Living in a big city offers a great deal of benefits: they have better employment opportunities than smaller towns, better public transportation systems, more variety in people, and are much more exciting all around! But big cities have one major downside – they’re usually very expensive.
The expense of big cities gives one of two options: live in the city and pay mortgage prices for a small apartment, or live in the suburbs around the city and commute multiple hours each day. However, there are a few cities that offer big city opportunities with small town prices.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cincinnati, Ohio offer extremely cheap home prices with fantastic job opportunities. If you’re thinking about moving to a big city, both are great, but there are some differences that are worth looking into.
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania boasts a population size of around 300,000 people. It has a spectacular skyline and some great LGBT culture and nightlife. But the best thing about Pittsburgh is that its average price per square foot is $97 – that’s less than half of the square foot price of cities like Boston.
Another great perk that Pittsburgh has going for it is its powerful employment market. It’s been cited dozens of times as one of the “easiest places to find a job”. These claims aren’t unfounded as its employment rate of 5.7% is lower than the national average, and far lower than many other metropolitan areas.
The local legislation is also on our side. Same sex marriage and adoption are both legal in Pennsylvania. Transgender individuals can change their gender on all of their legal documents as they please. There is also no steadfast law against sexual discrimination, but state employees are protected.
Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati is similar to Pittsburgh in many ways; their populations differ by only a few thousand, their price per square foot is exactly the same, and they both have great LGBT party scenes.
Cincinnati beats out Pittsburgh in one big way – its unemployment rate is 4.4%, which is one of the lowest in the country. There are so many employment opportunities in Cincinnati that you’ll never be unemployed for long.
The State of Ohio isn’t as progressive as Pennsylvania when it comes to LGBT rights though. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Ohio, and transgender individuals cannot have their birth certificates or licenses altered even after their transition.
Overall, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are both great cities. The choice between better gay rights (Pittsburgh) or better employment (Cincinnati) is up to you. But you can’t truly go wrong with either!