Tell Me About Living in Washington, D.C.

[Disney Princess]

My husband may be getting a job offer/transfer into the DC area. We have lived in Texas in the past, and we currently live in Indiana, so true east coast will be quite a change for us. In talking with his recruiter, my husband was told he needs to really research the cost of living so that his salary request is in line with what we'll need THERE not where we live now.

We plan to just rent at the beginning until we figure out which state we'll live in, how far he's willing to commute, etc. If it goes through, he will be in an office in the McLean/Tyson's Corner area. Other than rent/homes being obviously higher, what are we forgetting about for cost of living?

What is the average cost of gas? Utilities? Toll roads? Gallon of milk?

Any insight from current/former residents would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bridgie04]

We live in DC (in the city) Plan on housing costing at 750k and going up from there. Check commutes very carefully. Tysons area is among the most crowded anywhere in the metro region. Commutes of an hour or two are not uncommon.

Check schools carefully and be prepared to go private. In most cases, if you don't spend the money on a house in a good school district, you have to be prepared to spend money on private.

Consumer goods are relatively the same--what will kill you is the housing, taxes, and schools as far as your overall cost of living.

My house which would cost 150k max in the midwest is worth about a million.

I am not trying to be gauche by throwing out numbers like that you just need to have your eyes wide open when he is negotiating the salary.

I would come to DC to further a career, but I would not live here if I did not have to. DH works in a very specialized field that is not doable in other parts of the country.

PM me for more.

 

[danygirl]

I live in MD and my family is in NOVA. Traffic is crazy and if he is working in Tyson's you will want to be in VA unless he loves spending hours in traffic!! There is metro service in the area. Youngest bro lives down off of rt 66 in a great neighborhood with fantastic schools . I think his mailing address is Vienna, Va. I am sure his house was $700k or so. You can save money by going further out. Check out the schools the quality can vary widely.

Cost of living here is high. Kids are running around playing sports and such. Lots of two earner families. There is lots to do and the quality of life is really good. Driving is fast and furious and not for wimps. You can be at the beach or a ski resort in as little as 3 hours. VA has lots of great public universities if you have older kids

Today gas was 3.25 and my milk (nonorganic) is $3.98

 

[MaleficentRN]

To reiterate the above post, it's expensive to live there and the traffic is terrible 24/7. But there are great, free museums and gorgeous parks.

 

[lucyem]

Housing is super expensive. My DH is living outside of DC, anne arundel co so other side of DC, and housing is super expensive. We will end up paying twice as much for less of a house then where we are in the northeast. Or DH gets a 2 hour commute. For us gas is cheaper there, property taxes less then a third of what we pay now etc. I found a website where you can compare cost of living and for us DC is slightly cheaper overall. It just changes who we pay the money too. In our case it really does further DH's career or we would not be going. Between the traffic and having to move the kids to new schools I am not exactly looking forward to this move. But hey it's not like our house has sold yet. At the rate it is going DH might be ready to move on by the time it does sell

Anyway I agree with the rest, do your homework!

 

[Ladcassidy]

Living near Tyson's Corner is your best bet: Falls Church, Vienna, and Oakton are nearby communities. As others have said, housing is expensive, but you will have better luck finding affordable options in your new area than you would closer to DC. That area of Northern Virginia also has generally good public school systems (Fairfax County's schools routinely rank among the best in the country).

 

[Swimalie]

My husband works in Tysons area and we live about 28 miles west of there. He leaves at 6:30am and it takes him 60-120 min each way to get to work. Friday mornings are the best and Friday afternoons are horrible. We moved here in 2006 and bought a house, thinking it was wise. Boy were we wrong. if we sell now, we'd lose about $70-80,000 on our $470,000 house. It's not a big house, 2600 sq feet, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, small lot and costs a lot more than it should. Rent in our area, for a house my size is around $2000 a month. The highlight for us is that the elementary school is in our neighborhood and is one of the best around. Closer you go to Tysons the more things will cost and the worse the traffic is.

Everything here costs more than most places. Expect gas, utilities, food, etc to cost more. And this is a high wealth area. Lots of gated communities with $1mil+ houses.

We are done here. The rat race feeling is too much for us and my husband is looking for a job out of this area. The wear and tear on him, his car, etc is just too much for us. So keep everything in mind - not only the cost of living but the cost of the rat race, car issues and over all mental health.

 

[Disney Princess]

Thank you for all the responses so far! We definitely appreciate reading all of the information. We've input our current income into a cost of living calculator online, and we know what he'd need to receive to be on par with what he gets now. We just want to make sure we research all features and facets before proceeding.

We know it'll be different. We don't love the idea of big cities, but unfortunately, in order for him to progress in his career, he'll have to be in a big city in order to be at a corporate office. We'll dream of the day he can work from home in any old place he'll want to be.

Please keep the thoughts coming. We really are processing all of them.

 

[bumbershoot]

My info is old, so remember that.

If you can work it so job and home are close enough to a Metro station, that will probably help.

Look into the specific way cars are licensed there. I went the opposite way, living in Burke, VA (where my mom and stepdad lived, and at least in the late 90s I LOVED it there, though it was very expensive) and then moving back to WA state. I had leased a car in VA and part of the agreement was that VW paid for my car tabs, but then the exact wording of the way it's done in VA was different than in WA, so when I moved they didn't cover my car tabs anymore. Sometimes those little things can be pesky to learn about when you get there, so have that covered before you get there. I think there was a county car tax type of stick sticker for the car, too, at least in Burke. That isn't something we have in WA so it's another difference to look at.


I don't know how it feels now, or if it would feel the same as an older married person, but I remember it just feeling very exciting to live in that area. SO MUCH to do. (and everyone, at least at that time, was very fancy there...and fit, LOL...seemed everyone spent their money on nice clothes and their time at the gym!)

 

[mjkacmom]

My info is old, so remember that.

If you can work it so job and home are close enough to a Metro station, that will probably help.

Look into the specific way cars are licensed there. I went the opposite way, living in Burke, VA (where my mom and stepdad lived, and at least in the late 90s I LOVED it there, though it was very expensive) and then moving back to WA state. I had leased a car in VA and part of the agreement was that VW paid for my car tabs, but then the exact wording of the way it's done in VA was different than in WA, so when I moved they didn't cover my car tabs anymore. Sometimes those little things can be pesky to learn about when you get there, so have that covered before you get there. I think there was a county car tax type of stick sticker for the car, too, at least in Burke. That isn't something we have in WA so it's another difference to look at.


I don't know how it feels now, or if it would feel the same as an older married person, but I remember it just feeling very exciting to live in that area. SO MUCH to do. (and everyone, at least at that time, was very fancy there...and fit, LOL...seemed everyone spent their money on nice clothes and their time at the gym!)

We have family in Burke, and they like it. My nieces attended pubic school, one went on to Georgetown, and the another a small private college.

 

[Judique]

My husband may be getting a job offer/transfer into the DC area. We have lived in Texas in the past, and we currently live in Indiana, so true east coast will be quite a change for us. In talking with his recruiter, my husband was told he needs to really research the cost of living so that his salary request is in line with what we'll need THERE not where we live now.

We plan to just rent at the beginning until we figure out which state we'll live in, how far he's willing to commute, etc. If it goes through, he will be in an office in the McLean/Tyson's Corner area. Other than rent/homes being obviously higher, what are we forgetting about for cost of living?

What is the average cost of gas? Utilities? Toll roads? Gallon of milk?

Any insight from current/former residents would be greatly appreciated.

The recruiter gave good advice regarding the salary. It takes a lot of money to live as a family here.

I am not sure some of the calculators have it right. I've used them and thought they were low for this area.

If you can get the salaries to make living here comfortable for your family, this is an area that has a lot to offer and also gives easy access to literally the rest of the world. I really think stay at home moms are pretty much the exception here although I have no data to support this thought, but everybody I know works.

I don't think food is that much more expensive here. I think housing and commuting costs eat your money as well as daycare and entertainment, and school associated costs for private or for involvement in extra activities.

One poster mentioned fancy and gym going folks. A lot of people are health conscious. I think that is the new norm...if you haven't signed on to get and stay healthy, you are not keeping up with the current culture. As far as fashion I think Washington area has its moments, but in general people are casual in dress, other then in downtown and office environments.

 

[Robinrs]

My cousin was transferred from Macon to the Pentagon and went into a state of SHOCK at the price of housing in Washington. She was given a major housing stipend and it still wasn't enough! She ended up buying a townhome in Virginia and commuting for over an hour a day. She loves her job and her home but HATES the commute and the cost of living. And she's a former NYer!

 

[Angeni11]

I grew up in Maryland in Rockville then moved to Gaithersburg after college (I lived in MD for around 35 years).

We moved to the Virginia side since my husband works in Vienna as the commute home is so much shorter (even though at first we lived twice the distance).

We live in a great area which is about a 45 minute commute for him (he leaves early in the morning). The cost of living here is probably much higher then you are used to in Texas as one of the families we know here who moved from Texas (her husband is ex-military and moved to a gov job) has said.

We used to live on a mountain in Linden and then moved to Faquier County after having kids and love it here.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

[Swimalie]

One other thing I forgot to mention. I am a stay at home mom. There are few others in my same position in my neighborhood but quite a few at the school and we have formed a good friendship. But.... it's hard to make friends here. Even people who have lived there their whole lives say the same thing. The transient feel of this area makes it hard. So keep that in mind if you are also planning on staying home.

 

[ssawka]

We know it'll be different. We don't love the idea of big cities, but unfortunately, in order for him to progress in his career, he'll have to be in a big city in order to be at a corporate office. We'll dream of the day he can work from home in any old place he'll want to be.

NOrthern VirginiA (NOVA), and to a lesser degree MD, is a good compromise between city and suburb. It is very spread out and green, however because it is spread out, traffic is a nightmare.

Also, housing is extremely expensive! After the real estate crash, prices did not plummet as much as they did in the rest of the country, due to a strong employment market.

That being said, the whole DC area has a tremendous amount of culture. In addition to the museums and monuments downtown, you also have many excellent parks around, including Wolftrap (the only national park dedicated to the performing arts). Also, shopping! Tyson's corner is the largest shopping area on the east coast. Most people enjoy living here, provided you can afford to do so and you don't mind people and traffic.

If you can work it so job and home are close enough to a Metro station, that will probably help.

Make sure you look closely at the Metro Map. The Metro was designed to bring people in and out of DC. They are adding Metro stations in Tyson's, but if you are not on the Orange or Purple line, you are still looking at a very long commute if you are planning on using Metro. For example, if you buy a house in Springfield and want to take Metro, you are still looking at an hour commute, even though Springfield and Tyson's are only 15 miles apart. The reason is that you would have to take the Metro all the way to Rosslyn, switch trains, and take it all the way back out to Tyson's.

 

[wiigirl]

To reiterate the above post, it's expensive to live there and the traffic is terrible 24/7. But there are great, free museums and gorgeous parks.

 

[ShayBells]

My sister works in DC and she lives in Alexandria VA. I know toll roads are crazy but you can get EZ Pass for those. And housing is crazy. Renting is crazy. My sister's rent alone is around $1500+ for a one bedroom. Food is crazy in reference to dining out. I come from a small town where you can still get dollar drafts. And mixed drinks are 3-5$ My sister is always commenting on how crazy cheap that is because she is now used to up to 10$+ a drink. And meals always seem ridiculously expensive to us when we visit.

The worst part to me is driving around but my sister says you get use to it.. somewhat. To me it's better than driving around Pittsburgh but still a lot of "rules" to get use too.

Good luck! Despite all that I have always been drawn there because I love history. I hope everything works out for y'all

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[DLgal]

We live in NoVA. I hate it. Can't wait to leave here. People don't know how to drive, traffic is a nightmare due to old infrastructure, housing is expensive and not even that great, the weather is awful, and there is still quite a lot of "old south" mentality going on that I find quite off putting.

That said, I don't think I could live in Indiana either, so...

Just FYI, you will hear a lot about how good Fairfax schools are. Well, this year, the district is operating under a serious budget shortfall that is projected to get worse. I find Fairfax county to be grossly overrated. And, the communities close to Tyson's are really quite adult oriented, with a lot of apartments and condos attached to "lifestyle entertainment complexes." The single family houses in that area are $750k and up. Rents will run in the $3000-5000 range for SFH in that area. You can look to western Prince William or Eastern Loudon County for more affordable living and great schools, but that comes with a price. The commutes are a MAJOR thing to factor.

 

[ldo]

DH grew up in Falls Church. I grew up in Fla. I have lived in NOVA for 25 years--I like it a lot. But, I would love to make my same salary in Raleigh, NC--but that's not going to happen. There are pockets of older homes near Tysons in VERY good school districts that are more affordable. Homes further west are very affordable, new and large, thanks to a housing boom in 2004-2007 and a bust in 2008 thru current. Look for houses in Dominion Valley, The Piedmont, Breamar to get an idea of very nice areas about 45 minute commute west of Tysons. South Riding in S. Loudon County is good. I love the Cascades in Loundon. There are also nice areas near Vienna and George Mason, but houses will be older, may need remodeling. If you are only here for a few years, there are tons of good rentals, as we have many foreign service, military, etc. who go overseas and keep their homes. Plan on at least $3500+ a month. IMHO, you would need at least $180-200K on a single income to have a decent lifestyle with kids. Groceries seem about the same as when we go to Orlando, NC, SC, etc. Of course, you have to shop sales (boneless chicken is $1.99 on sale, kids bread is $2 on sale, good multigrain is $4, but on sale for $2.5, cereal $3.99-4.50, on sale for $2.5-3). I would almost never buy anything full price--as my bill would be $80 more.
Many hate the traffic, I get it--but the quality of life in certain areas of NOVA is pretty good, tons of culture, excellent public schools, easy access to beaches 3-4 hours away, 5 hours or a 3 hr train ride to NYC. Elaine

 

[fireworks fan]

We moved to Chicago from Arlington, Va a few years ago. I found that everything but housing was more expensive here in Illinois. I was a SAHM there, and met plenty of other women at home too. We loved Arlington-great schools, lots to do, plenty of parks, easy access to city, beach and mountains. Just be prepared for an older, smaller home on a smaller lot. I would definitely look at Falls Church or North Arlington for a commute into Tyson's Corner. Its definitely worth paying more to be near work if you can. My DH used to ride his bike to work in under 20 minutes, or a 15 minute car ride in traffic. Lots of bike trails there.