I'm tempted to move to a cheaper city inland, but I've heard horror stories of people trying to get to work when it snows. Is it extremely difficult to get to work in the winter?
No, not at all. Every once in a while there’s an extremely bad storm that makes it difficult, but for the most part the infrastructure (plows, salt trucks, etc.) has adapted to the climate such that it’s not a problem 97% of the time.
Minnesotan here, everyone in my office takes their laptops home if we think it'll snow. If it snows during the commute then things slow down, but there's armies of plow trucks and things get cleared quickly.
Snow is a major quality of life and safety issue. People from snowy climates will tell you it's not a big deal, but I'm from somewhere without snow, now living in the NE, it is definitely an issue and a major reason I won't settle here. Prepare to spend a few months every year basically stuck inside doing nothing. But that's a minor inconvenience compared to the issues with driving and even cycling. It's flat out dangerous to drive in snow, and more dangerous to drive on the black ice that remains.
There are cheap cities in America in much warmer climes.
Another part of the world, but where snow sometimes happens.
Utilities stay up - water, electricity, internet. It is not a big deal. People work from home and understand this; those that must go to work arrive late and go home early, this is understood too. Just have a padded coat.
