Thinking about relocating? Here are a few things to consider while moving to a new city

Have you ever thought about relocating to a new city or a different country for work? While the thought of newer possibilities and limitless opportunities is very exciting, it is also bound to cause you some anxiety.
 
When I look back and think about the first time I moved to a new city, I recall how challenging the initial days were for me. While there was a whole new city waiting to be discovered, I did do my due diligence and groundwork before making the big move.

Speaking from my personal experience, here are a few things I believe every young person should keep in mind to embrace for a smooth transition. 

Finding suitable accommodation: Whether one is looking at a hostel, PG accommodation or a flat on rent, it is necessary to be sure of the exact requirements. Every option has its pros and cons, however, it’s the cons that dominate one’s decision.

From strict timings, financial affordability, neighbours and the like, you have to make sure that your new home has all the facilities and accessibilities to help you lead a comfortable life. 

Between all the chaos of contacting the brokers, looking for houses, and also taking care of facilities like house-keeping, markets, and other necessary requirements, it often becomes cumbersome to manage living alone and away from home.

Amidst all that hustle and bustle, the latest trend of co-living spaces prove to be a wiser choice for people, as moving to a new city and living all by yourself can get lonely and challenging sometimes. 

As compared to traditional rentals, co-living spaces take off the responsibility of everyday household hassles and let you focus on your work and most importantly allow you to have time for yourself as well.

These spaces eliminate the stress of dealing with landlord and encourage a spirit of community. Nevertheless, it is always recommended to visit the city once before moving, to know it well and select the best from the options available to you. 

Cost of living: What is life if not a recurring trail of changes- in life, in relationships, in lifestyle and in jobs? That’s when one starts missing home the most. As you move out of your hometown, you’ll encounter a few expenses you might have never incurred before. 

These are classified as fixed expenses, which are recurring in nature every month. Accommodation eats up a significant part of your income as it also exposes your pocket to other costs such as electricity, internet, gas, garbage disposal and water bill.

While you can tailor these expenses to suit your needs, the struggles of managing these can also become mentally exhausting. 

Co-living has become a preferred option for many as it helps in controlling fixed expenses and efforts to manage household work.

The aggregated cost that you pay while living in a co-living set-up covers rental and necessary recurring payments while giving you access to many other services to avail at your discretion.

All these provisions make co-living much more economical over traditional rental forms. 

Time is currency: With average traffic congestion at an all-time high in metros, getting weary of long commuting makes it a sensible choice to stay closer to work.

A recent report by location technology specialist TomTom, which also supplies maps for Apple and Uber, said that journey during rush-hour takes 65 and 58 per cent longer in Mumbai and Delhi respectively. 

It also appears that most people tend to save cost by staying in suburbs, but eventually end up in a travel spree.

Hence, the wise option would be to not make things intricate and simply choose for accommodation closer to your destination. This will take away the unnecessary stress and leave you with more personal and professional time. 

The good news is that most co-living spaces are being planned and constructed near key office hubs and key universities to provide convenience to millennials from other cities and students.

Community-living: Moving to a new city can be life-changing. However, it also comes with the unique challenge of urban loneliness.

Move to a big city means you have to leave your social circles behind. With less time to socialise and being away from the family, which comes with college or career, it gets hard to meet people and mingle. 

Often times, you feel lonely even when surrounded by so many buildings and people all around. Co-living set-ups can act as a perfect place for millennials to not only experience community living within the premises of their new homes. 

Therefore, when it comes to affordable rents, community living experiences, and easy access to communal areas to work, relax or cook in, and workout, co-Living should definitely be on your list when moving to a new city for either education or work-purposes. 

This article has been authored by Deepak Anand, Founder and CEO, Housr. Housr is a unique co-living platform which fosters mega communities through state-of-the-art, super aggregated, tech-enabled shared spaces for young working professionals and students.