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Rabl t1_j56hviq wrote

I spent a few years living in Birmingham. Cost of living here is staggeringly higher. Even for a (by Alabama standards) small condo, you're looking at $2000—$3000 month all-in (and that's assuming you can put a reasonable amount down). You'd probably need to look at $175–200K to match that $115K in AL.

As for quality of life, the BBQ up here is terrible, but just about everything else is better.

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TywinShitsGold t1_j56jz3i wrote

Seriously. OP makes $110k in Alabama with a $900 mortgage. Rent alone is gonna be $2500. Move in ready house 600-800k+ and still be a downgrade.

OP should be looking at $200+ for equal (but better schools)

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thehuntforrednov OP t1_j56lehi wrote

>OP should be looking at $200+ for equal (but better schools)

Thanks. That's kinda what I was suspecting. ~ 60-70% 'raise' to be equal.

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thehuntforrednov OP t1_j56l874 wrote

>As for quality of life, the BBQ up here is terrible, but just about everything else is better.

Why did this kill me lmao

Thanks for the info!

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ginasaurus-rex t1_j570vzh wrote

I'm from Birmingham and now live in Western Mass. I can confirm this. Also a sad lack of authentic Mexican food, but there are hidden gems occasionally.

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thehuntforrednov OP t1_j575m0a wrote

> Also a sad lack of authentic Mexican food

This is the worst news of the entire thread. This is a staple of my current diet.

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Junior_Emotion5681 t1_j57jzjb wrote

As a Mexican myself yup, I second this.

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Arctucrus t1_j58rr7i wrote

I recommend Taqueria Mexico! There's one tucked away just outside Waltham Center

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imustachelemeaning t1_j58vwha wrote

we have good mexican, run by mexicans and goods bbq run by geniuses. we just don’t post it or talk about it because we like to eat there unencumbered. source: former manager at a mexican restaurant where ex mexican presidents dine when they visit boston and former bartender at a bbq place where we don’t talk about it. bostonians rarely talk about things they truly love. we don’t ruin our places.

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thehuntforrednov OP t1_j5a3n94 wrote

I didn't realize I had posted in r/gatekeeping! Thanks for the info.

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imustachelemeaning t1_j5a8t4y wrote

you didn’t. it’s okay to learn something different without using trigger words. take the time to know a city before criticizing their cuisine without knowing such.

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Forsaken-Garlic4818 t1_j580oeq wrote

Yeah, because you live in Western Mass. There is plenty of good authentic Mexican food in the city proper and around it (Revere etc).

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ginasaurus-rex t1_j5817j2 wrote

Oh for sure. Sorry I wasn’t trying to imply there aren’t good spots. It’s just not on every street corner the way it is in Birmingham.

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Russiasucks_6969 t1_j57o6wb wrote

The BBQ is horrible but they’re right, most everything else is great.

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albertogonzalex t1_j59pzzo wrote

We do sacrifice tasty, low and slow cooked meats for things like elections with minimal voting suppression.

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Rabl t1_j5a05vo wrote

Along with vastly superior public education and healthcare systems, public transit that will at least occasionally get you from where you are to where you want to go, and all four seasons (instead of almost summer, summer, still summer, and mud).

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