I guess I won't know unless I try. Speaking from my recent experience, having moved from a Texas town with about 350 people to New York City a few months ago,

I guess I won't know unless I try. Speaking from my recent experience, having moved from a Texas town with about 350 people to New York City a few months ago, I had some of the same concerns. In my case, I took a slight 'cost of living vs. salary' hit, but the increased opportunity more than makes up for that. As for your second point, unless you're lazy, competition is a good thing. Being around better developers should challenge you, and you'll get better yourself. If that's what you're looking for, I'd encourage you to go for it.