It really depends. We have 2 children so good schooling is a must and the better neighborhoods in SD cost a pretty penny. I currently live in Dallas, TX and fo

It really depends. We have 2 children so good schooling is a must and the better neighborhoods in SD cost a pretty penny. I currently live in Dallas, TX and for me the numbers work out this way: * Housing is 2-3x more expensive for comparable neighborhoods. * Jobs pay about 10-15% less on average. So if you have a $100K income and own a $300K home in Texas, you can expect to get a $85K income and own a $900K home (worst case scenario). Downsizing can make the numbers more favorable, but it only gets you so far. All that being said, I would probably need an secondary income stream that provides an additional 25% or more of my primary income stream to justify moving out there.