This is the exact reason why I left London. It's fine and good if you are by yourself or your partner. But once you have kids, it's very difficult to live in the capital. A lot of stabbing and anti-social behaviour. You'd need to live in the rich parts of London (Chelsea..etc) and even then it's not very safe.
You will have a good life balance. The pay is usually above average (speaking about the UK, not sure about the US). The benefits are also top notch. The colleagues you work with are really top notch too.
So what's the catch? well, if you want to get promoted, you probably will not. The reason is simple: Cisco has a really bad habitude of promoting people from within who have spent decades there. There are exceptions here and there, but if someone spent twenty something years at Cisco and they apply for a job, they have a better chance to get it than anyone else. Also, almost 90% I met there where already >10 years at the company. People leave Cisco and come back to it again.
PS: There have been layoffs recently, so thing may have changed.
This is the exact reason why I left London. It's fine and good if you are by yourself or your partner. But once you have kids, it's very difficult to live in the capital. A lot of stabbing and anti-social behaviour. You'd need to live in the rich parts of London (Chelsea..etc) and even then it's not very safe.