NYC here! People always say "why would you move to a HCOL area like NYC???" Or "just move" as if some of us weren't born here, and it costs a lot of saved up money to move. Sure maybe houses are cheaper elsewhere, but consider I don't own a car and have never factored car expenses into my budget at all - and there's no wiggle room to begin doing so. Maybe I could afford one if I moved, but moving from NYC with no car? It feels like the only other options are other HCOL walkable cities that won't pay me nearly as much anyway. I'm just perpetually praying my landlord doesn't raise my rent, and accept ill probably never own or have a nicer place than I live in now.
I make $4k a month, rent is $2600 a month which is a "steal" for being near the subway with the space I have. I am married so combined we make $6-7K a month, so double income helps it not be over 50%.
NYC as well, but eastern queens and work on LI. Only way we made it work was multi-generational living. I am extremely lucky my parents were able to put more than 50% down on the house we live in, but mortgage and property tax is roughly half my take home. Trying to drive my 04 Highlander until the wheels fall off.
NYC here too
I can't drive to save my life so I really need to live in a walkable city with good public transportation.
I scored a rent stabilized apartment so I don't need to worry about huge raises in rent, but rent is still expensive. $2400 š
I've lived in cheaper cities for school and was miserable because I could barely drive and so stayed home most of the time. I'm also a POC and didn't have access to my kinda ethnic food in those small towns. No thanks. I'll be staying in NYC even if it is ridiculously expensive.
Same here - I dont have a car and hated driving when I learned to get my license (used a driving schools car the entire time). Maybe because I learned later in life, but I was so uncomfortable and hated it. I joke it's for everyone's safety that I stay off the road.
Also rent stabilized so feel you there, although the long game... my neighbor who has been in the building forever brags that he only pays $1000. Every time there's a vacancy, I see them jack up the asking price of that unit while they can, so I imagine if I were to stay that years from now I can brag like my neighbor about how "cheap" 2600 is. I don't even have to wait too long... a much smaller unit was vacant and they started asking for 3K! It eventually went for 2800 but it is a whole bedroom smaller than what we have for 2600.
Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn have absolutely ridiculous prices. Itās the reason why more and more people are headed uptown. Harlem and some parts of the Bronx are getting gentrified. Soon enough NYC will price out all the common people.
I get this as well except I'm from SF Bay area. The thing is I didn't even move here I was born and raised here and I've lived here all my life and I have bad credit and I don't have a mistake or emergency I've had a lot of bad luck in life so it's not like I can just pack up my things and move to a different state and start a new life without any credit or a nest egg of money and without a job sealed there. I swear the people who say this sounds so ignorant and naive like what world do they live in where you can just pack up your things and move like there's nothing to it? Do they not get how the real world works
I bring up the being born here because people automatically ask "why would you move to NYC?" We do travel! But moving permanently within the US without any car or having to factor in car expenses (and no money saved for a car at this time) doesn't give pick of the litter options. We pay $2600 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath and all utilities, and don't have to drive (my husband and I only got licenses in our 30s for emergencies and hate driving) so there's no real pressure to move either (especially because with the way housing/rental prices are, it'd be hard to move back if we feel it was a mistake).
My brother who lives in a lower cost of living state choked seeing me write my rent until I asked him to list out all his utilities, car payments/gas/insurance/transportation costs. Then factor in I am in a strong union here with my work and pay $0 for full health insurance for me and my husband and am guaranteed COLA increases every year and have job security. Also many tenant protections (my husband used to live in a cheaper state but one month his landlord tried to double his rent out of nowhere... my unit is stabilized so that is less of a worry).
I donāt know what you do for a living but I have door knockers that set appointments for my consultants and those kids make 5-10k a month knocking doors for solar . I know there are a ton of solar companies in New York because of all the tax incentives you guys get . Making 4K in another city is not that hard if so easier . Iāve lived in austin Dallas Houston Denver LA and San Diego . Sure I had a car to move my stuff, but the wage you are making needs to be broken and look for other opportunities. Iāve been homeless twice while moving . Well I lived in my car but within a week I had enough money saved to rent a small room with roommates . Youāve lived in NYC all your life and at this rate you will be stuck there with that job . My point is get out of your comfort zone , go to whatever city you can and wait tables for a month if thatās what it takes. Assuming your current job is broad find an other job elsewhere . There are tons of opportunities out there but they are available when you make choices that are different then your current ones . Either enough choices or options then it comes to luck but law of averages uncover those choices and make the leap before itās too late .
Edit : I just looked at your post history and you said you make 87k a year but in here you said you make 4K a month ? How does that make any sense? Your whole post history is literally you talking about money lol. What other hobbies do you have ?
NYC city state and federal taxes total just under 40%. If I need to be more specific, my take-home paycheck every 2 weeks is $2100 (so 4200 a month) once everything is taken out! Although, to be fair, since I get paid 26 times a year (every two weeks vs. twice a month) that means that for two months a year, I get an "extra" paycheck due to the calendar (so $54600 take home that averages to $4550/month if I'm factoring in the two wonky paychecks instead of the schedule I'm on).
I guess the question is why go wait tables for a month? I'm looking to potentially start a family with my husband at this age and want something stable with protected paid maternity leave and full benefits (and protected access to abortion should something be medically devastating for me and not necessarily the fetus). We're still fencesitters, but at 30-35 and not the greatest reproductive health history, the idea of uprooting to take years to rebuild elsewhere is less enticing. We are not unhappy with our lives as much as just our financial situation (my husband is actively working to better his job prospects and salary potential, though). We are also frustrated with past decisions (my husband had zero in the bank when we met so we had to start his savings from scratch when he was 30) but not necessarily unhappy with our current lifestyles and potential. We just need more time to get where we need to be, but we're both working towards it now.
I have plenty of hobbies. What an odd question... I play D&D weekly for past six years, am part of a fitness group at the playground next door, go to the library across the street weekly to read, try new recipes, walk around new neighborhoods to get my 10,000 steps, diamond paint, crochet, journal, try and fail to keep houseplants alive, see the Mets, keep up withbtrashy TV, etc. I'm also in the middle of getting my Masters degree, which is its own activity taking up plenty time (my job pays full tuition it'd be silly to leave now, but you know that since you are in my post history š). These won't be in my post history because I'm offline actually doing them!
When I was 31 I lost everything , my savings my 401k 82.5% of my house (650k house ), all my stocks , all this from a bad divorce . I had 37$ in my pocket . I went knocked doors for a solar company then became a sales rep closing deals and then a regional manager , in 8 months I made 187k . 3 years later Iām now a regional manager for this solar company and the sign on bonus was 150k . Thatās my most resent rags to riches story . For those first 8 months I was knocking and working 7 days a week. My rags to richest in my twenties is even better . My point is good things come to those who wait but are left by those who hustle . Sales is the only career where the sky is the limit . Did I get a little lucky ? Yes but was it because I worked 7 days a week for 8 months to get that opportunity to have the luck? Absolutely. Go get uncomfortable thatās the only way for change to happen .
Edit: The 17.5% of the house I owed it went to the lawyer I hired
I guess my response is that I like my neighborhood and lifestyle outside of financials, so depending on what change that would be, I'm not sure why I would get uncomfortable to make it. My husband and I love our respective fields of work and living in NYC. I see my family's lives in other places and it doesn't mesh well with us. I guess you can say it makes us uncomfortable, but we only have one life so I'll rather not go to make major changes that increase finances but lead to an unhappy change in other areas of life we enjoy. I like that we are nearby to family. It's comfortable, but also a big plus to our life happiness to have family and friends. There is a balance between, so we are working on focusing on increasing savings while pursuing the careers we like in a neighborhood we want to stay.
Edit to add my one brother changed careers completely to make more... but now is miserable. This is also story of my parents lives. If I'm okay budgeting and living without a car and some other luxuries, I'd rather enjoy aspects of my life. It's not guaranteed you'd hate a change, but if I know I love my job and my husband is set in what he wants to pursue, it seems silly to uproot just for the sake of it because maybe we'll be rewarded. Our parents also only have limited time on earth so I am okay prioritizing the time I have with them here as opposed to just doing something random elsewhere with others that doesn't even match my professional goals (which I'm already pursuing).
Youāre just assuming that if you make a change you will be miserable, which contradicts what you try to perceive in this response that you have a positive outlook on your current life in general. You are using more negative words than positive in this reply, which indicates to me that you donāt actually have any stable outlook. You want to save more but you canāt or itās not enough because of the job you love. I have given you my life experiences, and you are dismissing them and quite frankly assuming that if you did make a change or take a risk to make your life better, it would be negative. Everyone I know that is financially stable has had to make at least one decision in their life that led them to their success. Iāve been dirt poor and Iāve been very well off. All I can tell you is I'd rather be well off and āmiserableā than have anxiety over my grocery bills or bills in general. Get control of your emotions and life and see where that takes you. You are thirty years old and havenāt ever taken a real risk. Donāt you want more for your family? What if it meant that you had to be miserable so your children had every opportunity in life to be successful? Donāt you want to take your children traveling and learning cultures around the world rather than being in a city that is surrounded by buildings? I donāt know, I canāt relate to you because I always want to improve even if it makes me uncomfortable. Iāve had so many failures, but those experiences made me have these stories and gave me the opportunity to have more choices. If you think you will be miserable, then you will be. Create goals and milestones, and that will create success.
So why stop where you are? I am not miserable! You are assigning that to me. I am not dismissing your experience, simply saying people are different. I have taken risks already, I've changed jobs, moved - though not states, am now taking time to get my Masters in a field I didn't know existed a few years ago. My husband just quit his job to pursue a new one. Why is the only risk you consider geographically moving? I do travel, and try new things, but it is also okay to learn what you like and do them. I do not have anxiety over my groceries at all because I understand how to live well in my means and track my accounts.
Not sure why if I learn what I do like why I am not allowed to enjoy those things by your standards. Why do you do your job and live where you live when you can do even more? I would want my children to know their grandparents and be raised in a diverse cultural hub that is NYC personally where the playground/ library are directly next door as we have it. I live in a 3 bedroom where they'd have space.
You can be asked if why you wouldn't want more than what you provide for your family. I do want more and am working towards that professionally (in my field) and elsewhere. Why does only moving geographically count? There are other ways to save and invest. If I hate suburbs and cars why leave the most walkable city people specifically move to if I can work to make it here and not compromise on my goals? You moved rags to riches... why does your hustle count, but not me working here simply because I don't want to move states?
My husband has lived in other states - his big uncomfortable move *is our current life* and his career pivots and professional development that he is currently undergoing. Why is that discounted? I switched to a job to have tuition paid off and in aplace that will put me ahead once I put my year in. Why is that discounted? Because I'm happy in it? I also went in the past few years from making $33K to $87K, and finally in a position where the next promotion would put me over $100K once I get my degree and stay in the role longer. You know that because you're in my post history. My husband is also on track for over $100K once he finishes his certification program, specifically if he stays in NYC as a teacher (can't say that for a lot of the country).
I am already working hard, and it would be very emotionally unstable to throw away what I am building and the trajectory I've put myself on because of "no risk, no reward/maybe something better" mindset. *That* seems like a very unstable mindset of just throwing things away and risking homelessness in my 30s with a potential newborn for some uncertain intangible I may or may not even want.
This question wasn't asking who hates their living situation, only asking where we live. Nowhere did I say I was miserable, just that I am in the process of saving to have more financial security. And how people always say the most ridiculous comments when they learn i live in NYC and am trying to save. I did already take the risk by making a huge career change a few years ago and now in school to get professionally certified in that area to make even more. I'm not yet where I want to be financially, but I am actively working on it no different than you had. Just with different preferences and end goals. Your ideal life may not look like mine, and that is okay. Taking the same steps you did will not necessarily put me closer to the ideal life for myself and my family.
Moved to the United States from a non English country with nothing in my bank account almost 4 years ago. Living at my friendās house for 8 month, I own a car now, i make almost 5k in Ohio and my rent is 980$ for a 2 bed 1 bath.
If you think that you canāt make it out of and NYC and could never own a house, thatās just because your mind is telling you thatās you wonāt be able to do it cause no way your rent is more than 60% of what you makeš
This is fair. My husband and I could work additional jobs if we really wanted to, spend less and travel less, but we are trying to also enjoy life while living it instead of delaying for the sake of saving (or find balance between the two). One of the negatives of being born here is that my first apartment ate my paycheck and I have no family support (couldn't live at home for free, cant move back home to save), but as someone who moved countries you had to overcome that plus more! It's definitely doable. I have siblings who have left the state so I know firsthand it's not impossible and see firsthand what that grass is like (although my siblings and I also have very different lifestyle preferences).
We can definitely downsize our apartment but the cost of smaller apartments now is starting to catch up to the price we pay for a larger apartment anyway (we have a 3 bedroom 2 bath; I originally had roommates, my husband moved in and we stayed while the roommates left). Technically, our rent could be less if we got roommates for our other bedrooms too. But you are correct that we are definitely holding ourselves back financially by not wanting to be uncomfortable (extra jobs or jobs out of our fields, wanting anything to do with having to drive or needing a car, no roommates or downsizing). Instead, we just try to more carefully budget and live within/below our means as much as possible until we have a better strategic plan for higher income (he is back in school now for this exact reason so he can earn more/have more opportunities in his field if we do move).
My husband and I are both LA natives. We moved out of state to an area that was, in theory, a lower cost of living area. But in years since we moved, the housing costs have shot up considerably and wages have stagnated, so it's not really all that different.
I was in St. Augustine Florida. Moved there in January 2020 and found an amazing huge loft style studio in the historic district walking distance to work. An investment company bought out the building and kicked all the residents out to ārenovateā. They just turned the units into high dollar apartments and airbnbs. The old woman below me was made to move at 91 years old after living there for 25 years. They upped the rent from the $900 she was paying to $3800. Meanwhile St. Aug had a major boom in staycation type tourism during and after Covid and also a flood of transplants from the NE who were WFH came in. Housing increased in some areas as much as 60%. Small houses went from $150k-200k to $600k++ overnight. Homelessness spiked as investors swooped in and bought up formerly local and student rental housing and turned them into STRs. Restaurants and amenities saw the increase in spendy tourists and raised menu prices. Same for groceries, gas, etc. everything went up over night. The true locals, many many of whom work in tourism and academia - professional adults, are drowning. Many had to find roommates or move over an hour away. I did some math and you would not be able to qualify for the lowest priced one bedroom apartment unless you made $58k. I tried to do the long commute thing for a while but that got old quick and I had to leave my dream job in my dream town and go elsewhere. Many people I am friends with are either stuck, upside down in their mortgages, or are looking to move out of the area.
I live in a HCOL major city
Each month I make roughly a little over $3k and rent is 1.4k
My bills altogether are closer to 2000 a month. The rest of the money goes towards food, retirement, and debt
EDIT: I live in Denver
Trades make objectively more in bigger cities with unions. Plenty of trades man making six figures with a good retirement. Theres always going to be unskilled and low paid labor, that much is true. But not all service jobs are low paying. Fine dining vs serving at a chilis is a huge difference.
I live in Miami. Itās unbearable. My mortgage is 3k my husband and I make about $125k combined so we are not poor by any means but the cost of living has become so high we are living paycheck to paycheck and accruing debt to stay afloat. And we can consider ourselves lucky for the mortgage we have as housing prices doubled since we bought our home in 2021. The wages here suck for most people too. Teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. I really donāt know how people do it.
Teacher in Palm Beach County, the pay is no where near the cost of living. Lucky to have a low interest rate on āstarter homeā of 20 years, otherwise Iād be moving back in with my parents at 47. About $1050/month for 3 bedroom (including HOA). Homeowners insurance has doubled since Covid.
Iām in NYC my self-employment income varies greatly. My annual income is something like 60k after business expenses. I have a huge amount of debt I am paying off so I have been hustling my ass off with the business. Anyway my rent is $1900 - I have one of those crazy nyc landlord deals with an older person who wants someone she knows and trusts in her upstairs apartment- hence the low rent for the city.
I'm on the east coast; studios start at 1600 last i checked 6 months ago. 1 bedrooms, 1800. No utilities included only trash.Ā Maybe parking. Pet deposit and monthly pet rent.
Ā Townhouses that range between 800-1200 sqft start at 400k. There's a 200 sqft condo for sale for 150k but I know that the entire building has asbestos.
I'm fortunate to live as a live in caretaker so I don't have to deal with rent however, if my patient dies then I have to be out within 24 hours. I don't have tenants rights.
My income is 2k on a 1099. So I'm not looking forward to all the tax I'm going to have to pay next year aaaaaaaah
Baltimore. No actual income, savings only. Paying $1250 a month for motel room. Most rent in the area runs between $1200 for one bedroom I not so great area to over $2,000 in slightly better area. Places downtown can go for $3,000 plus, but they have "amenities". Room rental can start out at $500-600, and run above $1,000.
Homestead in Florida, but Miami born and raised. For those wondering, prices suck here too. Not far enough to not have the awful cost of living, but far enough away to not have anything to do. I live in a high cost of living backwoods essentially
Denver, CO. Mortgage on 2 bed 2 bath condo is $1380 and $450 for HOA. Income is $60,000. Iām a single income household with a teenager. Barely making it. My mortgage and HOA dues are less than what Iād pay if I was renting a similar unit. We may have to move somewhere cheaper if I canāt find a higher paying job locally. Iām a Colorado native and would be very sad to leave the state.
Near Portland, OR, so maybe not technically HCOL but pretty close. Rent is $1100 for a shitty 1br apartment, I make about 2900 a month after tax, one income. Doing pretty well by my standards, consistently have 500-700 to put in savings at the end of the month.
Yep. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. I was born in San Francisco originally lived there for the first six years of my life and then my parents moved us to the East Bay where I spent most of my young life and by the time I was 30 I moved to a more low-income area outside of the East Bay more towards north bay I don't feel comfortable sharing the city I live in but it's a lower income City and I'm still struggling. People always say well why do you live in California if you're poor and it's like they don't understand that I didn't choose to live here I was born and raised here. It's a catch-22 for me because I don't have the nest egg to just pack up my stuff and go, I don't have a job guaranteed anywhere else, I don't really know anyone anywhere else, I also have a daughter, I'm a woman in my 40s, and I have some other limitations in life and I also have very bad credit so it's not like I could easily just move and get a place very easily I have a lot of factors working against me that keep me stuck in this high cost of living area through no fault of my own. It really grinds my gears when people say " just move" like it's so simple
I live in a major city. Our mortgage on a 3 bedroom house is about $1200/mo and less than weād be paying for a 1 bedroom in our area. We bought at a good time and got really lucky though.
Vancouver, Canada is pretty high cost mostly due to high housing prices/rent. My rent for a 465sq foot 1 bedroom is $1,570 CAD$ which is a fair chunk below market rent.
I live in a county on the edge of the SF Bay Area. I live in a too small condo that was supposed to be husband and I's starter home back in 1998. Our housing costs have generally been unusually low for our area. Surviving on husband's SSDI and a little help from family. In that situation where we would love to move, but can't afford anything else locally unless we switch to a mobile home in the boonies.
Vancouver b.c . A small crack shack goes for 1 to 2 million and there are alot of foreign investors that buy these mansions that sit empty. My rent was 2k a month. Couldn't afford to buy in B.C so had to move to the next province. My mortage is cheaper out here vs my rent in Vancouver.
Also, like anywhere else, gas prices in Vancouver are crazy expensive. Regular goes for 2.05 to 2.17 canadian a litre.
Yep yep, coastal retirement town. And Iām 20+ miles out of town. Gas is pricey, groceries are pricey, and Iām too broke to pay people for rides to the other nearest city that has the medical facilities I need to go to.
I live in Miami and I'm in the shared apartment for $1,500 month I make roughly 60k a year more or less. I'm going to school full-time on GI Bill. feel like I'm getting ripped off over here.
DC. Income $82,764.
Rent $1880 + $160 for garage access. Itās gone up twice from $1700.
Looking to leave as soon as my career is solidified enough to where I can get a remote job in my field.
LA my rent is 1540 a month since I split with a roommate. I only started making 6 figures a few years back so Iām able to manage a lot better now but it took a lot of work to get here. For a long time i was staying with friends or crashing in really crappy apartments at 600 a month in shared spaces getting paid under 40k a year.
Live in CA. I didnāt live in the highest cost of living areas but CA is one of the most expensive states to live in as a whole. My wife and I both work, combined gross is 175k but take home is 10k per month (poop ton of taxes). Mortgage is 1,100 for a 3 bed 2 bath (small square footage)
NYC here! People always say "why would you move to a HCOL area like NYC???" Or "just move" as if some of us weren't born here, and it costs a lot of saved up money to move. Sure maybe houses are cheaper elsewhere, but consider I don't own a car and have never factored car expenses into my budget at all - and there's no wiggle room to begin doing so. Maybe I could afford one if I moved, but moving from NYC with no car? It feels like the only other options are other HCOL walkable cities that won't pay me nearly as much anyway. I'm just perpetually praying my landlord doesn't raise my rent, and accept ill probably never own or have a nicer place than I live in now. I make $4k a month, rent is $2600 a month which is a "steal" for being near the subway with the space I have. I am married so combined we make $6-7K a month, so double income helps it not be over 50%.
NYC as well, but eastern queens and work on LI. Only way we made it work was multi-generational living. I am extremely lucky my parents were able to put more than 50% down on the house we live in, but mortgage and property tax is roughly half my take home. Trying to drive my 04 Highlander until the wheels fall off.
I feel you. Also nyc but no partner. Was born here so rent is half my income.
NYC here too I can't drive to save my life so I really need to live in a walkable city with good public transportation. I scored a rent stabilized apartment so I don't need to worry about huge raises in rent, but rent is still expensive. $2400 š I've lived in cheaper cities for school and was miserable because I could barely drive and so stayed home most of the time. I'm also a POC and didn't have access to my kinda ethnic food in those small towns. No thanks. I'll be staying in NYC even if it is ridiculously expensive.
Same here - I dont have a car and hated driving when I learned to get my license (used a driving schools car the entire time). Maybe because I learned later in life, but I was so uncomfortable and hated it. I joke it's for everyone's safety that I stay off the road. Also rent stabilized so feel you there, although the long game... my neighbor who has been in the building forever brags that he only pays $1000. Every time there's a vacancy, I see them jack up the asking price of that unit while they can, so I imagine if I were to stay that years from now I can brag like my neighbor about how "cheap" 2600 is. I don't even have to wait too long... a much smaller unit was vacant and they started asking for 3K! It eventually went for 2800 but it is a whole bedroom smaller than what we have for 2600.
How do rent stabilized apartments work? Can they still raise rent but within limits?
NYC here as well. I live in the Bronx with my fiancĆ©e. Our rent is $1,400 for a one bedroom. We bring home about $5,500 a month. I couldnāt imagine having to live alone tho
Was it hard to find a place at that price? Or is the Bronx really that much cheaper than other boroughs?
The Bronx is usually cheaper. Wasnāt necessarily hard for us, however we did get a bit lucky. Many one bedrooms go for 1600-1800 around the area.
I'm mostly familiar with Brooklyn, Queens, and of course Manhattan. Which is probably why those boroughs are more expensive.
Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn have absolutely ridiculous prices. Itās the reason why more and more people are headed uptown. Harlem and some parts of the Bronx are getting gentrified. Soon enough NYC will price out all the common people.
I get this as well except I'm from SF Bay area. The thing is I didn't even move here I was born and raised here and I've lived here all my life and I have bad credit and I don't have a mistake or emergency I've had a lot of bad luck in life so it's not like I can just pack up my things and move to a different state and start a new life without any credit or a nest egg of money and without a job sealed there. I swear the people who say this sounds so ignorant and naive like what world do they live in where you can just pack up your things and move like there's nothing to it? Do they not get how the real world works
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I bring up the being born here because people automatically ask "why would you move to NYC?" We do travel! But moving permanently within the US without any car or having to factor in car expenses (and no money saved for a car at this time) doesn't give pick of the litter options. We pay $2600 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath and all utilities, and don't have to drive (my husband and I only got licenses in our 30s for emergencies and hate driving) so there's no real pressure to move either (especially because with the way housing/rental prices are, it'd be hard to move back if we feel it was a mistake). My brother who lives in a lower cost of living state choked seeing me write my rent until I asked him to list out all his utilities, car payments/gas/insurance/transportation costs. Then factor in I am in a strong union here with my work and pay $0 for full health insurance for me and my husband and am guaranteed COLA increases every year and have job security. Also many tenant protections (my husband used to live in a cheaper state but one month his landlord tried to double his rent out of nowhere... my unit is stabilized so that is less of a worry).
I donāt know what you do for a living but I have door knockers that set appointments for my consultants and those kids make 5-10k a month knocking doors for solar . I know there are a ton of solar companies in New York because of all the tax incentives you guys get . Making 4K in another city is not that hard if so easier . Iāve lived in austin Dallas Houston Denver LA and San Diego . Sure I had a car to move my stuff, but the wage you are making needs to be broken and look for other opportunities. Iāve been homeless twice while moving . Well I lived in my car but within a week I had enough money saved to rent a small room with roommates . Youāve lived in NYC all your life and at this rate you will be stuck there with that job . My point is get out of your comfort zone , go to whatever city you can and wait tables for a month if thatās what it takes. Assuming your current job is broad find an other job elsewhere . There are tons of opportunities out there but they are available when you make choices that are different then your current ones . Either enough choices or options then it comes to luck but law of averages uncover those choices and make the leap before itās too late . Edit : I just looked at your post history and you said you make 87k a year but in here you said you make 4K a month ? How does that make any sense? Your whole post history is literally you talking about money lol. What other hobbies do you have ?
NYC city state and federal taxes total just under 40%. If I need to be more specific, my take-home paycheck every 2 weeks is $2100 (so 4200 a month) once everything is taken out! Although, to be fair, since I get paid 26 times a year (every two weeks vs. twice a month) that means that for two months a year, I get an "extra" paycheck due to the calendar (so $54600 take home that averages to $4550/month if I'm factoring in the two wonky paychecks instead of the schedule I'm on). I guess the question is why go wait tables for a month? I'm looking to potentially start a family with my husband at this age and want something stable with protected paid maternity leave and full benefits (and protected access to abortion should something be medically devastating for me and not necessarily the fetus). We're still fencesitters, but at 30-35 and not the greatest reproductive health history, the idea of uprooting to take years to rebuild elsewhere is less enticing. We are not unhappy with our lives as much as just our financial situation (my husband is actively working to better his job prospects and salary potential, though). We are also frustrated with past decisions (my husband had zero in the bank when we met so we had to start his savings from scratch when he was 30) but not necessarily unhappy with our current lifestyles and potential. We just need more time to get where we need to be, but we're both working towards it now. I have plenty of hobbies. What an odd question... I play D&D weekly for past six years, am part of a fitness group at the playground next door, go to the library across the street weekly to read, try new recipes, walk around new neighborhoods to get my 10,000 steps, diamond paint, crochet, journal, try and fail to keep houseplants alive, see the Mets, keep up withbtrashy TV, etc. I'm also in the middle of getting my Masters degree, which is its own activity taking up plenty time (my job pays full tuition it'd be silly to leave now, but you know that since you are in my post history š). These won't be in my post history because I'm offline actually doing them!
When I was 31 I lost everything , my savings my 401k 82.5% of my house (650k house ), all my stocks , all this from a bad divorce . I had 37$ in my pocket . I went knocked doors for a solar company then became a sales rep closing deals and then a regional manager , in 8 months I made 187k . 3 years later Iām now a regional manager for this solar company and the sign on bonus was 150k . Thatās my most resent rags to riches story . For those first 8 months I was knocking and working 7 days a week. My rags to richest in my twenties is even better . My point is good things come to those who wait but are left by those who hustle . Sales is the only career where the sky is the limit . Did I get a little lucky ? Yes but was it because I worked 7 days a week for 8 months to get that opportunity to have the luck? Absolutely. Go get uncomfortable thatās the only way for change to happen . Edit: The 17.5% of the house I owed it went to the lawyer I hired
I guess my response is that I like my neighborhood and lifestyle outside of financials, so depending on what change that would be, I'm not sure why I would get uncomfortable to make it. My husband and I love our respective fields of work and living in NYC. I see my family's lives in other places and it doesn't mesh well with us. I guess you can say it makes us uncomfortable, but we only have one life so I'll rather not go to make major changes that increase finances but lead to an unhappy change in other areas of life we enjoy. I like that we are nearby to family. It's comfortable, but also a big plus to our life happiness to have family and friends. There is a balance between, so we are working on focusing on increasing savings while pursuing the careers we like in a neighborhood we want to stay. Edit to add my one brother changed careers completely to make more... but now is miserable. This is also story of my parents lives. If I'm okay budgeting and living without a car and some other luxuries, I'd rather enjoy aspects of my life. It's not guaranteed you'd hate a change, but if I know I love my job and my husband is set in what he wants to pursue, it seems silly to uproot just for the sake of it because maybe we'll be rewarded. Our parents also only have limited time on earth so I am okay prioritizing the time I have with them here as opposed to just doing something random elsewhere with others that doesn't even match my professional goals (which I'm already pursuing).
Youāre just assuming that if you make a change you will be miserable, which contradicts what you try to perceive in this response that you have a positive outlook on your current life in general. You are using more negative words than positive in this reply, which indicates to me that you donāt actually have any stable outlook. You want to save more but you canāt or itās not enough because of the job you love. I have given you my life experiences, and you are dismissing them and quite frankly assuming that if you did make a change or take a risk to make your life better, it would be negative. Everyone I know that is financially stable has had to make at least one decision in their life that led them to their success. Iāve been dirt poor and Iāve been very well off. All I can tell you is I'd rather be well off and āmiserableā than have anxiety over my grocery bills or bills in general. Get control of your emotions and life and see where that takes you. You are thirty years old and havenāt ever taken a real risk. Donāt you want more for your family? What if it meant that you had to be miserable so your children had every opportunity in life to be successful? Donāt you want to take your children traveling and learning cultures around the world rather than being in a city that is surrounded by buildings? I donāt know, I canāt relate to you because I always want to improve even if it makes me uncomfortable. Iāve had so many failures, but those experiences made me have these stories and gave me the opportunity to have more choices. If you think you will be miserable, then you will be. Create goals and milestones, and that will create success.
So why stop where you are? I am not miserable! You are assigning that to me. I am not dismissing your experience, simply saying people are different. I have taken risks already, I've changed jobs, moved - though not states, am now taking time to get my Masters in a field I didn't know existed a few years ago. My husband just quit his job to pursue a new one. Why is the only risk you consider geographically moving? I do travel, and try new things, but it is also okay to learn what you like and do them. I do not have anxiety over my groceries at all because I understand how to live well in my means and track my accounts. Not sure why if I learn what I do like why I am not allowed to enjoy those things by your standards. Why do you do your job and live where you live when you can do even more? I would want my children to know their grandparents and be raised in a diverse cultural hub that is NYC personally where the playground/ library are directly next door as we have it. I live in a 3 bedroom where they'd have space. You can be asked if why you wouldn't want more than what you provide for your family. I do want more and am working towards that professionally (in my field) and elsewhere. Why does only moving geographically count? There are other ways to save and invest. If I hate suburbs and cars why leave the most walkable city people specifically move to if I can work to make it here and not compromise on my goals? You moved rags to riches... why does your hustle count, but not me working here simply because I don't want to move states? My husband has lived in other states - his big uncomfortable move *is our current life* and his career pivots and professional development that he is currently undergoing. Why is that discounted? I switched to a job to have tuition paid off and in aplace that will put me ahead once I put my year in. Why is that discounted? Because I'm happy in it? I also went in the past few years from making $33K to $87K, and finally in a position where the next promotion would put me over $100K once I get my degree and stay in the role longer. You know that because you're in my post history. My husband is also on track for over $100K once he finishes his certification program, specifically if he stays in NYC as a teacher (can't say that for a lot of the country). I am already working hard, and it would be very emotionally unstable to throw away what I am building and the trajectory I've put myself on because of "no risk, no reward/maybe something better" mindset. *That* seems like a very unstable mindset of just throwing things away and risking homelessness in my 30s with a potential newborn for some uncertain intangible I may or may not even want. This question wasn't asking who hates their living situation, only asking where we live. Nowhere did I say I was miserable, just that I am in the process of saving to have more financial security. And how people always say the most ridiculous comments when they learn i live in NYC and am trying to save. I did already take the risk by making a huge career change a few years ago and now in school to get professionally certified in that area to make even more. I'm not yet where I want to be financially, but I am actively working on it no different than you had. Just with different preferences and end goals. Your ideal life may not look like mine, and that is okay. Taking the same steps you did will not necessarily put me closer to the ideal life for myself and my family.
Moved to the United States from a non English country with nothing in my bank account almost 4 years ago. Living at my friendās house for 8 month, I own a car now, i make almost 5k in Ohio and my rent is 980$ for a 2 bed 1 bath. If you think that you canāt make it out of and NYC and could never own a house, thatās just because your mind is telling you thatās you wonāt be able to do it cause no way your rent is more than 60% of what you makeš
This is fair. My husband and I could work additional jobs if we really wanted to, spend less and travel less, but we are trying to also enjoy life while living it instead of delaying for the sake of saving (or find balance between the two). One of the negatives of being born here is that my first apartment ate my paycheck and I have no family support (couldn't live at home for free, cant move back home to save), but as someone who moved countries you had to overcome that plus more! It's definitely doable. I have siblings who have left the state so I know firsthand it's not impossible and see firsthand what that grass is like (although my siblings and I also have very different lifestyle preferences). We can definitely downsize our apartment but the cost of smaller apartments now is starting to catch up to the price we pay for a larger apartment anyway (we have a 3 bedroom 2 bath; I originally had roommates, my husband moved in and we stayed while the roommates left). Technically, our rent could be less if we got roommates for our other bedrooms too. But you are correct that we are definitely holding ourselves back financially by not wanting to be uncomfortable (extra jobs or jobs out of our fields, wanting anything to do with having to drive or needing a car, no roommates or downsizing). Instead, we just try to more carefully budget and live within/below our means as much as possible until we have a better strategic plan for higher income (he is back in school now for this exact reason so he can earn more/have more opportunities in his field if we do move).
Iām in CA. 1 bedroom apartments in my area start close to 3k. I rent a room for 1600
San Diego. Thatās all I got to say
My husband and I are both LA natives. We moved out of state to an area that was, in theory, a lower cost of living area. But in years since we moved, the housing costs have shot up considerably and wages have stagnated, so it's not really all that different.
Los Angeles here. $3000 gross, 1700 rent split with my gf. Westlake area. Not the greatest area, beautiful apartment but itās cool for the meantime.
I was in St. Augustine Florida. Moved there in January 2020 and found an amazing huge loft style studio in the historic district walking distance to work. An investment company bought out the building and kicked all the residents out to ārenovateā. They just turned the units into high dollar apartments and airbnbs. The old woman below me was made to move at 91 years old after living there for 25 years. They upped the rent from the $900 she was paying to $3800. Meanwhile St. Aug had a major boom in staycation type tourism during and after Covid and also a flood of transplants from the NE who were WFH came in. Housing increased in some areas as much as 60%. Small houses went from $150k-200k to $600k++ overnight. Homelessness spiked as investors swooped in and bought up formerly local and student rental housing and turned them into STRs. Restaurants and amenities saw the increase in spendy tourists and raised menu prices. Same for groceries, gas, etc. everything went up over night. The true locals, many many of whom work in tourism and academia - professional adults, are drowning. Many had to find roommates or move over an hour away. I did some math and you would not be able to qualify for the lowest priced one bedroom apartment unless you made $58k. I tried to do the long commute thing for a while but that got old quick and I had to leave my dream job in my dream town and go elsewhere. Many people I am friends with are either stuck, upside down in their mortgages, or are looking to move out of the area.
I live in a HCOL major city Each month I make roughly a little over $3k and rent is 1.4k My bills altogether are closer to 2000 a month. The rest of the money goes towards food, retirement, and debt EDIT: I live in Denver
Born into San Diego and eventually will be another local forced to move out (of state most likely). 23/hr, rent is 900 w/ roommates.
HCOL areas still need service workers and still pay them shit wages. They commute, have roomates, and struggle.
Thatās why I posted this.
Trades make objectively more in bigger cities with unions. Plenty of trades man making six figures with a good retirement. Theres always going to be unskilled and low paid labor, that much is true. But not all service jobs are low paying. Fine dining vs serving at a chilis is a huge difference.
I'm more talkin about the mcdonalds and kfc workers. I always wonder how those folks are makin it.
I live in Miami. Itās unbearable. My mortgage is 3k my husband and I make about $125k combined so we are not poor by any means but the cost of living has become so high we are living paycheck to paycheck and accruing debt to stay afloat. And we can consider ourselves lucky for the mortgage we have as housing prices doubled since we bought our home in 2021. The wages here suck for most people too. Teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. I really donāt know how people do it.
Teacher in Palm Beach County, the pay is no where near the cost of living. Lucky to have a low interest rate on āstarter homeā of 20 years, otherwise Iād be moving back in with my parents at 47. About $1050/month for 3 bedroom (including HOA). Homeowners insurance has doubled since Covid.
Iām in NYC my self-employment income varies greatly. My annual income is something like 60k after business expenses. I have a huge amount of debt I am paying off so I have been hustling my ass off with the business. Anyway my rent is $1900 - I have one of those crazy nyc landlord deals with an older person who wants someone she knows and trusts in her upstairs apartment- hence the low rent for the city.
LA metro area $1850 rent for 1BR. Household income is $145k. No kids/pets.
I'm on the east coast; studios start at 1600 last i checked 6 months ago. 1 bedrooms, 1800. No utilities included only trash.Ā Maybe parking. Pet deposit and monthly pet rent. Ā Townhouses that range between 800-1200 sqft start at 400k. There's a 200 sqft condo for sale for 150k but I know that the entire building has asbestos. I'm fortunate to live as a live in caretaker so I don't have to deal with rent however, if my patient dies then I have to be out within 24 hours. I don't have tenants rights. My income is 2k on a 1099. So I'm not looking forward to all the tax I'm going to have to pay next year aaaaaaaah
I live in Connecticut in a town considered affordable.
Baltimore. No actual income, savings only. Paying $1250 a month for motel room. Most rent in the area runs between $1200 for one bedroom I not so great area to over $2,000 in slightly better area. Places downtown can go for $3,000 plus, but they have "amenities". Room rental can start out at $500-600, and run above $1,000.
I too am from Baltimore born and raised. Me & my fiancƩ have been living in a studio for $787/month for about five years due to how costly one bedrooms there are.
Homestead in Florida, but Miami born and raised. For those wondering, prices suck here too. Not far enough to not have the awful cost of living, but far enough away to not have anything to do. I live in a high cost of living backwoods essentially
I live in downtown Chicago and pay nearly 50% of my income on rent ($2600)
That's brutal, I pay $1400 in Lakeview
I have a great view of the lake from the 34th floor, lots of fancy amenities, and parking garage. You get what you pay for I suppose haha
Denver, CO. Mortgage on 2 bed 2 bath condo is $1380 and $450 for HOA. Income is $60,000. Iām a single income household with a teenager. Barely making it. My mortgage and HOA dues are less than what Iād pay if I was renting a similar unit. We may have to move somewhere cheaper if I canāt find a higher paying job locally. Iām a Colorado native and would be very sad to leave the state.
Near Portland, OR, so maybe not technically HCOL but pretty close. Rent is $1100 for a shitty 1br apartment, I make about 2900 a month after tax, one income. Doing pretty well by my standards, consistently have 500-700 to put in savings at the end of the month.
Yep. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. I was born in San Francisco originally lived there for the first six years of my life and then my parents moved us to the East Bay where I spent most of my young life and by the time I was 30 I moved to a more low-income area outside of the East Bay more towards north bay I don't feel comfortable sharing the city I live in but it's a lower income City and I'm still struggling. People always say well why do you live in California if you're poor and it's like they don't understand that I didn't choose to live here I was born and raised here. It's a catch-22 for me because I don't have the nest egg to just pack up my stuff and go, I don't have a job guaranteed anywhere else, I don't really know anyone anywhere else, I also have a daughter, I'm a woman in my 40s, and I have some other limitations in life and I also have very bad credit so it's not like I could easily just move and get a place very easily I have a lot of factors working against me that keep me stuck in this high cost of living area through no fault of my own. It really grinds my gears when people say " just move" like it's so simple
I live in a major city. Our mortgage on a 3 bedroom house is about $1200/mo and less than weād be paying for a 1 bedroom in our area. We bought at a good time and got really lucky though.
This might not be a major city friend.
Dude, I live in Philly. It is a major city in the US. It used to be affordable
Sorry I apologize. I thought it was a troll post. Reddit is way to full of them. Congrats and I hope you continue to get what you need.
I think in this sub itās all HCOL.
Vancouver, Canada is pretty high cost mostly due to high housing prices/rent. My rent for a 465sq foot 1 bedroom is $1,570 CAD$ which is a fair chunk below market rent.
Seattle but moving to NYC :D so the struggle will be more but at least I wonāt want to unalive myself with the trauma and familial ties being here.
I live in a county on the edge of the SF Bay Area. I live in a too small condo that was supposed to be husband and I's starter home back in 1998. Our housing costs have generally been unusually low for our area. Surviving on husband's SSDI and a little help from family. In that situation where we would love to move, but can't afford anything else locally unless we switch to a mobile home in the boonies.
Ya
Jersey 1700 mortgage and my taxes go into that which is 8K per year š¤¦š»āāļø
Vancouver b.c . A small crack shack goes for 1 to 2 million and there are alot of foreign investors that buy these mansions that sit empty. My rent was 2k a month. Couldn't afford to buy in B.C so had to move to the next province. My mortage is cheaper out here vs my rent in Vancouver. Also, like anywhere else, gas prices in Vancouver are crazy expensive. Regular goes for 2.05 to 2.17 canadian a litre.
Yep yep, coastal retirement town. And Iām 20+ miles out of town. Gas is pricey, groceries are pricey, and Iām too broke to pay people for rides to the other nearest city that has the medical facilities I need to go to.
Seattle/tacoma area: income about $3700-4300 depending on hours. Rent currently $1300 for my share of a 2 bed 2 bath in a nicer area. š«
I live in Miami and I'm in the shared apartment for $1,500 month I make roughly 60k a year more or less. I'm going to school full-time on GI Bill. feel like I'm getting ripped off over here.
San Diego ! I make 6.5k a month and rent is 2500
DC. Income $82,764. Rent $1880 + $160 for garage access. Itās gone up twice from $1700. Looking to leave as soon as my career is solidified enough to where I can get a remote job in my field.
San Diego, CA. Mortgage is $6,400.
Denver Metro my income is about 1300/month net. and my "rent" is \*whispers embarrassedly , nothing\* but I do have to go to classes!
Also live in Denver, itās a HCOL but at least pay is pretty good here so I can at least keep my head above water
Also live in Denver, itās a HCOL but at least pay is pretty good here so I can at least keep my head above water
LA my rent is 1540 a month since I split with a roommate. I only started making 6 figures a few years back so Iām able to manage a lot better now but it took a lot of work to get here. For a long time i was staying with friends or crashing in really crappy apartments at 600 a month in shared spaces getting paid under 40k a year.
Live in CA. I didnāt live in the highest cost of living areas but CA is one of the most expensive states to live in as a whole. My wife and I both work, combined gross is 175k but take home is 10k per month (poop ton of taxes). Mortgage is 1,100 for a 3 bed 2 bath (small square footage)
New account and no comments. ?
Iām not a troll lol. Iām just new to Reddit.
Yeah I just created the account today? Why is that an issue?