Budget help - Northeast US

[Metsoskil]

Hello everyone,

My sister, her 2 yo DD, and her husband are considering a move to the US from the UK. She asked me today what the minimum household income they could get by on if they worked in a major city in the Northeast - Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC. She's job hunting and trying to figure how low of a salary offer she can accept and still afford the move. I live in rural PA, so the living expenses here are quite a bit cheaper than living in/around a city, so I wasn't sure what to tell her.

They are used to just scraping by and won't be looking for a lot of luxuries. They have enough saved for moving expenses and to get on their feet, but that's about it.

Thanks for any help.

 

[disneyfans95]

Hello everyone,

My sister, her 2 yo DD, and her husband are considering a move to the US from the UK. She asked me today what the minimum household income they could get by on if they worked in a major city in the Northeast - Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC. She's job hunting and trying to figure how low of a salary offer she can accept and still afford the move. I live in rural PA, so the living expenses here are quite a bit cheaper than living in/around a city, so I wasn't sure what to tell her.

They are used to just scraping by and won't be looking for a lot of luxuries. They have enough saved for moving expenses and to get on their feet, but that's about it.

Thanks for any help.

For NYC area you need to be almost $100 grand household income. That assumes you are NOT living in the city and have about an hour drive/ride into downtown (at a minimum)

 

[QVCshopper]

Well, I grew up in Westchester County, outside NYC, went to college in Baltimore, and currently live outside Philly in a suburb. Of all three, I think outside Philly is quite reasonable, with Baltimore a pretty close second. Westchester County is insane; my parents still live there and everything costs so much more; I was by far one of the poorest children in my school and it was obvious.

They could do fine on $75K to $100K in Philly and Baltimore, but I'd steal clear of NYC and Boston (while Boston is lovely, I hear is hefty to live in). I also know quite a few people who live in York, PA and commute to Baltimore, but I'm not too famililar with the price of living there.

BTW-in Philly, many people work in Great Valley--Malvern, PA, or in Exton & Collegeville, PA. All suburbs within 30-45 minutes of Philly. If you work in Philly, there's a city wage tax that you have to pay.

 

[mjkacmom]

We're 8 miles (45 minute commute) from NYC, an average home is about $450,000, the median income $79,000, and property taxes on that home about $10,000. You really need close to, if not, six figures. Services tend to run higher - contractors, child care... However, pizza and manicures are really cheap!

 

[shelly3girls]

I also know quite a few people who live in York, PA and commute to Baltimore, but I'm not too famililar with the price of living there.

BTW-in Philly, many people work in Great Valley--Malvern, PA, or in Exton & Collegeville, PA. All suburbs within 30-45 minutes of Philly. If you work in Philly, there's a city wage tax that you have to pay.

York, PA is a reasonable commute to Baltimore and the cost of living is relatively low. Property taxes, housing and insurance are much lower than we pay in the Philly area. There are also some very good school districts is they have kids.

 

[MKCP5]

I would say 100 K in the Boston area. (that's not in the city) avg home in a suburb about 45 min from the city is about 350K. W/ childrens activities, gas, car payments, car insurance (very high in MA) it's tough to make it on alot less

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I would honestly say mid 100's in those areas.

 

[happily single]

I think it also depends on what their occupations are. But I think the Providence, RI area would work well. It's an easy commute to Boston or even Hartford, and there are many many cities close to Providence that are great.

 

[ziggystardust]

so scary. I've lived in the NYC area (anywhere from 20 min to about an hour now) for my entire life and I make no where near that. I also don't have any children, but these numbers really make me not even want to think about it.

 

[minnie1928]

York, PA is a reasonable commute to Baltimore and the cost of living is relatively low. Property taxes, housing and insurance are much lower than we pay in the Philly area. There are also some very good school districts is they have kids.

I grew up and lived in York until 2 years ago when we moved to Northern NJ (about 1 hour outside of NYC). My DH & I worked in Baltimore for many years and the commute is definitely do-able. I'm pretty sure that there is now a bus that runs from York to Baltimore for commuters.

The cost of living in York is VERY low. When we moved from york to NJ we bought a house with 1/3 less sq ft, 1/2 the acreage, 3x the taxes and it cost 2 times as much as our York house...and they were exactly the same age! If your sister wants some specifics about York, you can pm me. I still visit about once per month.

 

[pyrxtc]

I think it depends on where you live and how you live. We make close to six figures and we live comfortably enough, no big toys just vacations and able to pay all of our bills. When I work part time to add to the household money, we then have extra money for spending.

I grew up just outside of Boston and I would never move back near there making any less than $200,000. The type of neighborhood and the amount of yard I would want would not be affordable on less than that. I don't need a big house either, just one that is comfortable for me and my family and enough space to play outside. I won't be on a busy road or live in a trashy place either.

Living outside of Boston, even in NH and commuting to Boston is very common around here. A lot of people that work there commute every day from an hour or more away. Working in the city pays more but then you have to pay more taxes cuz it Massachusetts. Rentals in the city are expensive.

 

[Jaklackus]

Living in the suburbs south of Boston on the 'T' line...N. Attleboro, Attleboro, Mansfield, etc....150k -200k min to afford a mortgage, daycare, taxes , groceries, save for retirement, etc


in 2000-2001 daycare for one child was $225 per week, round trip on the T from Attleboro was $9 per day, I don't remember car insurance being expensive...compared to what we pay in FL ..MA was cheap, I know electricity in Mansfield and North Attleboro were insanely expensive(city owned utilities)...we had electric baseboard heat and had $600 bills for 7 months out of the year(with most of the house closed off and windows covered in plastic and blankets)...$300 a month in the summer/fall... I recall a news story where Boston residents were seeing bills topping 1k a month in the winter...I also remember rent control going away and rent going up A LOT in Boston..

...we were making a little over 100k and struggling in the suburbs south of Boston..and that was with our health insurance only costing $160 a month through hubby's employer(they did not skimp either)...through my employer it would have cost 1k a month for less coverage.. so that factors in too. We left before mandatory health insurance went onto effect in MA..I think the cost of health care increased after that...and in this economy I have no idea what companies in MA can afford to cover anymore.

 

[casjen]

The closer to Boston you are the more expensive it is. You can take the train from alot of suburbs. If you're within 30-45 minutes of Boston prepare to pay at least $375,000 for a 3 bedroom house. You will need at least $100,000 (either one or 2 people) to make ends meet.

Food is expensive here, which I didn't realize until I saw how inexpensive others groceries are in the mid west.

Massachusetts is an expensive place to live but salaries tend to match the cost of living (for us anyway). We live comfortably and make choices about what we want to spend $ on.

I often think we'd have so much more $ if we moved somewhere else where the giant houses cost the same as the 3 bedroom slab ranches we have here. But I think salaries would go down too and it would all be relative.

Winters are rough in Massachusetts so be prepared for that. It is cold, gray, and snowy here for months and months.

Never ever get electric heat and be prepared to have it on for 3/4 of the year.

My DH loves the seasons and my boys made me promise we'd never move where it doesn't snow so I freeze here to keep my guys happy. Tell her to buy a long North face coat, some good gloves and boots and she'll be fine from November - March.

 

[pediatric-rnp]

Nothing much in NE is cheap, but if she's considering the Boston area, northern RI is a great "lesser expensive" alternative for living. It's a close drive to get the train to commute to Boston. RI is great - close to the beaches, to Boston and to VT & NH for skiing. Providence itself has a lot to offer - Waterfires, PPAC, Providence Bruin games, and Pawtucket, RI has the Paw Sox games (farm team for Boston Red Sox). DH was born in RI, but I'm a transplant from upstate NY and I love it here!

If they are planning to purchase their home, RI has a lot of "triple deckers". They are 3 story homes - the owner usually lives on one floor, and rents the other two floors (apts) out, so it is income producing and can often cover the mortgage payment.

 

[Darcy03231]

I live in Southern NH and DH commutes to Boston every day. If they plan to live right in Boston I would say a minimum of $200k per year. If they plan to live in the suburbs and commute, depending on where they live, $100-150k per year.

 

[JB2K]

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but "Budget" and the cities OP mentioned just don't seem to "click"...

 

[bettymae1121]

I'm sure you've mentioned this to her, but just in case you haven't, remind her there is no national health care in the US. She needs to make sure her employer provides good health benifits and find out what they will cost her before she or her husband accepts a job offer. A lower paying job with good health benifits is almost always better than a higher paying job with poor or no benifits.

Are their hearts set on the NE? If they want to live in or near a large city, the Chicago area is more affordable. My DH and I live about an hour outside the city and do very well on $100,000 a year, and many do fine making less than that.

 

[Metsoskil]

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but "Budget" and the cities OP mentioned just don't seem to "click"...

I was thinking of budget in the sense "How much would one need to budget..." rather than "Where's a place to live on a cheap budget?" DBIL is in a profession where most job opportunities would be in major cities.

 

[punkin]

There are tons of people who live in the Northeast who do not make anywhere near the money everyone is suggesting. Sure, if my income was $500K, I could live comfortably in Manhattan, but I bet I could get by (struggle a little maybe, but have food and shelter and child care) in many areas of Queens and Brooklyn for $50K.

 

[Metsoskil]

I'm sure you've mentioned this to her, but just in case you haven't, remind her there is no national health care in the US. She needs to make sure her employer provides good health benifits and find out what they will cost her before she or her husband accepts a job offer. A lower paying job with good health benifits is almost always better than a higher paying job with poor or no benifits.

Are their hearts set on the NE? If they want to live in or near a large city, the Chicago area is more affordable. My DH and I live about an hour outside the city and do very well on $100,000 a year, and many do fine making less than that.

Good point! She's aware, as she's American. I didn't realize that Chicago was that much more affordable than the northeast.

For everyone - about how much should she budget for rent for a 2BR aptmt in a decent suburb that's commutable to the above mentioned cities?