We have an unusual setup in our relationship. I am the sole breadwinner, lucky enough to earn high 6 figures in a career that I have been in my whole adult life and love. My partner quit their job last year to pursue a career in a different field but has yet to make any real money yet.
We currently live in a nice part of London. My DH moved into the house that I had purchased before we met. But now we that are looking to start a family, we are struggling a bit in where to live. I would like to stay in this area of London, as I have lived here 10 years and my family are close by, as are a decent local friend group I've worked hard to build up from scratch. My work is also very much specific to London as the bulk of the UK industry is based here.
He would like to move away to the west of England. There are a few small towns in Devon that he has visited a few times and likes. And he believes that he will have an easier time making a friendship group there and that he can spend more time with friends without having to travel across to different parts of London. He struggles with the faster pace of London and finds that he doesn't like a lot of the people here and believes it will be different in a more rural spot. He's also keen to integrate more nature into his life.
I guess it's difficult as our house budget is high enough to be able to get a really decent house in this area of London with a big garden and very close to some of the big SW London green spaces. And I worry that I will really struggle moving away from my work, family and friends to start a new life based on his belief that he will do better in a small town that neither of us have any existing connection to. I also would be funding the whole cost of whatever new house we move into as he has no savings. His family also live abroad and he is not that close with them so I sort of feel if we are planning to have kids then we should at least be close to my family to help out when things get hard in those early years!