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<p>After graduating with a bachelor&#8217;s in computer science in 2023, a software company offered me an exciting job that paid $60,000 a year.The catch?</p>
<p>I had to move away from home.I had grown up on Long Island all my life, but the company didn&#8217;t have an office within commuting distance of my parents&#8217; house.</p>
<p>Even more so.But I felt like I had no choice because of the difficult job market and the rising costs in New York, so I packed up and moved to Texas.I did the math.</p>
<p>The average rent for an apartment in most East Coast states is $2,000 to $3,000 a month.Over the course of a year, on average, that would be $30,000.</p>
<p>This was half of my annual income — before accounting for any other expenses.New York State income taxes are also high, plus there&#8217;s federal tax on top.</p>
<p>Already, with back-of-the-napkin math, I found that I would be left with less than half of my annual salary before accounting for food, insurance premiums, utilities, and rainy-day savings.After all that, there would be next to nothing left for student loan repayments, and I wouldn&#8217;t be able to save any money to eventually buy a house.Researching my options, I learned the company had an office in San Antonio.</p>
<p>As I researched this unfamiliar city, what I found astounded me.Even in a large city like San Antonio, rent averages $1,000 to $1,500 a month.</p>
<p>Texas also has no state income tax.I would have significantly more of my annual income to spend and save if I lived in Texas with the same job.Though the numbers were promising, I had never been south of Virginia until my move.</p>
<p>I had no clue what San Antonio was like and had no family or friends there for support.I found my apartment in this new, unfamiliar city remotely.</p>
<p>I made a list of apartments with ideal locations and read their tenants&#8217; reviews.</p>
<p>I focused on ones with two to four stars to avoid being misled.As part of my research, I looked at crime statistics.</p>
<p>I was happy to see it was very low.</p>
<p>I then narrowed my commute down to five minutes.After the move, I paid about $1,250 a month for a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with an in-home washer &; dryer, community gym, and pool.There is a rule in personal finance called the 50/30/20 rule.</p>
<p>Ideally, you should spend 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and save 20% of what you earn.</p>
<p>Living in Texas, I easily spent less than 50% on needs and saved more than 40% of what I earned.All of that would not have been possible on the East Coast at my entry-level, new-grad salary.Lastly, home prices in Texas are much lower, so my goal of homeownership finally felt achievable.As a new graduate, I faced a market with low salary expectations, frequent mass layoffs, and high job volatility.I made it work by moving away from a state with a high cost of living to one offering a 50% discount on life.New graduates and early professionals may find success doing the same.</p>

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