If pay was equal as was the cost of living, would you move to be closer to family?

[Anonymous]

If you were 5 hours away now and could be less than 30 minutes away from family, would you?

[Anonymous]

Dear Lord no! I've been trying to get away from my family since I left for college. 😬 But seriously, no one can answer that but you. Do you have a great relationship with them and want to see them more?

[Anonymous]

We did it, but we kept the same income as a high COL location to a low one. DH and I are both from the same area though we didn’t meet there. We are close to all of the grandparents and it’s wonderful, but we have good relationships with all of them.

[Anonymous]

Never. I grew up in the most racist, homophobic, misogynistic, crime ridden place. I left and never looked back.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't do it for the money/COL. I would love to be closer to family but I wish they would move here, not the other way around. I don't want to live in colder midwest and I like living in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Yes we'd love to. Am from the Finger Lakes in NY so this is almost exactly our situation. But one of our jobs is very in-person.

[Anonymous]

My parents, sure. My ILs? I’d sooner take a salary cut to be stay away.

[Anonymous]

Unimportant
You either make the effort to see them, or you don't
You either have a good, loving relationship with them, or you don't. Most people do, and it's not about the distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unimportant
You either make the effort to see them, or you don't
You either have a good, loving relationship with them, or you don't. Most people do, and it's not about the distance.

The problem with this is that you miss out on the small interactions that can occur with variable frequency over time. Annual "visits" don't really build the same connections. They are more disruptive of the normal rhythms of life. Being close enough to drop in is different.