This article is part of our Moving Guides.
Moving to a big city starts with questions. Which neighborhoods should you consider? What will everyday life cost? Will you need a car? Should you rent first or buy?
The right websites can help you narrow the options before you start scheduling tours or packing boxes. These five resources cover different parts of the process, from exploring your destination to organizing the move.
This list is published by GoBigCity. We’ve placed our own site first because researching a big-city move is exactly what we’re building it for.
1. GoBigCity.com: start your big-city research
Moving somewhere and visiting somewhere are two different things. A weekend itinerary is useful, but choosing a place to live takes a different set of information.
GoBigCity.com is a relocation research site built around big-city moves. Guides are live for Chicago, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Austin and Denver, with Nashville coming next. Each city guide covers cost of living, renting, getting around, weather, jobs and neighborhoods.
We build GoBigCity around the questions that come before a housing decision. Where do you want to live? What should you understand about the city first? And how do you go from browsing possibilities to a practical plan?
That includes renters, future homeowners and people who haven’t decided which direction makes sense yet. Your relocation research should have room for all three.
Start here if: you’re considering one of our cities and want the bigger picture first.
2. BestPlaces.net: compare the cost of living
A higher salary doesn’t automatically mean more spending money after a move. Housing, transportation, utilities and taxes can change the equation.
BestPlaces offers city comparisons and a cost-of-living calculator that compares housing, food, utilities, transportation, healthcare, taxes and childcare. Enter your salary, your current city and a possible destination to see what the same income would be worth there.
Use those comparisons to build a first-pass budget, then replace the broad estimates with real listings and expenses that reflect your situation.
Start here if: you want to see how your budget might change between cities.
3. Niche.com: explore places to live
Choosing a city is only the beginning. The next decision is where in that city to focus your search.
Niche lets you research places to live with grades for housing, schools, cost of living, jobs and local amenities. Its place profiles and resident reviews can help you build an initial shortlist.
Treat rankings as an introduction. Read the details, note what fits your priorities, and use what you find to decide where to spend more time researching or visiting.
Start here if: you’ve chosen a destination and want to compare neighborhoods.
4. WalkScore.com: think through everyday transportation
An apartment can look perfect online and still make your daily routine a hassle. Before committing to an address, think about how you’ll reach work, groceries, restaurants and the other places you go every week.
Walk Score rates walkability address by address and adds a Transit Score and Bike Score where they’re available, so you can compare how easy it is to get around from each place on your list.
Check individual addresses, then test the trips you expect to make regularly. A neighborhood’s reputation for walkability won’t tell you everything about a particular block or commute.
Start here if: you’re deciding whether to bring a car or comparing specific addresses.
5. Moving.com: organize the physical move
Once you know where you’re going, there’s still the question of getting there.
Moving.com offers a moving cost calculator, a packing calculator and a move planner. Together they help you estimate expenses, plan supplies and keep track of tasks.
Start planning before you settle on a moving date. A rough budget and task list make it easier to compare your options and spot costs you hadn’t considered. Our guides to what a cross-country move costs and moving across the country step by step can help with both.
Start here if: you’re ready to turn your relocation plans into a moving schedule.
Start with the city, then work toward the address
Each website answers a different question. GoBigCity introduces your destination. BestPlaces frames the budget. Niche supports neighborhood research. Walk Score shows what daily trips will look like. Moving.com helps organize the move itself.
You don’t need every detail figured out today. Start with the city you’re considering and work toward the decisions that will shape your everyday life.
Thinking about your next move? Explore GoBigCity.com.
Author: Go Big City Team
Next step: pick your city guide for rent, costs, transit, weather, jobs and neighborhoods in one place.