Austin vs. New York City

Over the past year, I have often been asked about how I like living in Austin versus New York. It is quite a polarizing subject and before I can get started the person inquiring usually interjects with their own thoughts/biases. In fact, when I was moving to Austin, I had no idea what to expect. I had only spent 48 hours there (and most of that time was on the interview for the job that I accepted with Praetorian). There were a few articles I read comparing the two cities but nothing that could really prepare me for the move mentally. So, if you’re considering taking the jump from one of these two cities to the other, this article is for you!

Before I get started, it might make sense to provide a little bit of information about myself. I lived in New York my whole adult life, including college, where I went to NYU. As I hit 30, most of my friends were getting married or moving in with their significant others. As one of the few single ones remaining, I didn’t want to live with random craigslist people (been there, done that — it’s not fun) and I was not going to nor could I afford to shell out $3K a month for a one bedroom apartment. Plus, New York, believe it or not was getting stale (more on that later), so I knew I had to move.

Why Austin?

Because I didn’t like the options in California. LA, too much traffic. SF, same issue with high rent. Boston, you gotta be kidding me! DC, getting more attractive, yet not quite there in terms of appeal. Miami, too much of a party. Chicago, the weather was too extreme.

*a commenter noted Denver, Colorado. I have never been there but I am very intrigued by that city and the outdoor options it offers.

Austin, I heard only great things about. It wasn’t really Texas, because it was so liberal. Great outdoor scene. The University of Texas. Big technology/startup industry, which lines up with my career. And that’s about all I knew.

So after a year and change, what are the biggest differences I noticed?

Sound

Maybe it’s because I’m getting old, but I’m much more sensitive to sound than ever before. New York is noisy. In terms of car honking, it makes 3rd world countries seem mellow. People in NY lay on the horn and they don’t care if it’s a residential neighborhood or not. That’s not even factoring in the construction. In NYC I didn’t have to set an alarm clock because the city would wake me up. The downside was that if I wanted to take it easy on a weekend and try to sleep early, that was not possible either.

Austin, meanwhile is really mellow in terms of noise. Despite having some of the worst overall driving I have ever seen, no one really honks in Austin. In fact it’s frowned upon. The construction is definitely booming, but it’s far more efficient compared to New York, where I lived through construction of Houston Street for 5+ years. The only real noise pollution in Austin is the trains that rumble through downtown.

Food and Service

When you move to Austin, prepare to slow down and have some awful service when going out to eat or drink. In NYC, the staffs are hustling to turn tables and have customer service in mind. In Austin, the establishment is most likely run by a lazy hipster who doesn’t care about their job or you. There are exceptions of course, but by and large this is true.

Austin does food well and in particular two things: BBQ & Tacos. NYC does everything well when it comes to food and when comparing the two, Austin doesn’t even belong in the conversation. But I also consider NYC to be the best food city on the planet. Please note: if you’ve had pizza in NYC don’t even try eating the pizza they serve in Austin.

Meeting New People

By far the most refreshing aspect of Austin is the ability to meet and befriend new people. When I moved to Austin, I did not know a soul; a month later, I had 30+ people at my pool for a 4th of July party. The reason is that it is so easy to meet people is because Austin is a city of transplants. You must be saying, so is New York, right? The key difference is mentality of the people in Austin vs. NYC. In NYC people care a lot more about your job, and in many cases it defines your personality or social group. In Austin, no one really asks you what you do for living and it’s never a barrier to entering a circle of friends.

I could be a bit bias since I’m from NY and most of my friends are ones I went to high school with. However, in such a big city, I felt like a lot of relationships were more transactional than anything whereas in Austin I’ve made a lot of genuine friendships from people of all walks of life.

Housing

For $1500 a month in NYC, I was renting a room in a 3BR apartment in the Lower East Side. 3rd floor walkup. No AC or heating. Mice, bad appliances, and a bathroom that nightmares are made of. The building was about 100 years old. And despite all that, it was considered a steal and good apartment because of it’s size (~1000 sq feet).

For $1800 a month in Austin, I was living in 1BR in a 3 year old building with parking, pool, and gym included. My unit had a balcony, new appliances, washer/dryer, big kitchen, and was ~800 square feet in size. Instead of the loud LES, I was right off of Barton Springs Road and a stone’s throw away from Zilker park, which is like Austin’s Central Park. If you are thinking of moving to Austin, Zilker is the best location in Austin.

Weather

Hands down Austin. Yes, the summer is really hot. Yes, there is no beach. But in Texas the AC is on point. Every building has it blasting. While there is no ocean, there are plenty of lakes and pools to keep you cool. Barton Springs, a pool that is fed from a natural spring and remains cold year round is God send. More importantly the humidity is close to non-existent. It can be a hundred degree day and you can be perfectly comfortable in the shade reading a book (with your Yeti to keep you hydrated of course).

NYC on the other hand has miserable weather for the first 4–5 months of the year, rains all of June, is great from July through September and then the holiday spirit gets you through to the end of the year. But those winter months sure are depressing. That’s not even counting the blizzards and hurricanes that take a toll on our already pathetic infrastructure.

Outdoors/Sports

In Austin it’s way more accessible. Central Park is a slice of heaven, but it’s not something you can appreciate daily in NYC unless you live in close proximity. The rest of the ‘parks’ are concrete slabs. The river runs are amazing, but again only accessible during a few months of the year.

As an avid soccer player, Austin was dream come true. I went from expensive recreational leagues played at terrible hours on terrible turf fields in NYC to cheap leagues or pick up games on grass fields in Austin. In short, I could play whenever I wanted. If I wasn’t up for soccer, I could easily bike around without having to worry about getting hit by a car or run on the Town Lake Trail aka the best ‘urban’ trail I’ve ever been on in the world.

Conclusion

I love both cities. New York is not for everyone but it will always be home to me. Plus, if you’re really looking to challenge yourself career wise it has no equal. The best and the brightest go there in all fields. The saying ‘if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere’ really does ring true. I’m really thankful for my time there and it has made stronger in all aspects of life.

Austin on the other hand is all about lifestyle. People are friendly, everything works efficiently, and it’s a great place for anyone to consider settling down. Like all growing cities it’s having its problems with traffic and rising rents, but nowhere on the scale of most metropolitan cities. The downside is that there still is a major difference in the cultural activities and diversity that you find in a major city.

So there you have my perspective. NYC will always by my 1st love and Austin was the best decision I’ve ever made. If you’re contemplating the move and have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me!