WHAT MAKES A CITY WORTH LIVING IN? THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER

WHAT MAKES A CITY WORTH LIVING IN? THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER -  Based on recent data, the adult will move from place to place 11 times on average in their lifetime, and surprisingly I have been on 11 homes in my entire life, and probably will adding on my list, because why not? I love to experience new places, and I love the idea of coming home, by place I can called home, I mean the place I was growing up. I move from one city to another mostly because I got a job offer. but of course I need to consider other factors before I accept and signed for the job, such as I need to know which city and what's I am sign up for, Is it big city, or small city? is I need to handle all by myself, or my company help me with moving, especially about housing.

I am still single, so it will be hustle free for me at least if I need to relocate to another big city, but it can be so much distress for family with children and even pets, and what if you need to handle it yourself? Thus, moving to a new location is not a decision that should be made lightly. Naturally, this choice involves a lot of considerations. Some, like affordability and employment opportunities, are obvious and near-universal in their applicability. Others, like food choice and climate, might seem less important next to dollars-and-cents issues like where you will draw your paycheck and how far it will take you. But they can still dramatically impact your quality of life and overall well-being in the long run.

But for many reasons, including for a career developments, moving to new place is inevitable. whichever reasons you have, there are some factors that can be your relocation consideration. Below are just some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a place to live, in no particular order, as these factors may have different levels of importance to people.

Photo by Adi K from Pexels

• Employment Opportunities.
  
  First and foremost, employment opportunities are a very important factor when choosing a place to live. For example if you are pursuing fashion career, you may choose a big city such as Paris or New York, where fashion industry is huge there, or you have an experience as a manager for hospitality industry, are you sure you want to move to Maldives by yourself or with your family? You may choose another option such as Bali or Bangkok
  
  
  If you are married and your household requires two incomes to support the needs of the home, then it’s important that the employment opportunities are available in the new place you consider moving to. Especially if your children who's on productive age will coming with you, these factors maybe very crucial decision in your family, if you decide to move together to the new city. Because your spouse and children maybe need to work too.
  
  
• Cost of Living.
  
  Whether you are looking to rent or buy your home, another important factor to consider when choosing a place to live is the cost of living. The cost of living varies greatly all over the country; from the cost to rent or buy your home, taxes, insurance, transportation, gas, utilities, groceries, etc.
  
  For example one of my friend decided to move to Canada with her husband, the first thing she's done was looking for Vancouver homes for sale, because she want to know if the salary offer that she got can get a home or not, because she probably will stay permanently there for good, and need to sell her property in her previous city. The cost of real estate is important even if you have no plans to buy a home right away. You still need to make room for rent in your monthly budget. Thoroughly researching prevailing rent prices before moving (or even choosing to move) ensures you’ll find an affordable place — or avoid moving to a new city you really can’t afford.
  
  
• Traffic & Ease of Transportation.
  
  If you choose to buy or rent house in suburban area because of it's affordability, and your workplace is in the middle of the city it can be a major problem, commuting can be very stressful activity especially in a big city such as Bangkok or Jakarta, while property in the central area, probably very expensive to buy, and the only option is to rent and traffic on those cities, could be the worst.
  
  Maybe you can bring your own car, maybe not, maybe it's safer to rent a car or even use local transportation. How you comfortable commute from your home to workplace, or to drop of school your children is something you can consider too.
  
  Smooth commute, less stress, yes if you are living in Singapore. Singapore can boast of a truly impressive honor: the highest passenger satisfaction rate in the world. Eighty-six percent of people are happy with public transit in the city, according to McKinsey.
  
  
• Crime Rate.
  
  The city with low crime rate is a city worth living, it's obvious that we want our society and neighborhood is safe place to grow and live. But just because an area is safe today doesn’t guarantee it will be safe in the future or vice versa. The long-term stability of a neighborhood can be a determining factor in how safe your surroundings are.
  
  Big city can be a complex place, where people from many background live there, but you can always choose to live in safer area, make a connection with locals or live your community can be very helpful especially if you are a newcomer. Obviously nobody can completely avoid the potential risk of falling victim to theft, vandalism or a violent crime. However, in an effort to better protect yourself and your belongings, looking at crime statistics and trying to find a location where crime rate is low is helpful.
  
  
• Proximity to Family and Friends.
  
  If you value time spent with family and close friends, you might want to think twice about moving too far from them. Driving across state lines to reunite for the holidays (or just because) takes time, and flying is both a source of stress and a not-insignificant strain on tight budgets.
  
  If you move city, even country, it can be very difficult for some people. Leaving big family and friends behind sometime happen if you think it's the best for your life and career. That's why you need to consider about build or join community and culture in the new place, so it can feels like home.
  
  
• Weather or Climate.
  
  For many of us, climate or weather is a critical quality-of-life consideration. Weather and climate can be factor whether you will love to stay in the city or not (and food of course, but it won't be a big problem in a big city with many cultures collides in one place), believe or not it may affect your health, you need to adapt in a new climate, for someone that always expose to sun in tropical area, northern hemisphere can be a challenge during winter, but If you enjoy winter sports, set up in a place that has them in abundance.
  
  If you are thinking of moving somewhere different, make sure to get an idea of the typical weather patterns and make sure that you’re okay with the climate conditions before deciding to move. Many people can overlook this factor, but it’s an important one! It’s worth noting that climate impacts more than just our physical comfort, mental health, hobbies, and what we wear. It very often shapes local economies and, by extension, employment and relocation decisions.
  
  
• Culture.
  Build or join a community to create a safe place to living in is very ideal option for you who are new to a city that you relocate. Making new friends with the same values can be make your days easier to adapt with a new place, it can be very helpful if you relocate from your family and friends you have grow up with.
  
  
  As with anywhere you live, it is important that you fit in and feel welcomed into the community and culture there. If you move to a city that’s extremely small, where everyone knows everyone and you’re more of a private person, that might not be the right place for you. In addition to the size of the community, you may wish to get a gauge about the level of diversity with respect to race, religion, sexuality, and ethnic culture. These are all factors that relate to the community’s culture that will be helpful in deciding whether this new location can become a new home for you.
  
  
  Major metropolitan areas do have cultural amenities and opportunities that far outstrip smaller cities’ and rural areas’. But there’s enough gray area to satisfy folks who crave both. You can have an activity together as a community, it will be easier in a big city, with a bunch of communities and hobbies, one weekend you could do brunch and other weekend, you can join a yoga class.
  
  
• School & Education System.
  
  For parents, the value of living near high-quality schools is clear. But even single folks and couples without children need to consider the local education system when choosing where to live. Many cities in Europe and North American country offers the residents with free public school, and that something make people interested to move; better education, better life for their family and children. Quoting from expatarrivals.com "Public schooling in Vancouver is free, including for expats who are permanent residents or those who are in Canada on a work visa. Schooling in British Columbia is divided into two levels: elementary school (kindergarten to grade 7) and secondary school (grade 8 to 12)."
  
  
• Access to Health Care Facilities
  European cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, and Amsterdam is 5 top cities with easy access to healthcare, but generally speaking, major metropolitan areas have more health care choice and coverage than thinly populated parts of the country, though localized disparities are quite common within metro areas.
  
  Easy and affordable healthcare is necessity to have a good living, so this factor is also important because we do not know what will happen in the future regarding to our health, make sure it's also something your life and health insurance can cover.