Disclaimer: The intent of this post is not to seek validation or a lecture on whether or not I made the right decision. My goal is to merely share my experience and hopefully have a discussion.

I relocated to the south almost a year ago and I frankly regret it. I'm in my late 20s and financially, leaving LA made sense mainly due to the possibility that I could retire earlier than expected if all goes as planned. However, a 35% increase in pay does not outweigh the quality of life I had in LA but I'm appreciative of the opportunity regardless.

I've kept an open mind and figured I just need more time to settle in but I'm miserably here for several reasons. I miss my friends/old colleagues, the food, weather, scenery, etc... The majority of people I've met here so far tend to have an unfavorable attitude towards LA and California in general. Some of their viewpoints are understandable but I think most of it is repeated media propaganda driven by political affiliations. LA has its pros and cons but the only snag in my experience is the high cost of living, which seems to be somewhat close to a lot of other major cities these days in terms of housing.

I can humbly say that my living standards have always been reasonable and I didn't stress financially in LA thankfully. Many could agree that more spending/saving power could justify moving to a lower COL area but PERSONALLY, the pros exceeds the "cons" and I look forward to moving back soon, hopefully.

I've visited all major cities in the US and a bunch of smaller towns/rural areas and I think Los Angeles is relatively one of best places to live here in the US.

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Follow-up (11/30/23): Wow, I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate all of your comments! I'm looking forward to moving back, hopefully early next year! I will follow up again soon. Much love!

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