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Ask HN: If you could move anywhere for a tech job, where would you go?

33 points by tylerpachal ↗ HN
I live in Toronto, Canada and work as a Software Engineer for a medium-sized startup. Overall I like it here; but I am in my mid-twenties and since I don't really have anything tying me to Toronto (I just rent an apartment and don't own much furniture or a car) I often find myself wondering/fantasizing about other places I could move to for work.

I hear Colorado and Texas are good spots for software engineers, and places in Europe sound nice as well. I worked a contract in South Korea and had a good time there but can't see myself living in Asia long term.

If you could move anywhere for a tech job, where would you go?

85 comments

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codegeek
If you move to the US, make sure you factor in Health Insurance costs that can cost anywhere from a few hundred to few thousand per month.

If I could move anywhere for a tech job, I will go with Hong Kong (a bit biased as I lived there once already). Technically, it is China but they have their own economy and Hong Kong is an awesome place. Yes, housing is expensive but everything else is cheap and quality of living can be outstanding. If you are single, HK can be a great place.

EDIT: I realized that my context was not clear when I talked about healthcare costs. I was assuming that OP may not have a regular job where employer covers most of the premiums. If the OP was on their own (freelancer etc), then the costs are definitely in the hundreds to few thousand per month. But even if you have employer sponsored plan, it can cost you a couple of hundred easily depending on the type of plan. If you are married with kids, then add more.

flexie
Not sure why anyone would downvote this. It's a valid concern for anyone coming from Europe or other places with universal healthcare and whereas most tech companies in the US offers healthcare, many small ones don't and if you start your own company it's a big issue.
friedman23
Health insurance in the US is around 70 to 100 dollars a month depending on your company and plan.
mwpmaybe
If it's a big company, and if it's just you...
friedman23
It never gets to be a few thousand even if you have a family of 6.
mwpmaybe
You're still assuming a big company. Imagine you work for a startup and have to purchase insurance on an exchange.
friedman23
I'm really not assuming big company, I'm assuming teacher.
mwpmaybe
You've been saying company, and the GP set the context of company, but okay, fine. Big organization: company, not-for-profit, union, government, etc.
friedman23
Are you really going to nitpick my words? I'm sorry that me saying 'depending on your company and plan' didn't include every possible profession in the US. Your argument is still shit and untrue. If healthcare cost more than a few hundred dollars to thousands 90% of americans wouldn't be able to afford it, which last time I checked wasn't the case.
mwpmaybe
It's made affordable for most people because it's heavily subsidized by the primary's employer or the government. Without a subsidy it can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand per month.
sverige
>> If healthcare cost more than a few hundred dollars to thousands 90% of americans wouldn't be able to afford it, which last time I checked wasn't the case.

A lot of Americans can't afford insurance, which is why many choose to pay the tax penalty and go without insurance.

Edit: removed snarky comment. In a bad mood today, have to stop posting.

mathgeek
Teachers tend to work for rather large companies. We just call them public schools.
wtvanhest
You are incorrect. The tech companiew here, even the small ones have best in class insurance coverage. Most companies cost anywhere from 1000 to 4000 per year for only the primary employee, many others add much more on for dependants.
DrScump
$1000/year is less than $90 per month. I don't think there's a legally compliant plan for less than many times that before subsidies.
wtvanhest
Yeap, exactly. He doesnt understand that insurance is subsidized and that different companies pay different subsidies. It is not unusual for people at even big companies to be responsible for half their insurance costs i.e. 4k a month of typically around 8k unsubsidized.
timewarrior
I just quit my job and moved to COBRA (which continues my current insurance for 18mo). My out of pocket is 21k per year for spouse, baby and me.

If you are starting a company be ready to pay at least 7k for insurance for yourself.

freehunter
Working for a major tech company, just my wife and I on my plan and us being young with no health issues, I paid $500/mo last year. I switched to an HSA this year as I don't think we got our money's worth from the old plan, but you can certainly rack up quite a big insurance bill. The only time I've ever had it be under $100/mo is before I got married.
JauntTrooper
We pay $805/month as a family of three. My company pays an additional $1376/month on our behalf.
friedman23
> anywhere from a few hundred to few thousand per month.

This isn't true

mwpmaybe
An unsubsidized silver plan (i.e. on an exchange) for a family of four can run into the thousands.
spoonie
To be honest, as I get older: rural Northeastern Ontario where I grew up gets more appealing. Internet access and the good-tasting-beer scene has gotten much better. And these days anything I'd want to shop for I can get delivered. The perks are reasonable housing costs and easy access to outdoor activities: own your own lake? Why not!

(This said after working in Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, London UK, Manila. And visiting many more places. A second place would be somewhere rural but close to a ski hill, Collingwood or Charlevoix or the BC interior.)

walljm
The pacific coast is amazing and gorgeous. I would not necessarily want to live in a major city (SF or LA) but would want to be within a couple hours driving distance. But a house on the beach? yes please.

Really, anywhere where there is lots of nature and the illusion of seclusion.

poirier
> illusion of seclusion

Brilliant!

tcoff91
You should move to Santa Barbara then. 2 hours north of LA, gorgeous weather, beaches, mountains with great hiking, etc... it's really nice. There are a lot of tech companies that have sprung out of UCSB.
beilabs
Worked in China, Ireland, US and Australia. Moved to Nepal days after the earthquake hit to be closer to my wife's family. Love it here, completely different pace and way of life. Highly recommended it to any digital nomads who want to come work, visit or trek.
d0m
Think of yourself in 5-10 years from now. Where do you want to be career wise and relationship wise? Then backtrack from that and do the first step to make it happen. You're very lucky to not be tied to a specific location so use that to your advantage!
pelasaco
Love my job in Germany, but as Nomad, the best places where I lived were Portugal and Australia. I would go for Portugal, since it's not isolated in the Pacific.
mping
atlantic you mean?
BrandoElFollito
He probably means not isolated on the Pacific as Australia is
AncoraImparo
Back home to Ireland. My heart never left, but my wife couldn't really make a living there. So I am in the USA.
noufalibrahim
While the circumstances of the original poster are different, this is a sentiment that I personally relate to. I have ties to the place I live in beyond my work and "cool tech. people". I'm willing to make some amount of sacrifice on the job/tech/earning front just to maintain these. That's the way I'd approach this.
client4
Montana, but I'm already here so life is great.
DrScump
Which side? I have friends from west and central. My only concerns about that region are seismic.
pmtarantino
Edinburgh, Scotland. Visited twice and I loved the city.
bsvalley
Currently in California looking to get out. It's too expensive, too crowded. The state of California is beautiful but laws and people ruined the whole thing. I feel like we don't have enough privacy here, we live on top of each other even outside of the main cities.

If you're coming from Toronto I think the weather is not your main concern... So definitely avoid California. You'll get a higher paid job and will spend the extra money into taxes, housing, etc. So it's all fake here people don't save more money (we're all cash poor in Cali).

Texas is the best alternative to California in my opinion. It's warm(er), you get more space and privacy for less, people are actually nicer (especially around the Austin area) and the food is amazing. I've always thought Texas was the craziest place on earth but after visiting a couple of times I totally see myself staying over there for a few years.

ghaff
I have trouble recommending Texas--even Austin. Personally I pretty much hate the climate for much of the year and it's not an ideal spot for most of the outdoor activities that I favor.

Other than the West Coast, I'd probably advocate for either New England or Colorado.

bsvalley
The weather is clearly your concern. Colorado and New England are certainly high on the list in terms of nice places, but winter is a big problem. I'd rather go on a 2 week trip to the mountain in the snow, than spend 6 months waking up early on the morning with a shovel in one hand and a bag of salt on the other hand :)
parressh
I live in Denver and I only have to get my shovel out about 5 times a year. Coming from the Midwest, the winters here are amazing, comparatively. There's plenty to do in the winter and the mountains are great.
nul_byte
I went to the OpenStack summit in austin last year and really loved the city. I live in the south west of the UK, which although can be nice for 4+ months of the year, is mostly dark, wet, cold from September to March.
jimmaswell
>Texas is the best alternative to California in my opinion. It's warm(er), you get more space and privacy for less, people are actually nicer

From what I've read about the laws that get passed there etc, there are a lot of classes of people Texans aren't "nice" to.

douche
If I could work 100% remote? Back home in northwest Maine. It's beautiful, it's cheap, I know everyone, my family is all there, there's a ton of stuff to do outside, it'd be a great place to raise children. It's home, and always will be.
justin_vanw
Why can't you (work 100% remote)?

I write software so maybe I just have a biased worldview ;)

rm_-rf_slash
Australia, certainly, just not sure where. Sydney is great but it's way too expensive and I hear dreadful things about the commute. Adelaide is a lovely city but perhaps a bit too dull for a young adult couple.

I've heard good things about Perth and Brisbane but haven't had the chance to visit them yet.

Otherwise I'm happy to stay in upstate New York. It may be cold half the time and gray for even more, but there's also a comfort in having roots in one of the best places in the world to deal with climate change.

Razengan
Japan. The perfect blend of high-tech metropolis and rural solitude, and chock full of stuff you just can't get anywhere else.
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pryelluw
I visited Colorado (Denver) on a business trip and fell in love with it. Would certainly move there if the conditions arose.
finkin1
Boulder (or Denver) is pretty great if you like hiking, skiing/snowboarding, rock climbing, or just generally being outside.

I currently live in Boulder and with the amount of sitting I do it's nice to be so close to nature. I've gone skiing ~20 times this season and will be transitioning to trail running in the spring.

ghaff
I haven't spent a lot of time there but, if I had no ties to anyplace else, I'd very seriously consider that area. I'd miss the ocean but it pretty much ticks all the other checkboxes.
finkin1
I recently visited the bay area and mountains + ocean is a pretty great combo I have to admit. The traffic was a bit much for me though. Boulder population is ~100,000 which ends up being the perfect size for me.
ghaff
I don't live in the Bay area but I've visited it a huge amount. Given a lot of money and the ability to avoid commuting through the worst of the traffic, I definitely get the attraction. But, meanwhile in the world I actually live in, I'll stick to visiting regularly.
jwilliams
If the criteria is "for a tech job", then move to San Francisco. The environment here and the learning on offer is unparalleled. And when I say learning I mean good, bad, indifferent, easy, hard, etc.

This is not to say you can't get those elsewhere, but the density here makes it more likely and more intense. A few years at a couple of SF tech companies is a decade of experience elsewhere. The tech companies here are in all different industries, sizes, stacks.

I say that coming from Australia, living full-time in SF - and still openly struggling with the lifestyle here now and then.

If you're trying to balance lifestyle, then I'd follow the other comments here -- Melbourne and Sydney are both terrific cites, great lifestyle and accessible culturally, but still different enough for North Americans to be interesting. The tech scene is still early, but growing rapidly. I haven't spent much time in Austin, but that feels like it may have similar attributes.

I quite like Denver/Boulder and Seattle too, but you might find that's not a huge enough departure from Toronto.

If you like big cities, New York or London might suit. If you're not a fan, then you'll be paying all the big city costs (rent, lifestyle) and getting zero back. London can be particularly tough. London might be worth it if you want a base to explore Europe. Otherwise can be a hard city to live.

Western Europe could be fun too, but the tech scene is much more varied and patchy. If you're looking at, say, Paris or Berlin, then you'd really need a passion for those cities. Plus I'd also suggest you'd want to narrow down to the 2-3 companies that you'd want to work for there -- i.e. the company first, the city second.

See also: https://hired.com/state-of-salaries-2017

api
In SoCal now which is very nice, but other places that come to mind for differing reasons are:

Asheville, North Carolina

Knoxville, Tennessee

Detroit, Michigan

Charleston, South Carolina

Santa Fe, New Mexico

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holydude
Looking to relocate to South Korea or Singapore.I have worked in Singapore and absolutely loved that place. If anyone is looking for a devops engineer for nix or windows please hit me up.
JacobDotVI
If you are US-based and remote, I would recommend taking a serious look at the US Virgin Islands. I would explain further but I'm currently sitting on the beach :)
vram22
Richard Branson lives in the British Virgin Islands. Saw a video of him there. He runs his business empire from there, almost like from a hammock :)
[dead] JacobDotVI
If you are US-based and remote, I would recommend taking a serious look at the US Virgin Islands. I would explain further but I'm currently sitting on the beach :)