How Do You Decide Where To Live?

For me, it kinda depends on what I want my Sims to do or what kind of personalities I give them. Sometimes I create a new household specifically for a world, like when Life & Death came out because I didn't want to move any of my current households to Ravenwood.

In my current save, my main household started out in StrangerVille because I put both of them in the military career and the house was cheap. They later moved to Del Sol Valley because one of the lots there (Inner Circle) was affordable and offered enough space to add on new rooms. Eventually, I moved them into Hound's Head in Brindleton Bay because their family kept growing and they needed more space as well as a more child-friendly environment.

For their kids, I went with:
- San Myshuno for the eldest daughter because she loves city life
- Windenburg for the second daughter because I thought it would fit an artist (and because I love that world)
- Henford-on-Bagley for the eldest son because he studied biology, loves healthy food and values nature
- Sulani for one of the twins because he's a laid-back athlete who likes to hang out and relax at beaches (and values Sulani traditions)
- Chestnut Ridge for the second twin and her husband because she loves horses

I have a ton of other households in that save (I play rotational) which I put in various worlds that seemed to fit. For example, I have a young couple, very family-oriented, who I put in Sequoia Cottage. Then there's a witch who lives in Glimmerbrook, I have a chef and her wife living in Nordhaven where the chef runs a small business; one of my other Sims is a shady criminal living in Moonwood Mill (he might turn into a werewolf at some point, I haven't decided that yet), his ex-wife first moved to  Tomarang because she could only afford a small apartment. She is currently living in Tartosa with her new boyfriend, a Romance Therapist, but since she is a huge Japan fan, they will eventually move on to Mt. Komorebi. Another Sim moved from Ravenwood to Forgotten Hollow; she has the macabre trait, so both worlds fit her like a glove. Also, she's very much in love with Caleb Vatore and will eventually become a vampire herself.

So long story short, I try to match the worlds I pick to my Sims' personalities and/or careers as well as their needs. Some households have moved to a new place at least once, some have done that twice, while others are still in the same lot where I put them because I can't imagine them living anywhere else.

I do have the goal of having at least one household per world, though, except for Newcrest. I use that one exclusively for community lots (restaurants, cafés, nightclub, community center...). What I also try to do when I move a new household into a world is to use that world's gameplay with that household, so that goes into planning, too, or when I set up a household with three people who are roommates. That requires a lot that offers enough space for three Sims and can easily be adapted.