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Kind of interesting they picked Austin as a low cost alternative. I get it's a tech hub, but surely there are other cities less expensive?
by Cyclone_ 6y ago
Kind of interesting they picked Austin as a low cost alternative. I get it's a tech hub, but surely there are other cities less expensive?
- LatteLazy 6y agoQuality vs expense. If you can half the cost for similar quality in Austin or 80% less cost for zero quality in some nowhere town, you go for Austin...
- rossdavidh 6y agoI live in Austin. There's "Austin", meaning the actual city limits, parts of which are getting more expensive (although still a fraction of SV prices). Then there's the Austin area, large parts of which are half the cost of central Austin, itself half the cost of SV. There are also still low-income, low-cost parts of literal Austin, which I think has not been true in SV for a while (although I haven't lived in SV since 1992 so I could be wrong there).
- dfxm12 6y agoI'm sure cost isn't the only factor. You still have to relocate to some place that will attract talent, either right out of college (like UT), because it's already a big city or because people want to live there. It would be even better if the state is offering tax breaks, or has lower taxes than where you're coming from.
- dreamcompiler 6y agoAustin is ridiculously expensive by Texas standards. Super cheap by California standards.
- jessaustin 6y agoLots of Texas is cheaper, but executives don't want to drive three hours in a rental car after their flight.
- vonmoltke 6y agoDallas, Houston, and San Antonio are cheaper than Austin and do not require a 3h drive from the airport.
- jessaustin 6y agoI'm sure you're right, but I'd like to better understand how a city surrounded by sparsely inhabited wasteland could have a shortage of anything of which those other cities have plenty. Austin is practically a suburb of San Antonio anyway, and has no obvious qualities that aren't shared by ten other cities and big towns in Texas.
- dreamcompiler 6y agoOther Texas cities do not have the cultural amenities or pleasant weather of Austin, nor do they have the political sensibilities of Austin that make it more attractive for younger workers. It's the city in Texas where you will have the least difficulty finding friends outside the MAGA and hardcore evangelical groups.