TLDR: should we stay in eastern Kentucky or move to NC
I’d love some outside perspective on a decision my husband and I keep going back and forth on.
We currently live in Eastern Kentucky and are very comfortable here. We have friends and family nearby, a routine we like, and a community we’re familiar with. We have one daughter who is 6 and in first grade. I work in healthcare and can find a job fairly easily in either location. Pay is comparable but slightly higher in Kentucky. My husband works from home, so his job isn’t tied to where we live.
We also own a home in the suburbs of Winston-Salem, NC, in a hobby/community-oriented development (my husband is a hobby pilot and this is a fly in community). We absolutely love the house and the community, and every time we’re there we find ourselves thinking, “Why don’t we just move here?”
The dilemma is that Kentucky is comfortable and established, while NC feels like it might offer more opportunities and experiences for our daughter especially as she gets older, better access to activities, a larger area to explore, more things to do, etc. At the same time, moving would mean giving up the convenience of having friends and family nearby and starting over socially.
Financially, we're in a pretty good position. We are Coast FI, but we're both still working full time. We aren't making this decision because we need to save more money or because one location is financially necessary
So I’m struggling with the question:
If you were in our shoes, would you prioritize staying somewhere you are comfortable, have family/friends, and already have an established life, or move somewhere you love and believe may provide more opportunities for your child and your family long-term?
A few things I’m particularly interested in hearing from the FI crowd:
- How much weight would you put on proximity to family and an established support system?
- For those who moved away from family for a better lifestyle/community, was it worth it?
- For those with kids, how much should we realistically factor in the opportunities available as they get older?
- Does being Coast FI change how you would approach this decision? In other words, if the finances are already in good shape, should we be more willing to optimize for quality of life rather than financial efficiency?
- And perhaps most importantly: have you ever made a move like this and regretted it, or wished you had done it sooner?
I realize there isn't a mathematically correct answer here. I’m really just looking for perspectives from people who have had to make a similar “good life vs. potentially better life” decision.
What would you do?
