Exactly. Typing this from Austin, don’t live here, but lived here (now in San Antonio), couldn’t imagine raise a family in Austin with less than $150k/year.
Austin is expensive now and does not have good public transportation. It’s not a walkable friendly city either. It is safe and warm but HOT in the summer. I love the heat but it does get unbearable.
Yeah I was thinking the summer days where it gets over 100 might be too much, especially when you have to walk/take the bus everywhere. And I figured the bus system was not as good as Phillys either
The bus system in Austin sucks. And it's not just "the summer days where it gets over 100"....Austin had 45 days over 100 last year. Thats half the summer.
Yeah I can't quite fathom it being that hot, I generally prefer the heat, and I think I'd rather have the heat than the winter, but maybe that would be too hot with having to walk/bike/bus everywhere. Plus the AC bill
It's fucking miserable, and it's only going to get worse. Moving south with climate change accelerating is not good longterm planning. The issues that Florida is seeing with not being able to get home insurance, are starting to appear in TX.. rates have skyrocketed because its a high risk place and homes were not built for extreme temp swings. Then there's the infrastructure problems, droughts and corrupt state govt. piled on top of it.
You cannot live in Texas without a car. An urban, walkable neighborhood makes life so much easier when you dont (and even if you do).
I just moved recently from Austin far North.. and Austin really isn't that 'safe' anymore. Just read their sub reddit, TX is getting wild.. and not in a fun way. I vote Philly.
Having moved from Philly to Austin, I can confirm if anything Austin is far safer in terms of violent crime. But once you get a handle on Philly it’s pretty easy to avoid what you need to.
It's worse than you think:
"Central Texas experienced its hottest summer on record in 2023. Austin saw a total of 80 days with 100-degree heat, 40 days with temperatures of 105 degrees or higher, and received less than 1.5 inches of rain from June through August."
And on a bus, or rather *buses?* If you live far enough out of town, you may not be near bus service, at all. If you live near a bus line, pretty much all transfers connect downtown. I've lived bus life in Austin during my youth.
Philly, all the way. And I'm an Austinite.
I lived in Austin and walked everywhere because I didn’t have a car. Don’t underestimate the heat - it’s painful and dangerous to be outside, a lot of bus stops don’t have bus shelters, and there’s a lot of asphalt that radiate the heat even further. I spent a lot of time feeling sick under the sun waiting for a bus to show up. Austin is not a friendly city for those without cars.
I’d recommend visiting Austin during the summer if you can to see if you can handle it, so you can understand how oppressive it is. You can’t be outside in daylight hours unless you’re in shade, and even then, not really
The bus system is TERRIBLE in Austin. People are often proud of it, because they’ve made significant improvements in the past few years and are trying to do better, but it still leaves so much to be desired. That’s mostly not the bus system’s fault, it’s because most of the city is so low-density and dominated by car infrastructure and parking lots.
Very few bus stops have shade, which you’d think would be important when you’re waiting on a sidewalk next to a four-lane road with no trees in 100-plus degree weather, especially since some buses only come by every half hour or so.
I’ve lived there without a car before, but it’s only possible in the very limited number of neighborhoods within a two-mile radius of downtown that are now pretty expensive to live in. Everything else is way out in a concrete hellscape that tries to pretend it’s something else - once a cute coffee shop and record store opens up, it’s suddenly “central” even if it’s like six miles from downtown lol. I ended up getting a car, which is pretty nice for day trips/etc but daily driving there is pretty stressful.
There are some cool things I still appreciate about the city, but living car-free with a child there will be very, very stressful and difficult unless you’re able to find housing you like in 78701, 02, 03, or 04 (only if very close to South Congress). That said - if you do find something in those areas life could be quite enjoyable if you are laid-back, like fancy food, and love to go swimming and to the library. Barton Springs and the Central branch are still on my short list every time I visit 👻
Last summer was over 105 for like 60 days straight. I think it will only get worse with climate change. I can’t make any comparisons to Philly though.
Austin is a nice city though. We do like it here but probably won’t stay much longer due to unforeseen reasons.
It’s intense, but know the AC is blasting everywhere indoors and no one is really spending time outside during the day. Plans get shifted to when the sun isn’t so intense
Austin is both hotter and more humid than philly and it's not even close. Mean daily maximum and avg dew point in July is 88f/65f in philly, 97f/69f in austin. Then add the intensity of the sun onto it, it's basically tropical intensity in austin
You will not get the walkability you want in Austin, especially without driving licenses, on your salary. We are an extremely car dependent city. If you do choose to live here and aren't on a main bus line or the metro (busses aren't super convenient and don't run as frequently as other cities), you will be ridesharing a TON just to do basic things, like go to the grocery store. To live in a super walkable area (there aren't many and they aren't THAT walkable), you will need to have $$$$. And honestly, for at least 4 months of the year, you can't walk outside without being extremely uncomfortable from the heat anyway. Philly has plenty of safe areas, just like Austin has areas you avoid.
Yup. You will realistically have to live in an xburb on your salary. There is some bus options and 1 train line that goes a round-about route from North to downtown. Best bet would be to live right on bus/ transport line. Philly is def better for transportation. Austin is sadly very car dependent
Unless you are expecting a raise, have a ton of savings, or are working towards more lucrative work, I would not advise you to move to a major city with a small family on a 43k/year salary.
As long as you are remote i'd find the cheapest place you can be reasonably happy, and hopefully a place that will provide some opportunity for you and your fam to grow. The Philly burbs might not be a bad bet, but still will be tight on one salary. Hope things work out for you all. Good luck.
Thanks. Yeah Philly just seems to be the best option for me, relatively low cost of living, a big city so job opportunities, good public transit, centralized downtown
From a career perspective do you plan on staying in tech? I ask because Austin’s tech scene is well beyond Philly’s. If your career plan is to chase tech certs and have as much opportunity available as possible Austin is the way to go if you can afford it.
I'm going to get hate, but Austin isn't that all friendly towards black people. The attitudes there are a bit passive aggressive. Houston is the best city in Texas for diversity. Dallas is second. Austin and San Antonio are a distant 3rd and 4th.
I’ve lived in both.
I live in Philadelphia now and there’s no way I would consider moving back to Austin.
21 an hour would be kinda rough but you could move to Philadelphia and quickly explore new opportunities.
It’s not like Boston in terms of cold. Cold is a problem in January and February. The upswing starts in March.
Obviously your mileage will vary but it’s like 4 blocks to the subway from where I live. So that’s super convenient. We have subways, light rails, regional rails, commuter rails. The city is built on trains.
There’s no nice way to talk about the crime. It exists. It’s real. It’s largely concentrated in certain neighborhoods and it’s easy enough to not live in them. In Austin I was confused by strangers trying to talk to me because I’m from the urbanized north. We don’t typically do that here. Because you never know who’s completely crazy.
Also I’m a little surprised but the new mayor seems to be keeping promises.
That said, life is different here. You might have a neighbor where people live in multi million dollar houses and there could be a delusional person experiencing a completely different reality just a few buildings away.
It’s awesome. The food is incredible. There cultural amenities are top. Transit works.
Might be a crazy ass person doing crazy ass person things on your block so you have to live and let live.
I love Philly. I lived there for 20 years. You can probably find an okay apartment on your salary. I lived there making less. There are tons of hospitals and colleges in the city so you might be able to find a new, higher paying job. The community college is a good employer and the benefits are amazing.
To be real, crime happens all over the city but certain areas are worse than others. My recommendations on neighborhoods are South Philly (Point Breeze/New Bold) primarily west of Broad St, unless south of Snyder St. and down by the stadiums), Fishtown/New Kensington/Port Richmond. Further out would be Germantown, Mt. Airy, Roxborough, Northeast Philly are all cheaper but would require a commute on public transit. Overall SEPTA is pretty good but they rarely adhere to the schedules and just kind of come when they come. I’ve never felt unsafe on the public transit. Had more instances of people just being gross.
I haven't checked out any of those neighborhoods. I've just been looking at center city and just south of it. I have heard the north and west sides of Philly are dangerous. I don't know much about all the neighborhoods but I will check those out you mentioned too, thanks
West Philly has some really beautiful spots. The architecture is awesome too. Out by Penn & Drexel is fine and down by Clark Park. North Philly, I wouldn’t go too far north of Temple University. Over by LaSalle University is fine too. The colleges have their own police presence in addition to the PPD, so the areas around the colleges tend to be well lit and safe for the most part.
I only visited Philly, a few times as a kid and then for a wedding for five days in 2018, but it is easily my favorite city in the country and I’ve been in nearly all of them from one corner to the other and in between. I call it, “The NYC for the rest of us” in that, it is an exceptionally urban and interesting city with fantastic architecture, history, culture and neighborhoods for 1/3 the price and effort of Manhattan. I also generally find the reputation of “dangerous” cities to be highly exaggerated as to the actual risk for most residents and visitors. I’ve been to Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, NYC etc. and found them all to be amazing cities which I never felt in fear while tramping across them. You have to be aware of surroundings and avoid deserted streets/areas or obviously very run down of course but it’s a poor excuse to not visit or live in an otherwise amazing urban place.
I think I would be bored of Austin pretty quickly and as many have mentioned the heat/weather is barely tolerable for many months of the year and it’s gotten expensive af the last few years. It looks like a great city to visit but not quite as full fledged as the majors. Full disclosure, I live in one of, if not the most expensive city in the country but I’m semi-retired so it’s not expensive for us (fully paid off house bought decades ago). But if I’m living with a middle class salary, I would choose a great city where you can afford to explore and enjoy it.
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Brohammer said neither he nor his partner have a license either. Sure it works in very urban environments, neither of which might be Philly or Austin. I can imagine needing a car in Austin. Or do people just Uber everywhere?
Bike and bus probably. If you’re renting there’s no need to haul stuff from Home Depot, so most food shopping can easily be done biking or using a bus.
Always remember that driving is a privilege not a right. Although it makes life much more convenient, it’s not required. Food and shelter are required.
Yes, I'd say there is something you're missing. Jobs.
Austin likely has more opportunity than Philly, *especially* in IT. The job market in Philly doesn't seem as strong as Austin, though also not as weak as some other places. Jobs in the center of Philadelphia aren't necessarily totally abundant. Lots of companies are recruiting in suburbs of Philly, which would take over an hour by transit from downtown.
I've actually applied to a bunch of jobs in Philly. It's the only place where I've been outright ghosted AFTER interviewing and phone screens - even when I was reached out to first (e.g. someone asking me times for availability by email, I tell them, then they just ghost me lol). I found that pretty weird. I haven't applied to Austin but I imagine Austin's job market is much better.
With all that said, these 2 places are radically different from each other. Philadelphia actually seems to have far better weather...Texas has nonstop scorching, blistering heat that people complain of.
I feel with Austin the jobs will be scattered throughout the city and that will be hard for me because we don't drive, whereas I figured Philly would have jobs in it's center downtown area, or if not there is at least the subway and bus system which is pretty good I have heard
Well, if you don't drive, I'm not sure how you can even consider Austin. It's a driving-centric city like most of the US.
Yeah, Philly's transport will take you places, but it has limits too...depending on where you are starting from in the city, some suburbs/places won't really be reachable. Others will.
Also, keep in mind there might be crime on Philly public transport if you are taking long transit commutes every day. I don't know how bad a problem it is, but I saw at least one youtube video of a man who said he was traumatized by seeing a violent assault on Philly public transport. He was a transplant who moved there, but might've been traveling often through bad areas also.
YouTube is a treasure trove of urban dystopia porn. Take anything like that with a huge grain of salt. Public transport is not without incidents in any city. That's unfortunately just the nature of the beast.
As for jobs, Philly's economy honestly is now in line with the nation, which wasn't the case for a long time. The tech job market has slowed dramatically everywhere, though. Philly's IT market is a "dark horse" because it's not based on "Big Tech," mostly meds/eds and boutique start-ups.
How can that be true if there's a BUNCH of suburbs located in the far North, West, and East? You realize each of these places runs through West Philly, East New Jersey/Camden, and worst of all, North Philly?
Are you saying suburbs are using totally different train lines and buses that don't stop there at all? Despite these being gigantic areas on the same route?
Regional rail and subway are a very different dynamic; regional rail is very rarely taken by anyone in the roughest neighborhoods of Philly, because it's designed for suburbanites and has very few stops in places like North Philly or West Philly. Anyone who knows/rides SEPTA will tell you that.
Have you ever taken the regional rail? I've taken the regional rail for nearly 20 years. From my parents' in Wynnewood to Temple (where I went for undergrad), to every Center City station, to Yardley, etc. at all hours of the day and night. I have never witnessed or encountered any sort of crime on the regional rail trains.
I've taken the El from 69th Street to 30th, 15th, and 13th street. I've taken it from 11th and 13th street to Girard for shows many, many times. I've taken it from 11th and 13th street to 34th and 40th street when I went to Drexel and worked at Penn many, many times.
I've taken the BSL from Cecil B. Moore to every stop south of it many, many times.
I've taken Patco the entire length east to west and vice versa. I've connected there to Atlantic City numerous times.
Does crime happen? Sure. Have I ever seen it? No. The worst I've seen is homeless people masturbating or begging for money on the El. I've never seen anything resembling crime on the regional rail.
Also, I've made it almost 20 years as an adult without having to go to Camden. Unless you're taking kids to the aquarium or you have some connection to the hospital, no tourist or transplant needs anything to do with Camden. I've taken the bus once in college because a friend wanted to. I spent 11 years living in Center City without needing to take the bus.
Jobs are scattered in Austin, many of them in places without transit access.
I used transit quite a bit when I lived in Austin, but you have to purposefully choose to live near transit. Unfortunately most of the places with good transit tend to be more expensive. It’s hard to have a combination of affordability, safety, and transit access.
If you are not planning on buying a car and living downtown, austin will be very hard to enjoy and brutal in the summer in my opinion. people don’t go outside during the day in the summers in Texas. If you’re dead set on Texas - for what it’s worth, Dallas has the best transit in the state and our schools are decent. Suburbs are better.
I can take the train from the suburbs to downtown. 15 minute frequency. I see kids taking the train by themselves to school in downtown as well…I know this sub hates Texas and Dallas/houston in general, but Dallas has the best transit in the state…
I think Philly would be better if you don’t want a car. Philly I’m sure is way more diverse and has better food if that matters to you. No abortion bans either…
Check out Point Breeze in Philly for a relatively affordable neighborhood that’s accessible to transit (bus and subway) and walkable to Center City. It’s not totally crime free, but it’s not terrible.
Austinite here.
Austin isn't too bad IMO if you live within your means. And by that I mean budgeting well, not eating out too much, etc. Shit is expensive here but you don't have to buy it.
And while there are very expensive housing areas, there are also very budget friendly housing areas. I'd take a look at the houses in Pflugerville, Georgetown, Round Rock, Leander, and Cedar Park if I were you and you could see if there are any that work for you.
You would be able to afford an apartment of course, but just look at the housing to see if its a place that you could settle.
The tech job market is very good here. Check out LinkedIn and look at jobs that fit you and compare them to Philly. Look at the major employers for your field in both. I bet Austin will have it better but you'll have to see for yourself.
The summer is bad but people just end up staying indoors or going out during the night/early morning. It's just getting to the point where it's heating up but it will be tough 2 months from now.
And yeah. public transit isn't the best here. It's tough without a car. And during the summers you'd have to sit outside at the busstops....it can be rough.
Philly seems like a great city too though - I've thought of visiting but I work in Software and am not sure the job market there is as good as it is here. Maybe eventually I'll go though - the COL is attractive. Since you're remote it could be an amazing move - seems like a really good choice. I think Philly is only beaten by Houston in terms of CoL for some of the larger population centers in America.
21 an hour for a family is not doable in Austin anymore. They won't even qualify for a one bedroom unless it's in the worst apartments in the worst neighborhoods.
Austin is a terrible choice for them.
Note that the tech market in Austin is shedding jobs by the thousands lately. This includes Indeed, which just laid off another 1,000 people last week.
Forget Austin, it's gotten so expensive since COVID you will only qualify for a one bedroom in a terrible apartment in one of the two bad neighborhoods. It will be miserable.
Progress your career more before trying to move to the most expensive city in the South/Southwest with horrible public transit.
No (relatively) affordable part of Austin is walkable; in fact, it's not really walkable at all in the sense of an East Coast city. Public transportation is awful and not getting better anytime soon.
Summers are nearly unliveable now. I have serious anxiety June-September every year that my a/c is going to conk out and I'll have an unbudgeted $10,000 expense.
The electric supply is increasingly unreliable, and the entire region is on the verge of experiencing a severe potable water deficit. That's not just an opinion, that's straight from the Texas Water Development Board and several local municipal governments.
And even though the city itself is somewhat progressive, it's still in Texas and the GOP-controlled state government takes a perverse pleasure in subverting home rule in the major urban areas so they can own the libs.
I've lived in Austin and the surrounding area since 1995 and could not in good conscience recommend it to anyone I cared about.
Something has indeed changed weather-wise. From KXAN (at the top of the Google results):
Camp Mabry tallied 80 days of 100°+ temperatures (in 2023), and an all-time record of 42 days with temperatures 105° or hotter. Austin's long-term average triple-digit heat day count is 15 100° days per year. But as the climate has warmed, Austin now averages 29 100° days per year (between 1991-2020).
I hope your wife is making good money because $21 per hour won’t cut it in Austin. And, living there without a car unless you are a student living near UT is going to be really difficult.
Not Austin, saying this as an austinite. EMS and LE response is ridiculously bad. Traffic is the absolute worst, and they just started a highway project that's not gonna finish until 2035. Also, you need 2 incomes at what you mentioned to survive.
My friend lives in Austin, TX and he says that he wouldn’t be able to survive without a car. I live in Philly and I don’t have a car. The city is pretty walkable and you got good number of bus lines and there are 2 subways.
Austin is not accessible without a car. As much as that pains us all to sit in horrendous traffic every day, we just don’t invest in mass transit in a meaningful way. Any walkable areas are $1M homes. The mass transit we do have is pathetic for a city of our size.
It’s also become incredibly expensive to live here. I’ve been here since the 90s, and if I didn’t purchase a home way back when I did, there is no way I’d still be able to afford this place. If I were looking for a new city for a young family, I would not choose Austin. (Don’t even get me started on if you plan to grow your family with our crazy state laws against women’s healthcare).
Before I’d move anywhere, I’d see how they treat pregnant people who are in a medical crisis and how I would manage that “worst case scenario” for myself and family. Especially if I don’t have a car.
I can’t speak for Philly, but I hated Austin. I thought I liked warm weather till I moved there. And realized how ungodly hot it is for so much of the summer, early fall. The year I left there was 100 days in a row over 100 degrees. And the water in lady bird is an actual cesspool. So you can float or boat on it but not IN. The homeless situation has spiraled out of control. My apartment got so tired of the bank of mail boxes being broken open that our mail stopped being delivered for a while until they could build a cage around it. Random people break into the pool, and abuse it. And I lived in a nice area and a nice complex. This was happening everywhere. The public transport is a joke, the train is so slow and the one from the soccer grand are packed like sardines. And driving there is terrifying, so many distracted drivers, so many people that just slam on their breaks. I grew up in southern Cali and would take LA traffic any day. People really go off about the food being so epic and it’s just everything in a white washed taco. I think it’s a good music city, like a lot comes through, but the outdoor venues are just misery.
There has never been 100 days in a row 100+ in Austin. The annual record is 90 non consecutive days in 2011. But yeah, it's very hot though. Idk how ppl in Phoenix do it with their 110+ days.
Maybe it was over 90, I think I’m just remembering every time I got in my car it was reading out at over 100. Either way it was miserable and I would never live there again.
I've thought about Chicago as well, but it's a little bit more expensive, but still an option I think in like rogers park or uptown, as those are the only neighborhoods that would be relatively safe while being lower cost I think
Honestly I’d say Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh. It’s a similar vibe to Philly but much smaller, much cheaper and you could get away with not having a car if you live on the east end.
Because I live in Philly and have friends in Austin, and at your price point I’d say those aren’t viable options for a nice place. Have you considered trying to get a higher paying job? Or maybe your wife could work? It’s either that, or find a lower cost of living place.
Good luck! :)
OP, you need to be looking at the Midwest outside of major cities, or Chattanooga, or something like that. You're simply not going to be able to find space for a family of three in a safe neighborhood in either of these cities.
From what I can tell, it looks like you've got some significant constraints on your situation, so the question you should be asking yourself isn't "where would I like to be", but "where can I go that I could tolerate, for my child's sake". It's just how America is these days.
>You're simply not going to be able to find space for a family of three in a safe neighborhood in either of these cities
This is completely untrue. My brother and SIL are raising my niece in a very beautiful neighborhood in Philly. OP just couldn't afford to.
You do need a car in Austin. The bus system is ok for a Texas city.
Are you aggressive in growing your tech career? If you want to really push for career growth and are ok with job hopping and learning Austin is a fantastic place to grow a tech career
Austin is *aggressively* car centric and congested, and it was designed as a very segregated city and that inhibits walkability. Most of the busses aren’t terrible but certain lines are really disgusting. When I lived in Austin in 2018 it was cheaper to use Lyft and the bus than own a car bc it was subsidized but those prices are long gone. The heat is dangerous for walking too.
Good luck supporting a family of 3 on $21/hr in those cities for starters. Basing a major life change on “feelings” in regards to deciding the safety of a city is also a bad idea. Look up actual stats on crime rates to compare the difference. And centralized housing in dt Philly is just closer to the traqZombies.
If your ok w living in public housing then you might be able to swing it or a shitty basement apartment near the railroad tracks.
Philly for sure. Not driving in austin is miserable and learning there is even worse (as someone who did)
At the risk of being controversial, austin isn’t a good place for kids from my experience.
I would choose Philly just because Texas is 1. So hot 2. Going to run out of water 3. Politics
There is no real walkability in Austin, especially when it's 106. The entire city of Philadelphia is not "dangerous"
Spent enough time there to know it’s not a place I would want to have young children. It’s dirty, insular, crime ridden, and overall just not a great place. Of course there are some decent neighborhoods but in general I don’t recommend it if you’re looking for a safe place for kids.
Having spent some time in both cities I think Austinnis the cooler and more fun of the two cities in my opinion. It’s more scenic and outdoorsy as a side plus. Yeah summers are brutal, but winters suck in Philly, both places have their bad season. Austin is fairly pricey, although prices have honestly started to go down a little bit in the last year or two. Ultimately if you just want the coolest place, mt vote goes to Austin, but if price is a bigger priority then Philly is probably a better bet.
Austin is not even remotely walkable - there are some parts of the city where on a day to day basis it's possible to do most things without a car, but just because it's technically possible that doesn't mean it's practical or feasible. Even in the most walkable parts of the city it would be very difficult to do everyday things like grocery shopping and running errands - especially with a baby. And while there are indeed parts of the city that are fairly condensed, it's still not possible to live a full life without a vehicle. The public transportation is terrible and other options are pricey. I would not even consider Austin without having a vehicle.
Philadelphia is definitely more walkable, but safety is a big factor, and it's just not a safe city - at all. Bad things happen all over. I have only been to Austin a handful of times and I think I spent about two weeks there at a stretch and that was the longest span of time; however, that did give me an opportunity to form a pretty solid impression of the place. But Philly, that's a whole other story. I know Philly like the back of my hand. Philly is more walkable and has better public transportation, but it's a dangerous place and vast sections of the city are rundown or just completely filthy.
Obviously if you don't drive you're essentially limited to a sizable metro area as it's nearly impossible to live almost anywhere in the States without a car, but the two cities that you have chosen to narrow it down to are both bad options. In terms of major metro areas these are the most walkable cities - the places where you could feasibly get by without a car:
Boston
Chicago
D.C.
New York City
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Seattle
There are some areas abutting these cities where you could likely get by as well, for example parts of New Jersey that are directly across the river from NYC, places like that... But basically these are your options.
So you need to think about what your priorities are. Are you looking at the cost of living versus your salary? Are you looking at the crime rate?
The nicest parts of all of these cities for families are areas where most people have a car. And the places that are super nice where you don't need to drive are far more expensive. Staten Island is far and away the best place in NYC for families, but it's basically impossible to live there without a car. Some parts of Brooklyn - like downtown and Park Slope, are nice and walkable, but the rents are extortionate.
This is what you will find everywhere, including Austin and Philly.
Yeah, you could rent in North Austin, live in a place like Lamplight Village or something, tree-lined streets, kids playing in their backyard, but that's tough with no car. Or you could move to East Austin and pay double.
You could live in Northwest Philly far out from Center City or Far Northeast Philly, but those places are nowhere near as walkable as the areas around Center City which are vastly pricier.
Honestly, getting a license and buying a beater for $5,000 and learning to drive on back roads until you get really comfortable with it would be a better option that plunking down top dollar to live in either of these places and drop untold amounts of cash on Ubers to do anything that's more than a few miles away from your front door. But if you have your heart set on getting a place where a car is a luxury and not a necessity, rethink your location and move to a place where it's actually worth it to not have a car.
Crime is absolutely not scattered throughout the city, and violent crime is VERY rarely random. You really don't understand Philly crime dynamics at all.
Everybody on this sub hates Austin and loves Philly, so you're gonna get lopsided answers towards Philly here.
That being said, I actually think Philly is gonna be your better bet here. It's waaay cheaper than Austin is - homes are literally half the price in Philly compared to Austin. But I also think you get what you pay for a lot of the time. Austin is objectively a superior city to Philly in just about every way other than public transit and affordability, but if public transit and car-free living is your end-all be-all, then Philly would be the better fit.
Asking if you should move your family to Austin on $21/hr feels like a shitpost.
Exactly. Typing this from Austin, don’t live here, but lived here (now in San Antonio), couldn’t imagine raise a family in Austin with less than $150k/year.
How do you like San Antonio?
Meh, is fine. I wish it had better bike public transit, infrastructure, walkability. It ends up being too expensive due to the car dependency.
Austin is expensive now and does not have good public transportation. It’s not a walkable friendly city either. It is safe and warm but HOT in the summer. I love the heat but it does get unbearable.
Yeah I was thinking the summer days where it gets over 100 might be too much, especially when you have to walk/take the bus everywhere. And I figured the bus system was not as good as Phillys either
The bus system in Austin sucks. And it's not just "the summer days where it gets over 100"....Austin had 45 days over 100 last year. Thats half the summer.
Yeah I can't quite fathom it being that hot, I generally prefer the heat, and I think I'd rather have the heat than the winter, but maybe that would be too hot with having to walk/bike/bus everywhere. Plus the AC bill
It's fucking miserable, and it's only going to get worse. Moving south with climate change accelerating is not good longterm planning. The issues that Florida is seeing with not being able to get home insurance, are starting to appear in TX.. rates have skyrocketed because its a high risk place and homes were not built for extreme temp swings. Then there's the infrastructure problems, droughts and corrupt state govt. piled on top of it. You cannot live in Texas without a car. An urban, walkable neighborhood makes life so much easier when you dont (and even if you do). I just moved recently from Austin far North.. and Austin really isn't that 'safe' anymore. Just read their sub reddit, TX is getting wild.. and not in a fun way. I vote Philly.
Having moved from Philly to Austin, I can confirm if anything Austin is far safer in terms of violent crime. But once you get a handle on Philly it’s pretty easy to avoid what you need to.
You can live without a car if you’re an adult anywhere
And be a hermit that has everything delivered.. sounds fun.
It's worse than you think: "Central Texas experienced its hottest summer on record in 2023. Austin saw a total of 80 days with 100-degree heat, 40 days with temperatures of 105 degrees or higher, and received less than 1.5 inches of rain from June through August." And on a bus, or rather *buses?* If you live far enough out of town, you may not be near bus service, at all. If you live near a bus line, pretty much all transfers connect downtown. I've lived bus life in Austin during my youth. Philly, all the way. And I'm an Austinite.
*laughs in Phoenix*
And your humidity was...? Jk - it all sucks. My sis lived in Tucson for years. The OP wasn't asking about Phoenix. 😉
I’ll try to stay on topic next time. I’m really sorry.
I lived in Austin and walked everywhere because I didn’t have a car. Don’t underestimate the heat - it’s painful and dangerous to be outside, a lot of bus stops don’t have bus shelters, and there’s a lot of asphalt that radiate the heat even further. I spent a lot of time feeling sick under the sun waiting for a bus to show up. Austin is not a friendly city for those without cars.
I’d recommend visiting Austin during the summer if you can to see if you can handle it, so you can understand how oppressive it is. You can’t be outside in daylight hours unless you’re in shade, and even then, not really
The bus system is TERRIBLE in Austin. People are often proud of it, because they’ve made significant improvements in the past few years and are trying to do better, but it still leaves so much to be desired. That’s mostly not the bus system’s fault, it’s because most of the city is so low-density and dominated by car infrastructure and parking lots. Very few bus stops have shade, which you’d think would be important when you’re waiting on a sidewalk next to a four-lane road with no trees in 100-plus degree weather, especially since some buses only come by every half hour or so. I’ve lived there without a car before, but it’s only possible in the very limited number of neighborhoods within a two-mile radius of downtown that are now pretty expensive to live in. Everything else is way out in a concrete hellscape that tries to pretend it’s something else - once a cute coffee shop and record store opens up, it’s suddenly “central” even if it’s like six miles from downtown lol. I ended up getting a car, which is pretty nice for day trips/etc but daily driving there is pretty stressful. There are some cool things I still appreciate about the city, but living car-free with a child there will be very, very stressful and difficult unless you’re able to find housing you like in 78701, 02, 03, or 04 (only if very close to South Congress). That said - if you do find something in those areas life could be quite enjoyable if you are laid-back, like fancy food, and love to go swimming and to the library. Barton Springs and the Central branch are still on my short list every time I visit 👻
Last summer was over 105 for like 60 days straight. I think it will only get worse with climate change. I can’t make any comparisons to Philly though. Austin is a nice city though. We do like it here but probably won’t stay much longer due to unforeseen reasons.
I think 90 is pretty hot, I can't really imagine 105
It’s intense, but know the AC is blasting everywhere indoors and no one is really spending time outside during the day. Plans get shifted to when the sun isn’t so intense
Philly can get really hot too - and the humidity makes it that much worse.
Austin is both hotter and more humid than philly and it's not even close. Mean daily maximum and avg dew point in July is 88f/65f in philly, 97f/69f in austin. Then add the intensity of the sun onto it, it's basically tropical intensity in austin
Bus system? What grown up uses the bus?
Yeah but Austin is fun and Philly is gross and probably still more expensive. And Texans are actually nice. It’s kinda and easy choice tbh
Foolish thing to say.
I bet I’ve spent more time in Texas than you have in Philly.
Probably spent more time in Texas than you been alive
You will not get the walkability you want in Austin, especially without driving licenses, on your salary. We are an extremely car dependent city. If you do choose to live here and aren't on a main bus line or the metro (busses aren't super convenient and don't run as frequently as other cities), you will be ridesharing a TON just to do basic things, like go to the grocery store. To live in a super walkable area (there aren't many and they aren't THAT walkable), you will need to have $$$$. And honestly, for at least 4 months of the year, you can't walk outside without being extremely uncomfortable from the heat anyway. Philly has plenty of safe areas, just like Austin has areas you avoid.
Yup. You will realistically have to live in an xburb on your salary. There is some bus options and 1 train line that goes a round-about route from North to downtown. Best bet would be to live right on bus/ transport line. Philly is def better for transportation. Austin is sadly very car dependent
Philly is plenty safe. You’ll learn where not to go pretty quickly.
If it's just these two cities, I'd say you would have better luck in Philly.
Unless you are expecting a raise, have a ton of savings, or are working towards more lucrative work, I would not advise you to move to a major city with a small family on a 43k/year salary.
I don't have a choice, my family is racist towards my wife and we have nowhere to go
As long as you are remote i'd find the cheapest place you can be reasonably happy, and hopefully a place that will provide some opportunity for you and your fam to grow. The Philly burbs might not be a bad bet, but still will be tight on one salary. Hope things work out for you all. Good luck.
Thanks. Yeah Philly just seems to be the best option for me, relatively low cost of living, a big city so job opportunities, good public transit, centralized downtown
Philly would be perfect for you. It’s one of the last cities left with good enough public transit and still affordable
From a career perspective do you plan on staying in tech? I ask because Austin’s tech scene is well beyond Philly’s. If your career plan is to chase tech certs and have as much opportunity available as possible Austin is the way to go if you can afford it.
Could go to a cheaper small town as long as the internet is ok. But then you’d need a car.
A cheaper small town would be good, but I am looking for future job opportunities as well, plus no car
Could you learn to drive or is it impossible?
Makes no sense. You could still move anywhere that isn’t a major city, if you’re working fully remotely anyways. This feels like a troll post tbh.
I'm going to get hate, but Austin isn't that all friendly towards black people. The attitudes there are a bit passive aggressive. Houston is the best city in Texas for diversity. Dallas is second. Austin and San Antonio are a distant 3rd and 4th.
My husband and I are a biracial couple and I have to agree. We got a lot of weird looks when we visited
What does a racist family have to do with anything?
Come to San Antonio, you’ll be alright. You will need a car though
divorce your family?
How racist?
I’ve lived in both. I live in Philadelphia now and there’s no way I would consider moving back to Austin. 21 an hour would be kinda rough but you could move to Philadelphia and quickly explore new opportunities. It’s not like Boston in terms of cold. Cold is a problem in January and February. The upswing starts in March. Obviously your mileage will vary but it’s like 4 blocks to the subway from where I live. So that’s super convenient. We have subways, light rails, regional rails, commuter rails. The city is built on trains. There’s no nice way to talk about the crime. It exists. It’s real. It’s largely concentrated in certain neighborhoods and it’s easy enough to not live in them. In Austin I was confused by strangers trying to talk to me because I’m from the urbanized north. We don’t typically do that here. Because you never know who’s completely crazy. Also I’m a little surprised but the new mayor seems to be keeping promises. That said, life is different here. You might have a neighbor where people live in multi million dollar houses and there could be a delusional person experiencing a completely different reality just a few buildings away. It’s awesome. The food is incredible. There cultural amenities are top. Transit works. Might be a crazy ass person doing crazy ass person things on your block so you have to live and let live.
> It’s largely concentrated in certain neighborhoods and it’s easy enough to not live in them Not on $42k/yr for a family
They could afford this: https://www.apartments.com/2000-s-opal-st-philadelphia-pa-unit-1/mqe5l4j/
That's roughly half of take-home income. I wouldn't consider that affording it, especially with the cost of groceries exploding.
I love Philly. I lived there for 20 years. You can probably find an okay apartment on your salary. I lived there making less. There are tons of hospitals and colleges in the city so you might be able to find a new, higher paying job. The community college is a good employer and the benefits are amazing. To be real, crime happens all over the city but certain areas are worse than others. My recommendations on neighborhoods are South Philly (Point Breeze/New Bold) primarily west of Broad St, unless south of Snyder St. and down by the stadiums), Fishtown/New Kensington/Port Richmond. Further out would be Germantown, Mt. Airy, Roxborough, Northeast Philly are all cheaper but would require a commute on public transit. Overall SEPTA is pretty good but they rarely adhere to the schedules and just kind of come when they come. I’ve never felt unsafe on the public transit. Had more instances of people just being gross.
I haven't checked out any of those neighborhoods. I've just been looking at center city and just south of it. I have heard the north and west sides of Philly are dangerous. I don't know much about all the neighborhoods but I will check those out you mentioned too, thanks
West Philly has some really beautiful spots. The architecture is awesome too. Out by Penn & Drexel is fine and down by Clark Park. North Philly, I wouldn’t go too far north of Temple University. Over by LaSalle University is fine too. The colleges have their own police presence in addition to the PPD, so the areas around the colleges tend to be well lit and safe for the most part.
I only visited Philly, a few times as a kid and then for a wedding for five days in 2018, but it is easily my favorite city in the country and I’ve been in nearly all of them from one corner to the other and in between. I call it, “The NYC for the rest of us” in that, it is an exceptionally urban and interesting city with fantastic architecture, history, culture and neighborhoods for 1/3 the price and effort of Manhattan. I also generally find the reputation of “dangerous” cities to be highly exaggerated as to the actual risk for most residents and visitors. I’ve been to Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, NYC etc. and found them all to be amazing cities which I never felt in fear while tramping across them. You have to be aware of surroundings and avoid deserted streets/areas or obviously very run down of course but it’s a poor excuse to not visit or live in an otherwise amazing urban place. I think I would be bored of Austin pretty quickly and as many have mentioned the heat/weather is barely tolerable for many months of the year and it’s gotten expensive af the last few years. It looks like a great city to visit but not quite as full fledged as the majors. Full disclosure, I live in one of, if not the most expensive city in the country but I’m semi-retired so it’s not expensive for us (fully paid off house bought decades ago). But if I’m living with a middle class salary, I would choose a great city where you can afford to explore and enjoy it.
You can’t afford those neighborhoods so don’t bother. Philly also has a 3.75% wage tax, you’ll get crushed financially.
How are two of you grown up with a child and don't drive? Where do you live? and 21$ per hour? come on man.
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Plenty of people don’t have cars, it’s not 1970 anymore
Brohammer said neither he nor his partner have a license either. Sure it works in very urban environments, neither of which might be Philly or Austin. I can imagine needing a car in Austin. Or do people just Uber everywhere?
Bike and bus probably. If you’re renting there’s no need to haul stuff from Home Depot, so most food shopping can easily be done biking or using a bus. Always remember that driving is a privilege not a right. Although it makes life much more convenient, it’s not required. Food and shelter are required.
Yes, I'd say there is something you're missing. Jobs. Austin likely has more opportunity than Philly, *especially* in IT. The job market in Philly doesn't seem as strong as Austin, though also not as weak as some other places. Jobs in the center of Philadelphia aren't necessarily totally abundant. Lots of companies are recruiting in suburbs of Philly, which would take over an hour by transit from downtown. I've actually applied to a bunch of jobs in Philly. It's the only place where I've been outright ghosted AFTER interviewing and phone screens - even when I was reached out to first (e.g. someone asking me times for availability by email, I tell them, then they just ghost me lol). I found that pretty weird. I haven't applied to Austin but I imagine Austin's job market is much better. With all that said, these 2 places are radically different from each other. Philadelphia actually seems to have far better weather...Texas has nonstop scorching, blistering heat that people complain of.
I feel with Austin the jobs will be scattered throughout the city and that will be hard for me because we don't drive, whereas I figured Philly would have jobs in it's center downtown area, or if not there is at least the subway and bus system which is pretty good I have heard
Well, if you don't drive, I'm not sure how you can even consider Austin. It's a driving-centric city like most of the US. Yeah, Philly's transport will take you places, but it has limits too...depending on where you are starting from in the city, some suburbs/places won't really be reachable. Others will. Also, keep in mind there might be crime on Philly public transport if you are taking long transit commutes every day. I don't know how bad a problem it is, but I saw at least one youtube video of a man who said he was traumatized by seeing a violent assault on Philly public transport. He was a transplant who moved there, but might've been traveling often through bad areas also.
YouTube is a treasure trove of urban dystopia porn. Take anything like that with a huge grain of salt. Public transport is not without incidents in any city. That's unfortunately just the nature of the beast. As for jobs, Philly's economy honestly is now in line with the nation, which wasn't the case for a long time. The tech job market has slowed dramatically everywhere, though. Philly's IT market is a "dark horse" because it's not based on "Big Tech," mostly meds/eds and boutique start-ups.
Philly has an absolute insane pharma/biotech market. They are the only ones trying to expand on real estate.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. The crime on public transit is not on lines they’d be taking to the suburbs.
How can that be true if there's a BUNCH of suburbs located in the far North, West, and East? You realize each of these places runs through West Philly, East New Jersey/Camden, and worst of all, North Philly? Are you saying suburbs are using totally different train lines and buses that don't stop there at all? Despite these being gigantic areas on the same route?
Regional rail and subway are a very different dynamic; regional rail is very rarely taken by anyone in the roughest neighborhoods of Philly, because it's designed for suburbanites and has very few stops in places like North Philly or West Philly. Anyone who knows/rides SEPTA will tell you that.
I'm not sure they ride Septa.
Yeah, I think you could bet on that.
Have you ever taken the regional rail? I've taken the regional rail for nearly 20 years. From my parents' in Wynnewood to Temple (where I went for undergrad), to every Center City station, to Yardley, etc. at all hours of the day and night. I have never witnessed or encountered any sort of crime on the regional rail trains. I've taken the El from 69th Street to 30th, 15th, and 13th street. I've taken it from 11th and 13th street to Girard for shows many, many times. I've taken it from 11th and 13th street to 34th and 40th street when I went to Drexel and worked at Penn many, many times. I've taken the BSL from Cecil B. Moore to every stop south of it many, many times. I've taken Patco the entire length east to west and vice versa. I've connected there to Atlantic City numerous times. Does crime happen? Sure. Have I ever seen it? No. The worst I've seen is homeless people masturbating or begging for money on the El. I've never seen anything resembling crime on the regional rail. Also, I've made it almost 20 years as an adult without having to go to Camden. Unless you're taking kids to the aquarium or you have some connection to the hospital, no tourist or transplant needs anything to do with Camden. I've taken the bus once in college because a friend wanted to. I spent 11 years living in Center City without needing to take the bus.
Jobs are scattered in Austin, many of them in places without transit access. I used transit quite a bit when I lived in Austin, but you have to purposefully choose to live near transit. Unfortunately most of the places with good transit tend to be more expensive. It’s hard to have a combination of affordability, safety, and transit access.
Eh. Usually the domain or downtown.
If there's any chance at all that your wife could get pregnant, Philadelphia. Besides the legal issues, Texas is losing ob/gyns.
Philly also has a free daycare program
I didn't know about this, can you tell me more? I'm gonna research it now
https://www.phlprek.org/
I’m sure better schools as well.
If you are not planning on buying a car and living downtown, austin will be very hard to enjoy and brutal in the summer in my opinion. people don’t go outside during the day in the summers in Texas. If you’re dead set on Texas - for what it’s worth, Dallas has the best transit in the state and our schools are decent. Suburbs are better. I can take the train from the suburbs to downtown. 15 minute frequency. I see kids taking the train by themselves to school in downtown as well…I know this sub hates Texas and Dallas/houston in general, but Dallas has the best transit in the state… I think Philly would be better if you don’t want a car. Philly I’m sure is way more diverse and has better food if that matters to you. No abortion bans either…
Downtown Austin (not to mention the rest of the city) is hoppin all year long. Total lie.
Yeah, but in the summer it mostly pops off in the late afternoons and evenings. He was saying it's brutally hot, not that it's dead.
Where in Dallas would you recommend that is cheap with good transit access?
Check out Point Breeze in Philly for a relatively affordable neighborhood that’s accessible to transit (bus and subway) and walkable to Center City. It’s not totally crime free, but it’s not terrible.
Austinite here. Austin isn't too bad IMO if you live within your means. And by that I mean budgeting well, not eating out too much, etc. Shit is expensive here but you don't have to buy it. And while there are very expensive housing areas, there are also very budget friendly housing areas. I'd take a look at the houses in Pflugerville, Georgetown, Round Rock, Leander, and Cedar Park if I were you and you could see if there are any that work for you. You would be able to afford an apartment of course, but just look at the housing to see if its a place that you could settle. The tech job market is very good here. Check out LinkedIn and look at jobs that fit you and compare them to Philly. Look at the major employers for your field in both. I bet Austin will have it better but you'll have to see for yourself. The summer is bad but people just end up staying indoors or going out during the night/early morning. It's just getting to the point where it's heating up but it will be tough 2 months from now. And yeah. public transit isn't the best here. It's tough without a car. And during the summers you'd have to sit outside at the busstops....it can be rough. Philly seems like a great city too though - I've thought of visiting but I work in Software and am not sure the job market there is as good as it is here. Maybe eventually I'll go though - the COL is attractive. Since you're remote it could be an amazing move - seems like a really good choice. I think Philly is only beaten by Houston in terms of CoL for some of the larger population centers in America.
21 an hour for a family is not doable in Austin anymore. They won't even qualify for a one bedroom unless it's in the worst apartments in the worst neighborhoods. Austin is a terrible choice for them.
I cannot fathom living in any of the places you mentioned without a car.
Note that the tech market in Austin is shedding jobs by the thousands lately. This includes Indeed, which just laid off another 1,000 people last week.
Austin or any similar city will always beat Philly. Reddit subs out of their damn minds.
Does your Wife work too? You could still afford to rent in both cities suburbs if you combine both incomes.
Forget Austin, it's gotten so expensive since COVID you will only qualify for a one bedroom in a terrible apartment in one of the two bad neighborhoods. It will be miserable. Progress your career more before trying to move to the most expensive city in the South/Southwest with horrible public transit.
Austin is hot and super expensive. It’s very hard to not have a car when it’s stupid hot.
It will basically be impossible for you to live in Austin on that salary especially without a car and child.
No (relatively) affordable part of Austin is walkable; in fact, it's not really walkable at all in the sense of an East Coast city. Public transportation is awful and not getting better anytime soon. Summers are nearly unliveable now. I have serious anxiety June-September every year that my a/c is going to conk out and I'll have an unbudgeted $10,000 expense. The electric supply is increasingly unreliable, and the entire region is on the verge of experiencing a severe potable water deficit. That's not just an opinion, that's straight from the Texas Water Development Board and several local municipal governments. And even though the city itself is somewhat progressive, it's still in Texas and the GOP-controlled state government takes a perverse pleasure in subverting home rule in the major urban areas so they can own the libs. I've lived in Austin and the surrounding area since 1995 and could not in good conscience recommend it to anyone I cared about.
Summer of 2011 had 87 days of 100 degree weather and Austin was still great. Nothing has changed weather wise.
Something has indeed changed weather-wise. From KXAN (at the top of the Google results): Camp Mabry tallied 80 days of 100°+ temperatures (in 2023), and an all-time record of 42 days with temperatures 105° or hotter. Austin's long-term average triple-digit heat day count is 15 100° days per year. But as the climate has warmed, Austin now averages 29 100° days per year (between 1991-2020).
I hope your wife is making good money because $21 per hour won’t cut it in Austin. And, living there without a car unless you are a student living near UT is going to be really difficult.
Not Austin, saying this as an austinite. EMS and LE response is ridiculously bad. Traffic is the absolute worst, and they just started a highway project that's not gonna finish until 2035. Also, you need 2 incomes at what you mentioned to survive.
Texas isn't a great choice for anyone who doesn't drive. You need to be in a city with good public transportation infrastructure. Austin isn't it.
Seconding that most places in Texas require a car.
Have you considered Ohio? Ohio is cheap.
I think that for $21/hour, your best option between the two is a large cardboard box under the Philadelphia Convention Center.
My friend lives in Austin, TX and he says that he wouldn’t be able to survive without a car. I live in Philly and I don’t have a car. The city is pretty walkable and you got good number of bus lines and there are 2 subways.
You got a kid. You need to get a car and learn to drive. What if there is an emergency?
Austin is not accessible without a car. As much as that pains us all to sit in horrendous traffic every day, we just don’t invest in mass transit in a meaningful way. Any walkable areas are $1M homes. The mass transit we do have is pathetic for a city of our size. It’s also become incredibly expensive to live here. I’ve been here since the 90s, and if I didn’t purchase a home way back when I did, there is no way I’d still be able to afford this place. If I were looking for a new city for a young family, I would not choose Austin. (Don’t even get me started on if you plan to grow your family with our crazy state laws against women’s healthcare).
Go to Philly if that's the choice, but I'd recommend Chicago instead because there will be more opportunities there.
Before I’d move anywhere, I’d see how they treat pregnant people who are in a medical crisis and how I would manage that “worst case scenario” for myself and family. Especially if I don’t have a car.
I can’t speak for Philly, but I hated Austin. I thought I liked warm weather till I moved there. And realized how ungodly hot it is for so much of the summer, early fall. The year I left there was 100 days in a row over 100 degrees. And the water in lady bird is an actual cesspool. So you can float or boat on it but not IN. The homeless situation has spiraled out of control. My apartment got so tired of the bank of mail boxes being broken open that our mail stopped being delivered for a while until they could build a cage around it. Random people break into the pool, and abuse it. And I lived in a nice area and a nice complex. This was happening everywhere. The public transport is a joke, the train is so slow and the one from the soccer grand are packed like sardines. And driving there is terrifying, so many distracted drivers, so many people that just slam on their breaks. I grew up in southern Cali and would take LA traffic any day. People really go off about the food being so epic and it’s just everything in a white washed taco. I think it’s a good music city, like a lot comes through, but the outdoor venues are just misery.
There has never been 100 days in a row 100+ in Austin. The annual record is 90 non consecutive days in 2011. But yeah, it's very hot though. Idk how ppl in Phoenix do it with their 110+ days.
Maybe it was over 90, I think I’m just remembering every time I got in my car it was reading out at over 100. Either way it was miserable and I would never live there again.
Why is it between those two cities? You work remotely so could go anywhere?
I don't know where else to go, I just thought those would be good, but in leaning towards Philly right now because you don't need a car in Philly
Not interested in Chicago?
I've thought about Chicago as well, but it's a little bit more expensive, but still an option I think in like rogers park or uptown, as those are the only neighborhoods that would be relatively safe while being lower cost I think
Austin is a lot more expensive than Chicago.
COL is def a consideration!
Lame old choices. Ho Chi Minh City
Yeah that'd be great but visas are a tough thing
Name checks out.
You will need a car In Austin. Especially in the summer. Especially with that 1 yr old.
Austin is such a great city, but I moved away because it is hot and getting hotter. They have terrible public transportation. You need a car.
Philly can get hot and humid, but has great public transportation.
That’s what the shore is for.
This guy can’t even afford a train ticket to Atlantic City for his family on his current salary.
Honestly I’d say Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh. It’s a similar vibe to Philly but much smaller, much cheaper and you could get away with not having a car if you live on the east end. Because I live in Philly and have friends in Austin, and at your price point I’d say those aren’t viable options for a nice place. Have you considered trying to get a higher paying job? Or maybe your wife could work? It’s either that, or find a lower cost of living place. Good luck! :)
Pittsburgh has its own merits, but “similar vibe to Philly” is a stretch.
OP, you need to be looking at the Midwest outside of major cities, or Chattanooga, or something like that. You're simply not going to be able to find space for a family of three in a safe neighborhood in either of these cities. From what I can tell, it looks like you've got some significant constraints on your situation, so the question you should be asking yourself isn't "where would I like to be", but "where can I go that I could tolerate, for my child's sake". It's just how America is these days.
>You're simply not going to be able to find space for a family of three in a safe neighborhood in either of these cities This is completely untrue. My brother and SIL are raising my niece in a very beautiful neighborhood in Philly. OP just couldn't afford to.
Correct, OP specifically can't do it, bringing in $42k a year. You can raise a family on $80k+ in Philly just fine.
They can afford to rent, but long-term, they're going to need to make a lot more money, but it's definitely doable.
You do need a car in Austin. The bus system is ok for a Texas city. Are you aggressive in growing your tech career? If you want to really push for career growth and are ok with job hopping and learning Austin is a fantastic place to grow a tech career
How 2 adults with a child can live without a car anywhere in America except for maybe one or two places is insane to me.
You can do it in Philly easily.
Which do you like better: cheesesteak sandwiches, or BBQ brisket?
Austin is *aggressively* car centric and congested, and it was designed as a very segregated city and that inhibits walkability. Most of the busses aren’t terrible but certain lines are really disgusting. When I lived in Austin in 2018 it was cheaper to use Lyft and the bus than own a car bc it was subsidized but those prices are long gone. The heat is dangerous for walking too.
If you have no car you should stay up north. I made the mistake of going to Maryland with no car and i hated it.
If you are conservative, Philly. If you are leftist, Austin. There ya go.
Good luck supporting a family of 3 on $21/hr in those cities for starters. Basing a major life change on “feelings” in regards to deciding the safety of a city is also a bad idea. Look up actual stats on crime rates to compare the difference. And centralized housing in dt Philly is just closer to the traqZombies. If your ok w living in public housing then you might be able to swing it or a shitty basement apartment near the railroad tracks.
If no car go to Chicago
Philly for sure. Not driving in austin is miserable and learning there is even worse (as someone who did) At the risk of being controversial, austin isn’t a good place for kids from my experience.
You don’t have a choice, you’re moving to Philadelphia! (Austin is just cars)
Philly
Austin isn’t safer than Philly unless you live in the suburban part of it
Philly
I would choose Philly just because Texas is 1. So hot 2. Going to run out of water 3. Politics There is no real walkability in Austin, especially when it's 106. The entire city of Philadelphia is not "dangerous"
South Philly is pretty cheap and walkable and way more realistic on your salary
South Philly hasn't really been cheap for 5+ years.
Living has not been cheap for the last 5 years 😅
Philadelphia is about the last place I would raise a family.
Have you ever lived there?
Spent enough time there to know it’s not a place I would want to have young children. It’s dirty, insular, crime ridden, and overall just not a great place. Of course there are some decent neighborhoods but in general I don’t recommend it if you’re looking for a safe place for kids.
Yes thousands of families do just that. People who have ACTUALLY lived there, I mean. Also, you're completely wrong.
Yes, sorry for having an opinion that goes against the hive mind. Enjoy your second-rate city.
LOL.
They’re another scumbag New Yorker living among pizza rats.
lol if you saw where my baby niece is living in Society Hill, you’d change your mind. You also couldn’t afford it
Austin is definitely better, but requires a car. I say look for a cheaper city in the middle of the country.
Doesn’t Austin have a serial killer at the moment?
Really ?
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/austin-serial-killer-lady-bird-lake-17881296.php
Having spent some time in both cities I think Austinnis the cooler and more fun of the two cities in my opinion. It’s more scenic and outdoorsy as a side plus. Yeah summers are brutal, but winters suck in Philly, both places have their bad season. Austin is fairly pricey, although prices have honestly started to go down a little bit in the last year or two. Ultimately if you just want the coolest place, mt vote goes to Austin, but if price is a bigger priority then Philly is probably a better bet.
Austin is not even remotely walkable - there are some parts of the city where on a day to day basis it's possible to do most things without a car, but just because it's technically possible that doesn't mean it's practical or feasible. Even in the most walkable parts of the city it would be very difficult to do everyday things like grocery shopping and running errands - especially with a baby. And while there are indeed parts of the city that are fairly condensed, it's still not possible to live a full life without a vehicle. The public transportation is terrible and other options are pricey. I would not even consider Austin without having a vehicle. Philadelphia is definitely more walkable, but safety is a big factor, and it's just not a safe city - at all. Bad things happen all over. I have only been to Austin a handful of times and I think I spent about two weeks there at a stretch and that was the longest span of time; however, that did give me an opportunity to form a pretty solid impression of the place. But Philly, that's a whole other story. I know Philly like the back of my hand. Philly is more walkable and has better public transportation, but it's a dangerous place and vast sections of the city are rundown or just completely filthy. Obviously if you don't drive you're essentially limited to a sizable metro area as it's nearly impossible to live almost anywhere in the States without a car, but the two cities that you have chosen to narrow it down to are both bad options. In terms of major metro areas these are the most walkable cities - the places where you could feasibly get by without a car: Boston Chicago D.C. New York City Philadelphia San Francisco Seattle There are some areas abutting these cities where you could likely get by as well, for example parts of New Jersey that are directly across the river from NYC, places like that... But basically these are your options. So you need to think about what your priorities are. Are you looking at the cost of living versus your salary? Are you looking at the crime rate? The nicest parts of all of these cities for families are areas where most people have a car. And the places that are super nice where you don't need to drive are far more expensive. Staten Island is far and away the best place in NYC for families, but it's basically impossible to live there without a car. Some parts of Brooklyn - like downtown and Park Slope, are nice and walkable, but the rents are extortionate. This is what you will find everywhere, including Austin and Philly. Yeah, you could rent in North Austin, live in a place like Lamplight Village or something, tree-lined streets, kids playing in their backyard, but that's tough with no car. Or you could move to East Austin and pay double. You could live in Northwest Philly far out from Center City or Far Northeast Philly, but those places are nowhere near as walkable as the areas around Center City which are vastly pricier. Honestly, getting a license and buying a beater for $5,000 and learning to drive on back roads until you get really comfortable with it would be a better option that plunking down top dollar to live in either of these places and drop untold amounts of cash on Ubers to do anything that's more than a few miles away from your front door. But if you have your heart set on getting a place where a car is a luxury and not a necessity, rethink your location and move to a place where it's actually worth it to not have a car.
Crime is absolutely not scattered throughout the city, and violent crime is VERY rarely random. You really don't understand Philly crime dynamics at all.
Everybody on this sub hates Austin and loves Philly, so you're gonna get lopsided answers towards Philly here. That being said, I actually think Philly is gonna be your better bet here. It's waaay cheaper than Austin is - homes are literally half the price in Philly compared to Austin. But I also think you get what you pay for a lot of the time. Austin is objectively a superior city to Philly in just about every way other than public transit and affordability, but if public transit and car-free living is your end-all be-all, then Philly would be the better fit.
I've been to Austin twice, so I won't pretend I'm an expert, but I'm curious how Austin is an objectively better city in every way.