Replied

    Places I've lived in sequence (1) Singapore (2) Kuala Lumpur (3) Hong Kong (4) Ithaca, NY (5) Washington DC (6) Rome, Italy (7) New York, NY (8) Hong Kong (9) Shanghai (10) Hong Kong (current)

    Right now I think I'll stay where I am but in the future, I'd love to move back to New York City. 

    User Stats

    7
    Posts
    3
    Votes
    Kody Evans
    • Tyler, TX
    3
    Votes |
    7
    Posts
    Kody Evans
    • Tyler, TX
    Replied

    Oahu or Maui lived there for a year and was the best experiences of my life!

    User Stats

    17
    Posts
    5
    Votes
    Murphy Kling
    • New to Real Estate
    • Austin, TX
    5
    Votes |
    17
    Posts
    Murphy Kling
    • New to Real Estate
    • Austin, TX
    Replied

    Spent my life living in both Cali and Texas. Specifically, I'd like to move back to San Diego

    User Stats

    589
    Posts
    275
    Votes
    Mike G.
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Las Vegas, NV
    275
    Votes |
    589
    Posts
    Mike G.
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Las Vegas, NV
    Replied

     I have lived / spent time in 

    Chicago, IL and surrounding suburbs

    Houston, TX

    Las Vegas, NV

    Los Angeles, CA

    Venice Beach, CA

    Ormond Beach, FL

    Sarasota, FL

    Atlanta, GA

    Tallahassee, FL

    Dwagaic, MI

    Port Hueneme, CA

    Overall, Vegas so far is the best when looking at cost of living, relative to rents and wages. 

    Sunny all the time and if you can get over the dry heat its not bad at all. 

    Wish there was more rain and a change of seasons but ill take the good with the bad ( bad being no natural disasters).

    Cons, city relies heavily on tourism and entertainment which is taking a huge economic hit due to covid 

    thats my .02

    User Stats

    27
    Posts
    49
    Votes
    Patric Sepulveda
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Phoenix
    49
    Votes |
    27
    Posts
    Patric Sepulveda
    • Real Estate Agent
    • Phoenix
    Replied

    So while looking up a neighborhood for one of my clients, I found bestplaces.net and you can look up any zip code in the US, and they also have a "find your best place to live quiz" It was a really cool resource that I use all of the time now, and I found out that my fiance and I best fit in Flagstaff, Az.

    User Stats

    63
    Posts
    24
    Votes
    Neil G.
    • Investor
    • Tampa, FL
    24
    Votes |
    63
    Posts
    Neil G.
    • Investor
    • Tampa, FL
    Replied

    I'm taking this opportunity to brain dump my thoughts on potential home-bases.

    Places I've lived for at least one month, RANKED from most preferred --> least:

    Mexico City, Budapest, Chiang Mai (Thailand), Lviv (Ukraine), Copenhagen, Canggu (Bali), Guanajuato (MX), Bangkok, Valencia (Spain), Playa Del Carmen (MX), Tbilisi (Georgia), Mazatlan (MX), Palm Beach (FL), Guadalajara (MX), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Kyiv, Athens (Greece), Novi Sad (Serbia), Medellin, Easton (PA) 

    Criteria for rating potential home bases (will vary for each individual)

    • 1. Mo. Cost of Living 
    • 2. Addtl Tax Obligations 
    • 3. Prox to Fam and Friends
    • 4. Social/Dating 
    • 5. Scenery 
    • 6. Nature 
    • 7. Food 
    • 8. Livability 
    • 9. Fun 
    • 10. Ease of Transit 
    • 11. Safety 
    • 12. Work Friendly 
    • 13. Real Estate Opportunity

    After rating some home base options on the above criteria from 1-10 (and weighting columns proportionately to my preferences) and running a quick excel calculation, my top choices for home bases are Miami, Austin, Denver, Tampa, Mexico City and Asheville NC.

    CLOSED Title logo
    CLOSED Title
    |
    Sponsored
    CLOSED Title is the Investor Friendly Title Company CLOSED Title, founded by real estate investors. Double closings, assignments, we do it all.

    User Stats

    38
    Posts
    28
    Votes
    Sean Rana
    • New to Real Estate
    • Los Angeles, CA
    28
    Votes |
    38
    Posts
    Sean Rana
    • New to Real Estate
    • Los Angeles, CA
    Replied

    Since I am overseas in Asia, I will definitely look into Singapore as a country to look into. But in the United States, with a lot of economic and social uncertainty, I will consider areas like Texas where the markets will still stay relatively strong. I have some more data and research about the different markets and would be happy to share some with you. 

    User Stats

    4
    Posts
    15
    Votes
    Kevin Rea
    15
    Votes |
    4
    Posts
    Kevin Rea
    Replied

    After over a year of posting this, here is a an update now that the we "appear" to be reaching an end to this pandemic.

    I just saw this video from Yahoo Finance: https://finance.yahoo.com/vide...

    Rentals are hot especially in (from East to West):

    Raleigh/Durham, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Austin, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

    I am going to see what was decided upon last year and compare it to this list.