Should You Move Out After College? Pros & Cons

Graduating from college is one of the most exciting and monumental moments in life – a threshold moment when you enter the real world with all its joys, responsibilities, challenges, and disappointments…

You have a degree and it’s time to start your adult life – decide what you want to do, set your goals, and start working towards them. Most pressingly, though, you need to figure out where you’re going to live.

Should you stay in your college town? Move to a new city? Move abroad? Or just move back home with your parents?

It’s one of the most important decisions you need to make when graduating from college – and to make the right choice for you, you need to be aware of the pros and cons of each option.

Moving out after college will give you freedom and independence – and will open a lot of opportunities for you.

Living at home after college will help you save money and will give you time to plan and prepare – and you will have plenty of support.

Both alternatives, however, come with their own challenges and disadvantages.

So, should you move out after college?

Consider the benefits and drawbacks of moving out after graduation and moving back home with your parents and decide which option is best for you.

Moving out right after college

Since graduating from college is a major milestone in a young adult’s life, it seems like the perfect time to move out and start living independently. And it’s best to move out right away:

• If you’ve studied away from home (as is usually the case with college students), you will be used to living on your own and will most likely be unwilling to give up your freedom – so you will probably not want to move back home with your parents after graduation;
• If you move back home for some time after college, you may get too comfortable and too complacent – and it may become very difficult to summon up the courage to change things and dive into the unknown.

Moving to a new city, state, or country after college will expand your opportunities and will help you grow as a person – yet, it won’t be easy. You need to know what to expect and to make sure you’re ready for the challenge.

Benefits of moving out after college

Moving out after graduation will be great for your career, your social life, and your personal development:

1. You will have your freedom

When living on your own, you will have the liberty to make your own choices and your own decisions – you will be able to do what you want and have the lifestyle you like.

There will be no one to order you around, lecture you, or supervise your every action – you’ll be the one to make the rules you’ll live by.

You will be completely and utterly free.

2. You will have more opportunities

Moving out after college means that you will be able to live wherever is best for your career:

• Your job search will not be restricted to a specific city or state, so you will have many more options and a much better chance to find a good job;
• You will be able to move to an area where your professional skills are in high demand and there are plenty of suitable job openings;
• If you have already found a job, you will be able to move close to your workplace.

All in all, launching your career will be much easier when you’re not tied to one location.

Besides, when you’re free to choose where to live, you can move to your favorite neighborhood, city, state, or country – or you can move to an area that offers the entertainment options, cultural life, and recreational activities that you’re interested in.

In a word – moving out after college will allow you to move to the place that best suits your needs and preferences.

3. You will grow as a person faster

The sooner you move out of your parents’ house after graduation, the sooner you’ll learn to stand on your own feet.

When you’re on your own, you’ll be pushed to work harder and will have no choice but to face challenges head-on and fight for what you believe and what you want.

There will be no one to take care of you, do chores for you, or stand up for you, so you will learn to cope on your own and not rely on anyone but yourself.

You will acquire a lot of important life skills (managing your finances, maintaining your home, handling your responsibilities, etc.) and will become mentally and emotionally stronger.

Your self-confidence and self-esteem will increase and it will be much easier to follow – and achieve – your dreams.

4. Your perspective will broaden

Moving to a new place, away from what you know (familiar places, familiar people, familiar lifestyle, familiar attitudes, etc.), will broaden your perspective of the world:

• You will be able to explore new places and try new experiences;
• You will encounter different ideas, beliefs, and cultural practices that will challenge you and will show you the world in a new light.

It will not only expand your horizons and enhance your understanding of life but will also heighten your self-awareness and help you define your values and priorities.

5. You will meet new people

When you move away from home, you will meet a lot of new people and will have the chance to make new friends, build useful connections, and start meaningful relationships.

Your social circle will expand, your social skills will improve, and your social life will become richer and more enjoyable.

What’s more, living in a place where you don’t know anyone and nobody knows you gives you a clean slate – it allows you to leave past mistakes behind, escape expectations, and create a new image for yourself.

You can become the person you want to be – not the person your parents expect you to be or the people in your hometown see you as.

As many opportunities as moving out after graduation provides, though, it poses even more challenges.

Downsides of moving out right after college

Moving out of your parents’ home means moving away from your family – and away from their financial, emotional, and physical support.

1. Financial difficulties

Moving out comes with a lot of financial responsibility (rent, utility bills, living expenses, medical bills, etc.) – and you will have to start paying back your student loans within a few months after graduation too.

You will need a considerable income to cover all these expenses, so you may experience serious financial difficulties if you move out right after college – especially if you haven’t secured a job yet. 

2. Too many responsibilities

When living on your own, you will need not only to work hard to prove yourself at your new job and generate enough income to ensure your financial stability, but will also have to take care of countless laborious, time-consuming, and annoying chores – cooking, cleaning, buying groceries, doing the laundry, etc.

Balancing all these responsibilities while trying to maintain a vibrant social life can be very difficult – and extremely draining.

3. Lack of support

If you move to a new city after college, you will move away from your support network – your parents and your childhood friends won’t be there to offer their support in times of trials and difficulties.

You will be on your own, will have no one to rely on, and will miss your loved ones very much. 

You may feel very lonely, especially in the beginning when you have not yet made new friends in your new city.

Things won’t be easy. At all.

Related: Moving to a New City Alone – Challenges and Solutions

Moving back home after college

Living with parents after graduation is very common nowadays – many young people choose to stay at home for a while after college until they get financially and emotionally stable enough to start their independent lives.

Advantages of moving back home after graduation

Moving back home after college will give you time to figure out what you really want from life and how to achieve it – and will help you gain financial security.

1. You will be able to save money

Moving out with student loans and low income (entry-level salary, earnings from part-time jobs, etc.) – or no income at all – is a recipe for financial disaster.

Living at home after college, on the other hand, will help you ensure financial stability – your parents will likely not charge you any rent and will be paying most (if not all) of the bills.

Your living expenses will be very low and you’ll be able to put a big part of your paycheck into a savings account – and build a cash fund for your future.

2. You will have time to plot and plan – and be selective

Moving back in with your parents after college will give you time to think things through, define your goals, and make plans for your future.

You won’t have to worry about rent, or bills, or food, so you won’t be pressed to make hasty decisions or take a job you don’t like just because you desperately need the money.

You will be able to try different things, figure out what you really want, research your options, apply to many companies, and wait until you’re offered a suitable, well-paying job – or accept a job that you like (or that will help you improve your professional skills, build professional connections, etc.) even if it is not at your desired pay grade.

3. You will have fewer responsibilities and more free time

When living at home, you will, of course, be expected to help around the house, but your parents will still do most of the housework.

You will have fewer chores, great food (your mom will be cooking as she always has), and more time for side hustles, hobbies, and social activities.

4. You will have plenty of support

Moving back in with your parents means that you’ll be living with the people who care for you most.

Your parents will be there for you through tough times and happy times – they will help you and support you, share your joy and your sadness, and make sure you’re never alone or ignored.

What’s more, when living at home, you’ll spend a lot of time with your parents and will have a chance to become closer to them and improve your relationship with them.

See also: Your Guide to Moving Back in With Your Parents

Staying with Mom and Dad, however, may hold you back in many ways.

Drawbacks to moving back home with parents after college

Despite all the perks of living with your parents, you may come to regret moving home after college:

1. You will lose your freedom and your privacy

When living under your parents’ roof, you’ll have to follow your parents’ rules and comply with their requests. You may have to give up some of your habits (playing loud music at all times of the day and night, smoking inside, walking around in your underwear, etc.) and readjust your conduct.

Besides, you’ll get a lot of intrusive questions and unsolicited advice – Mom and Dad will demand to know everything that is going on in your life and will try to impose their opinions and views on you.

It may feel overwhelming and suffocating.

On top of it, you’ll have very little privacy when living in your parents’ home – there will be a lot of uncomfortable questions about your personal life, it will be impossible to avoid prying eyes, and having a date over for the night will be out of the question.  

2. Your social life will suffer

When living with your parents, you won’t be able to throw house parties or have friends over for the night – worse still, you may not even have many friends in town.

Moving back home means moving away from your college friends – and many of your childhood friends may have left town in pursuit of their dreams.

Besides, you won’t meet many new people in your hometown and your social circle will be very limited.

Depending on where you’re from, there may not be many entertainment options and cultural activities available in your hometown either.

3. Your personal growth may be hindered

When you move back home after college, you will have nothing to challenge you and push you to grow as an independent person.

Your parents will be there for you and you may continue relying on them for everything, instead of fighting your own battles.

You will have no motivation to try harder or do better, so you may become complacent and stagnant – and may not have the courage – or the desire – to move on with your life.

Besides, you won’t need to deal with things like managing finances, preparing meals, or maintaining a home, so you won’t acquire the necessary life skills to exist as an independent adult.

4. You may not be able to progress in your career – or save money

If you move back to your hometown after college, your employment options may be quite limited and you may not be able to find a job in your field. You may not have any good prospects – and no chance to improve your professional skills. 

Besides, when you don’t need to worry about rent and bills, you may become too picky about jobs and miss out on good opportunities only because they don’t seem perfect enough – or you may quit a job at the first hint of a challenge.

You may end up having no income – and instead of building savings, you may be mooching off your parents.

And even if you make a decent income, when you don’t have any financial responsibilities, you may be tempted to waste your money on unnecessary luxuries – and you may not manage to save anything.

5. Your relationship with your parents may become strained

Living with your parents may lead to frustrations and clashes – you may grow resentful of their authoritative and judgmental attitude and they may grow disappointed with you.

It will be difficult to avoid conflicts and your relationship may suffer.

So, where to move after college?

As usual, the dilemma of “move out or stay with parents” has no definitive answer.

Both options have their perks but neither is ideal – you need to consider your priorities, your job prospects, and your relationship with your parents in order to make the right choice for you (and you need to ask yourself “Can I afford to move out?”, of course).

Tips for Moving Back to Hometown: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

Should you move out after college or move back home with your parents?

Graduating from college is generally considered the best time to move out of parents’ house – if you don’t feel quite ready to start your independent adult life, however, moving back home may be the wiser choice (and if you can’t find employment quickly, you will have little choice but to return home).

Besides, with the rise of remote work in recent years, it makes more and more sense to move back home after college – you will be able to save money and won’t be missing out on career opportunities because it will be easy to work from your parents’ home, regardless of where your company is located.

Don’t forget though that you will still have to sacrifice your freedom and your privacy if you decide to live with your parents – and your personal growth may be stunted.

By moving out right after college, you force yourself to learn and grow – and really start living your life.

Must-read: Tips for Moving Out of Parents’ House