Every year millions of recent grads go through the same ritual of starting their adult lives completely fresh in an exciting city filled with opportunities culture and a ton of different things to do. But how can you actually move to a new city? Here are four tips on how you can survive at all

Do Some Background Research Before You Go

It’s tempting to just pack up and move to the city of your dreams but before you do that a little research will help you know if it’s a good fit. If you already have a job then that’s great but if not are there many opportunities for the job you’re looking for? You should also talk to friends who live there, spend a weekend visiting the city, and Google or check out blogs about what it’s like living there to make sure it’s a good fit for you.

Look at Your Finances and Make a Budget

I know it’s really tough to think about money and really easy to avoid figuring out how you’re going to survive but you need to know exactly how long you can live on the money you have saved and if you don’t have anything saved you will need to be more creative. Luckily if you’re really frugal all you need is a few months. To get started, you can project your fixed expenses and then set a monthly cap for flexible expenses based on your budget. Figure out how long your savings will last then divide your total savings by your monthly budget; this lets you know how long you have to find a job before your money runs out. Seeing the numbers is a little scary but it could also make a move much more manageable.

Don’t Look For Your Dream Apartment Right Away

You can look at some flexible options to start with like subletting, renting month-to-month, or crashing on a friend’s couch. It may not be roomy and it may not be the perfect location but you sacrifice that stuff for the basics. Find a temporary place that serves your immediate needs and after you are settled you can find something that better fits your preferences.

Contact Everyone in Your Network That Lives in Your New City

It’s great to have some friends in a new place and be sure to reach out to alumni as well; they are generally happy to help out one another, they may even help with job leads and career advice. Having a strong network of support is crucial when you move to a new place especially when you whack many resources of your own. This isn’t to say you can’t pick up and move to a place where you know absolutely no one, you totally can and more power to you.
Hopefully, these four tips will help you in your quest to move to a new city. References .