I have lived in Texas for the last 20 years, but if I had to move to any state or any country with equivalent job opportunity and salary to keep some factors similar in this comparison. Which state would you move to in the United States ? California- Weather, types of terrain with Lakes, Ocean, Valleys, Mountains and Deserts. Which country would you move to in the World? Italy, so that I could be very close to the Mediterranean Sea and the islands around Italy. Plus women & food ain't too bad either.
The only place I would avoid is New York City because I know I can't handle it; and looking at costs I don't know how you move there without making six-figures out of the gate. Don't you "need" an apartment broker to get a decent place, and isn't that 3-4 months of rent for a fee? The Great Plains region is kind of a nightmare if you're not a city father, large business owner or haven't been pulling roots out of the ground barehanded for your whole life, it's cold and remote enough that you could literally die if you take the wrong turn in the wrong part of the year. It's still cheap and easy to get around, and for all the meth jokes risk of violent crime is extremely low. People try to debunk that using per capita stats, but if there are only 50 - 100 people every 100 square miles you need a lot of sociopaths to make those numbers work. I've interviewed in southwest Arkansas and northwestern Kentucky, if they were close enough to the Gulf to be humid then their awfulness would make it unbearable. Barring that I'd live in any state in the union, I'd probably try to live in the capitol rather than the largest city, so you know you'll have a bare minimum of professional and commercial development without too much overcrowding, and you won't have to drive a hundred miles to get your license or registration.
California - the washer there is so nice, it puts everyone in a good mood. Every time I go there, people are genuinely nice. Texas always seems like they have their panties in a bunch.
Switzerland probably california clearly you haven't been inland california. fresno, bako, salinas, san bernadino, el centro, escondido are all inland california god forsaken places
State: Hawaii. Would like to spend some extended time there before climate change starts ruining it. Country: France or Monaco. Somewhere in the Cote d'Azur.
Top 5 1. California (So-Cal or the Bay Area) 2. Arizona (Phoenix or Scottsdale) 3. Nevada (Las Vegas) 4. Texas (Dallas or Austin) 5. Florida (Orlando/Miami) Honorable Mentions: Minnesota, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, or Hawaii. Bottom 5 1. Mississippi (No f#ckin' way) 2. Alabama (I should shoot you for suggesting that) 3. Kentucky 4. Kansas/Oklahoma/Nebraska (tie) Honorable Mention: Louisiana, Tennessee, or Michigan.
Can't go wrong with the west coast (CA/OR/WA), Florida could be good for you if you want to live somewhere semi-tropical but stay in the US. Colorado is nice, but it gets damn cold. Any country? I haven't been outside of the USA yet so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I plan on moving when once I get right financially. When researching the best countries to move to, New Zealand stands out, Costa Rica also seems like a solid choice. I don't if you speak any other languages besides English, Spanish is an easy one to learn. Italian, German, Chinese etc might be hard to adjust to. Reasons why NZ appeals to me personally Spoiler 1. Safe and English speaking 3. Relatively clean environment, temperate weather on the north island 4. Beautiful country, tons of nature, mountains, beaches, forest, rolling hills it has everything 5. Small population, yet still has city life in Auckland 6. Based on rankings, it has a good education system, one of the easiest places to start and conduct business, has one of the least corrupt governments in the world.
Austin in the US with NYC second. My love for cars and the need to drive would kill NY as a possibility though. Tokyo internationally.
I'd like to put in a good word for North Carolina. Growing like Texas, but with more trees and hills. People live healthier, but the groceries and other amenities cost more. Also can be a bit of a suburban wasteland, but my minority friends who have moved there have been like every other friend I've had that moved there--happy and not liable to leave any time soon. Of course, the barbecue is awful compared to Texas, but where isn't that the case?