Possible move from Georgia to fort Meade area… crunching numbers $$$ any locals?

[auralia]

Have an opportunity to move to this area from Georgia for hubbys work. Moving means potential access to an increased pension and very stable job for him and valuable training (value at about 60-100k). Here his job is iffy but pays as much as the offer in Maryland will. We live in a very nice neighborhood, nice schools, walking paths, 3300sf house we bought for 390k and is worth about 520. We spent 28k on solar panels for the house too so we have that loan on top of the 390. It is at 2%…. If we move to get into a decent school district, not a town house, reasonable commute it looks like I’m looking at 700k+ at 5-6% or more for the house. He’d make about 120k a year plus his military retirement and disability (similar job to now but more stable)…. I’m just torn due to the increase in house expense is basically double from here to keep our kids in good schools so from 2000 to 4000$ ish per month. If we didn’t have kids we’d go in a heart beat lived there in our 20s in the early 2000s and loved the access to dc and new York but now we have kids…

Biggest factor is job stability. He has a nitch skill that has fluctuating demand…. If he did lose his job here he could maybe go get some IT certifications and go that route to find employment if it dries up here for what he does…. Or an education certificate to teach perhaps. He has a masters degree in management and leadership but hasn’t done that outside when he was in the military…..

Final background… Im a registered nurse working step down ICU so I can work anywhere… where we live now is mostly quiet, very friendly and safe, voted best city to live in by Money magazine a year or so ago…. I can absolutely support the family with his retirement by going up to full time work (I work part time now) but nursing is back breaking and I’m 40 so not sure how sustainable that is unless I become a manager… I am working on my masters in management in nursing but still a year to go….

Anyone from around there have any thoughts? We can almost make all our bills here and eat on just his pension/disability without us working at all. We’d be short by 1000$Ish here. In Maryland we’d be short by at least 3k if both of us were not working. Also georgia has the hope scholarship… covers instate tuition if you have a 3.0 gpa when you graduate high school…. I don’t believe Maryland has anything like that. Kids are 15 and 11. We have to decide by sometime next week if he wants to take the position that would start next year some time. I’ve been told schools there are dangerous and scary (even the good ones). I used to work as a TA in a school there when I was 22 and it was…. A lot of politics over kids… but it was 20 years ago. Thanks for any thoughts or info!!! Even if you don’t live in these areas just on the scenario and what you would do.

 

[mjkacmom]

I think you need to factor in more than just increased housing costs, living in a high COL area means almost everything costs more, Ben cause those who are providing services are also paying more. I’d love to live in a state with college tuition assistance for high performing students, here in NJ the top 15% get free community college in their county. UMD in state is definitely cheaper than our flagship, great school, but GA has some good ones as well.

 

[georgina]

Have an opportunity to move to this area from Georgia for hubbys work. Moving means potential access to an increased pension and very stable job for him and valuable training (value at about 60-100k). Here his job is iffy but pays as much as the offer in Maryland will. We live in a very nice neighborhood, nice schools, walking paths, 3300sf house we bought for 390k and is worth about 520. We spent 28k on solar panels for the house too so we have that loan on top of the 390. It is at 2%…. If we move to get into a decent school district, not a town house, reasonable commute it looks like I’m looking at 700k+ at 5-6% or more for the house. He’d make about 120k a year plus his military retirement and disability (similar job to now but more stable)…. I’m just torn due to the increase in house expense is basically double from here to keep our kids in good schools so from 2000 to 4000$ ish per month. If we didn’t have kids we’d go in a heart beat lived there in our 20s in the early 2000s and loved the access to dc and new York but now we have kids…

Biggest factor is job stability. He has a nitch skill that has fluctuating demand…. If he did lose his job here he could maybe go get some IT certifications and go that route to find employment if it dries up here for what he does…. Or an education certificate to teach perhaps. He has a masters degree in management and leadership but hasn’t done that outside when he was in the military…..

Final background… Im a registered nurse working step down ICU so I can work anywhere… where we live now is mostly quiet, very friendly and safe, voted best city to live in by Money magazine a year or so ago…. I can absolutely support the family with his retirement by going up to full time work (I work part time now) but nursing is back breaking and I’m 40 so not sure how sustainable that is unless I become a manager… I am working on my masters in management in nursing but still a year to go….

Anyone from around there have any thoughts? We can almost make all our bills here and eat on just his pension/disability without us working at all. We’d be short by 1000$Ish here. In Maryland we’d be short by at least 3k if both of us were not working. Also georgia has the hope scholarship… covers instate tuition if you have a 3.0 gpa when you graduate high school…. I don’t believe Maryland has anything like that. Kids are 15 and 11. We have to decide by sometime next week if he wants to take the position that would start next year some time. I’ve been told schools there are dangerous and scary (even the good ones). I used to work as a TA in a school there when I was 22 and it was…. A lot of politics over kids… but it was 20 years ago. Thanks for any thoughts or info!!! Even if you don’t live in these areas just on the scenario and what you would do.

There's a lot in your post, definitely a big difference in cost of living and I believe the Hope scholarship is unique to Georgia. Lots to consider. We moved from low cost of living Pittsburgh area to Northern Virginia to be close to family but we are retired so different situation. I don't think you can paint all the schools in the state of Maryland as dangerous and scary however. I have some family in Arnold (they moved from Annapolis to get more house & yard space) and they seem to think the schools are fine. And if you thought it was a lot politics over kids 20 years ago, guess you haven't seen anything about Loudon County, VA!

 

[auralia]

I think you need to factor in more than just increased housing costs, living in a high COL area means almost everything costs more, Ben cause those who are providing services are also paying more. I’d love to live in a state with college tuition assistance for high performing students, here in NJ the top 15% get free community college in their county. UMD in state is definitely cheaper than our flagship, great school, but GA has some good ones as well.

Kind of why I came here… we were there 20 years ago and it didn’t feel too much more than where I grew up in northern minnesota except housing. 20 years is a long time for the economy to change. I know I was making about 13-14$ an hour as a teachers assistant in Anne Arundel county when I was 22. Which was about 3-4$ more than my Midwest counter parts were making… as an rn I i currently make 38$ an hour week days and 42 weekends. No benefits I just work per diem…. Googled some nurse wage info and it looked about the same in Maryland which surprised me. Thought it would be more.

 

[DIS_MERI]

Did DH use all his GI bill? If not, he could likely use that to get the tech certs, which should pay the tuition and giving some housing allowance too. If he did, and he didn't use all his VocRehab, he could likely use that (it's been a while, but I believe that also pays tuition and some living expenses). Moving is expensive. If your kids are happy where they are, I'd think real hard about moving them to pay so much more in housing.

 

[HopperFan]

Live in Georgia, from New Jersey.

Are you factoring in your real estate taxes? Ours in NJ for a 100 year old small, no AC, no property house are 5x more than our Georgia much bigger, much newer, much nicer home. I can't imagine what they would be to have the same home up there. Find out what your utilities would be, especially for heat and your car insurance (we found that a big difference) especially you are going to be adding a kid to your policy.

HOPE is a big deal to lose and even without it tuition here is low comparatively.

 

[barkley]

living in a high COL area means almost everything costs more

i agree. we moved from a (then) moderately high cost of living area to a low cost of living area (different states) 15 years ago. in that 15 years we've seen our area's cost of living dramatically change-not nearly so much as our former area though so there could be a MASSIVE increase in costs during a 20 year absence. when looking at a move to a new state you have to consider things like the difference in sales tax, if they have an income tax (what the rate is compared to your current state's), do they have any additional payroll deductions your current state does not, is homeowners/auto insurance more expensive, property taxes, utilities (my GOSH i can't believe how they vary based on what i've read recently on these boards), auto licensing (MASSIVE as in upwards of 4 figure difference between my current and former state)..you have to weigh all the minimum basic standard needs to get even rough numbers.

 

[cardidog]

Have an opportunity to move to this area from Georgia for hubbys work. Moving means potential access to an increased pension and very stable job for him and valuable training (value at about 60-100k). Here his job is iffy but pays as much as the offer in Maryland will. We live in a very nice neighborhood, nice schools, walking paths, 3300sf house we bought for 390k and is worth about 520. We spent 28k on solar panels for the house too so we have that loan on top of the 390. It is at 2%…. If we move to get into a decent school district, not a town house, reasonable commute it looks like I’m looking at 700k+ at 5-6% or more for the house. He’d make about 120k a year plus his military retirement and disability (similar job to now but more stable)…. I’m just torn due to the increase in house expense is basically double from here to keep our kids in good schools so from 2000 to 4000$ ish per month. If we didn’t have kids we’d go in a heart beat lived there in our 20s in the early 2000s and loved the access to dc and new York but now we have kids…

Biggest factor is job stability. He has a nitch skill that has fluctuating demand…. If he did lose his job here he could maybe go get some IT certifications and go that route to find employment if it dries up here for what he does…. Or an education certificate to teach perhaps. He has a masters degree in management and leadership but hasn’t done that outside when he was in the military…..

Final background… Im a registered nurse working step down ICU so I can work anywhere… where we live now is mostly quiet, very friendly and safe, voted best city to live in by Money magazine a year or so ago…. I can absolutely support the family with his retirement by going up to full time work (I work part time now) but nursing is back breaking and I’m 40 so not sure how sustainable that is unless I become a manager… I am working on my masters in management in nursing but still a year to go….

Anyone from around there have any thoughts? We can almost make all our bills here and eat on just his pension/disability without us working at all. We’d be short by 1000$Ish here. In Maryland we’d be short by at least 3k if both of us were not working. Also georgia has the hope scholarship… covers instate tuition if you have a 3.0 gpa when you graduate high school…. I don’t believe Maryland has anything like that. Kids are 15 and 11. We have to decide by sometime next week if he wants to take the position that would start next year some time. I’ve been told schools there are dangerous and scary (even the good ones). I used to work as a TA in a school there when I was 22 and it was…. A lot of politics over kids… but it was 20 years ago. Thanks for any thoughts or info!!! Even if you don’t live in these areas just on the scenario and what you would do.

Hi! I have lived in Severna Park, Maryland 21146 Anne Arundel County since 1996 and it has a great school system. Property taxes and state income tax and sales tax are OK. Food and fuel costs, insurance, utility bills can be high and commuting times are really long depending on your schedule. Our local hospital in Annapolis is nice. If you wanted to live in a different county, there is a planned town called Columbia, Our friends who live there love it, I hope this helps! Good Luck!

 

[cardidog]

There's a lot in your post, definitely a big difference in cost of living and I believe the Hope scholarship is unique to Georgia. Lots to consider. We moved from low cost of living Pittsburgh area to Northern Virginia to be close to family but we are retired so different situation. I don't think you can paint all the schools in the state of Maryland as dangerous and scary however. I have some family in Arnold (they moved from Annapolis to get more house & yard space) and they seem to think the schools are fine. And if you thought it was a lot politics over kids 20 years ago, guess you haven't seen anything about Loudon County, VA!

OOPS! replied to the wrong person! I am rusty on my DISBOARDS skills!!!

 

[auralia]

Hi! I have lived in Severna Park, Maryland 21146 Anne Arundel County since 1996 and it has a great school system. Property taxes and state income tax and sales tax are OK. Food and fuel costs, insurance, utility bills can be high and commuting times are really long depending on your schedule. Our local hospital in Annapolis is nice. If you wanted to live in a different county, there is a planned town called Columbia, Our friends who live there love it, I hope this helps! Good Luck!

Don’t suppose you could give me a ball park on peak winter and peak summer electric and gas for your home and about how big it is? That would be super helpful.

 

[auralia]

Did DH use all his GI bill? If not, he could likely use that to get the tech certs, which should pay the tuition and giving some housing allowance too. If he did, and he didn't use all his VocRehab, he could likely use that (it's been a while, but I believe that also pays tuition and some living expenses). Moving is expensive. If your kids are happy where they are, I'd think real hard about moving them to pay so much more in housing.

While he has all 4 years of his gi bill left we are tying to save it for the kids (he did the needed paperwork to be able to transfer it 12 years ago, but he could use it if he needed to). Has not used any va education benefits yet.

 

[auralia]

Live in Georgia, from New Jersey.

Are you factoring in your real estate taxes? Ours in NJ for a 100 year old small, no AC, no property house are 5x more than our Georgia much bigger, much newer, much nicer home. I can't imagine what they would be to have the same home up there. Find out what your utilities would be, especially for heat and your car insurance (we found that a big difference) especially you are going to be adding a kid to your policy.

HOPE is a big deal to lose and even without it tuition here is low comparatively.

Taxes in current house are 4200$ went up 1000$ this years. Taxes in Maryland are in the 7-8k range…. In georgia over 65 does not have to pay property tax. Utility bill here is 10-80$ due to our solar panels we paid 28k for after tax incentives. I need an accountant to do this for me lol

 

[MomToOne]

If your kids are happy where they are, I'd think real hard about moving them to pay so much more in housing.

This is something to consider in addition to costs - my parents moved us from Illinois to Louisiana when I was 12. It sucked - at that age, cliques were already set and it was harder to make friends. And kids were just mean at times. I didn't feel like I fit in for most of Middle School, although thanks to going to a magnet school for High School, I got my bearings there a bit better (everyone there was in the situation where they had to make new friends).

My sister was 17 when we moved - it was **really** hard on her, having to change High Schools for her last year.

My brother who was between the two of us did better with the move, but he's an extreme social butterfly. And he only had a single year at the middle school before moving to the magnet high school.

But you also just gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. I understand why my parents had to move us, they really didn't have much choice so I don't blame them or anything. But it still sucked.

 

[kanerf]

The DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) as we refer to it is ridiculously expensive. Also the traffic is terrible, parking downtown is very expensive and as a heavy tourist area you always have to on the lookout for people doing stupid things on the freeway. I work in DC so I am stuck here, but I would not recommend if you can avoid it.

 

[crispychicky]

A quick look at a few cost of living calculators, shows that overall, MD is ~25% more expensive to live in than GA, with most of that coming from housing costs. If you were to move, your household income would essentially NOT increase, correct? The $60k of extra training your husband would get if you move, would that translate into increased income to cover the difference in cost of living? Would the extra training expand his skills to make him more employable outside of his niche, or deepen his expertise inside of his niche?

On paper, the only positive to moving looks to be job security for your DH. If you were to move today, that security would cost you 20something% of your income yearly. If your DH's job is at serious risk though, this may be a trade-off worth making. From your posts, you seem happy with the area you are in now.


https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/savannah-ga-vs-baltimore-md
https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator/

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I live in Maryland and would never encourage anyone to move here. In fact I’d love to live down south but all my family’s here. Housing is ridiculously expensive and traffics a nightmare. You’d have to evaluate if it was worth it to your family. Your kids would have to be uprooted and at that age they’d probably not be happy about it. There are several nice areas around ft mead but they’re very expensive. Even a not so nice brick row house in Baltimore city sells for over $200,000 now. We’re the richest state in the country (because so many politicians live here) and that is reflected in the increased costs of housing, taxes and everything else. It is nice to be near DC but not sure it’s worth living here. If you decide to live here you could work as a nurse in Dc they pay more than Maryland.

 

[DLgal]

If you are happy in GA, stay there. The Ft. Meade area is sketchy at best, so you will have to move FAR AWAY to get a decent house in a good school district. And then your husband will be dealing with the annoying commute up there. Commutes in that area are soul sucking. The money is not worth it. Plus, it seems you guys are well settled in GA. It's a nice safety net to have military pension and disability and not NEED those high paying jobs. If your husband were to lose his job in GA, I'm sure he would not have a hard time finding another (not necessarily in the same industry, but the military experience helps a lot in many other fields).

And speaking from experience, moving a 15 year old away from where they have established friends and a school life is a BAD idea. Can potentially cause long term emotional issues.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you have to work in MD/DC/VA, I'd never choose to live in MD or DC, so I would not make the move just for $120K - that's only a median salary for the area. I'd wait til the kids graduate college and see if the same work type arrangement popped up, and then I'd consider it.

PS - Detached house in a nice area - $700K is probably too low an estimate. At least on the NOVA side, if you want to avoid a townhome and live in an area equivalent to where you are now, you'd be looking at $1M+...

 

[DLgal]

If you have to work in MD/DC/VA, I'd never choose to live in MD or DC, so I would not make the move just for $120K - that's only a median salary for the area. I'd wait til the kids graduate college and see if the same work type arrangement popped up, and then I'd consider it.

PS - Detached house in a nice area - $700K is probably too low an estimate. At least on the NOVA side, if you want to avoid a townhome and live in an area equivalent to where you are now, you'd be looking at $1M+...

Yup, $1M or a 2 hour each way commute. You don't get a nice house within a decent commute time near Ft. Meade for less.

 

[auralia]

Appreciate the insite. I think I’m going to knuckle down and try to finish my masters before his current job goes away. Im not used to being the primary income source but at least in georgia 90% of the bills are paid with his pension where as in Maryland we would both have to work full time to make up for the increased cost of living. At least here one of us can choose to work less and be there for the kids more. I just need to get used to the idea that that might be him in the near future instead of me. And he will need to learn to cook