There are a lot of unknown variables here that makes this question difficult to answer. As such, I'll throw out a few things that come to my and hopefully that'

There are a lot of unknown variables here that makes this question difficult to answer. As such, I'll throw out a few things that come to my and hopefully that'll help you make a decision. You should ask yourself, which company/team/idea you like more. Ultimately if neither have an edge over the other and you like both, then you can skip this but if one has a bigger interest, it should be considered. Working for a startup for most you people is about the experience, the education that comes out of it, and being surrounded by people you love working with. And you ultimately want to be happy with the idea and culture. Next, I think the best advice I can give is, when possible, don't make your decision base on financial weight. There are times when that matters and times when it doesn't. If $10k is negligible and having insurance isn't a big deal for you, go with the option that makes you happier. You could always negotiate the extra $10k saying you have another offer, and see what they say. Nothing wrong with that. It's more about the approach of how you bring it up to not screw up the offer. As someone else said, what about living in a nearby city you like and commuting? Keep in mind there are a lot of other variables I'm probably not thinking about off the top of my head. The only solid thing I can tell you is that from experience, not every career choice you make is the way you think it is. Some times something crappy turns out be great and sometimes the thing you thought was great turns out crappy. The only way to know is to experience and take your best guess. Weigh the options and if one choice seems to be bothering you more i.e. location is a huge issue, go with the lower income but stick with the happiness (of course focus on the above factors I mentioned and others I didn't mention).