Where Should I Move: Balancing Location, Challenge, and Income

Moving to a new place for work means changing your home, habits, and views. It also means meeting new people who might turn into trusted lifelong friends. However, it can still be hard and scary.

As such, you must consider many factors before relocating for a job. You need to ask yourself: where should I move? What should I think about when relocating for a job? Are the job and pay worth the move? How long will I stay in the position and place?

Answering these questions can help you easily manage your move. It can also prepare you for this new chapter in your life.

How to Choose a Place to Move Into

Relocating for a job is simple as long as you stay organized and focused. Here are tips on choosing a place to move into to help you get started.

• Pick five cities and research them

  List down five cities you could and would move into. These options could come from your own experiences or recommendations from other people. Ask, "Where should I move?" to start the conversation.

  Next, check these places for safety, culture, job opportunities, and climate—research for commute routes, real estate value, and healthcare and educational systems.

  These factors help simplify your search for a new place to live in. They provide the pros and cons of living in each city or town. They also determine if it's worth staying long-term in a specific place.

• Choose your top three

  From your five options, choose three places you'd likely move into. This step is where you should conduct more detailed research. Check if your preferred cities or town fit your lifestyle and budget. Look at schools, restaurants, shopping areas, and more.

  If you have the time, visit and stay in these places for a few days. Staying helps you know more about the community and its lifestyle.

  Don't feel pressured to finish this step. Relocating for a job isn't easy and cheap. Ensure you're familiar with your prospective new home before moving out. Being careful saves you time, money, and effort in the long run.

• List and prioritize your values

  Your values define how you live and work. They guide your thoughts, words, and actions. They also help you grow into a better person wherever you go. List 10-15 of your values when relocating for a job. They would define which moving factors matter to you the most.

  For instance, look for family-friendly places if you value affection, harmony, and friendship. Meanwhile, look for areas with active business activities if you love leadership, career, and networking.

• Make a chart with your values and the top three places

  Make a chart where you can align your values with your top three choices. Use a scoring system to see how well you fit in a specific location.

  Use a scale of one to five, one being the lowest and five the highest. You can score a city one or two if the living costs exceed your budget. However, you can score it four or five if it offers good job opportunities.

  No place is perfect. A scoring system can at least help you see which location you'd fit in. It also makes relocating for a job easier and quicker.

• Make a decision

  Add your scores to see which place you'd best fit in. The site with the highest sum should be your prospective new home.

Move with Ease

Most people change homes to gain good job opportunities. Some move to nearby towns or cities, while others work in other countries. The process isn't and will never be easy. However, remember that relocating for a job starts with the question, "Where should I move?" The tips above determine the next steps you should take.

At Career.com, we understand that location is essential to a job search. We feature jobs based in different places to speed up your job hunt. This category shows which place you should move into based on available job opportunities. Visit our website today to look for location-based jobs!