lovinmyboys Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Dh could transfer to New York. I have always thought it would be fun to live in New York and a great experience for our family, but I have never even visited. This is personal info, but I am sharing it to get better advice. He would be working in TriBeCa and he would make about $150,000 with a $50,000 relocation bonus. We have four boys who will be between 4-10 by the time we would move. Would this even be doable without a 2 hour commute? And with the taxes from working in New York, I'm not even sure how much to expect him to bring home. Again, sorry for the specifics. I feel comfortable sharing since it isn't our reality right now 😄. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Practically, I don't know if it would work, but I think it would be a great experience. :-) New York's hs laws have lots of words, but they're really not that difficult. Even I could hs there. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Truthfully, that doesn't seem workable to me. Now, I've never lived in NYC so obviously take my advice fwiw! :-) But I live in the metro DC area, and based on COL here and what I know of COL there, I'd say no. Especially if that's pre-tax. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 (edited) Comparing my own situation to the hypothetical given, I'd say yes, it can be done in dollars and cents, but I don't know what your lifestyle is or your goals are, so I can't say whether it can be done the way you would like. Editing to add, dh does much of his work in NY, for a company based in a different state, while living in PA. He is taxed at PA rates. Edited January 13, 2016 by Carrie12345 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Yes I can think of how it would work but the commute would be dependent on mass transit (commuter train and subway). It would also be dependent on what size house you think you need though. I know of 3 bedroom houses that it would work for. I could get specific but that would require a non-public way of talking. :) I just did the math on my DH recently doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Are you purchasing a home? If so do you have a large down payment? That doesn't sound doable to me. It don't think it would work in NJ or CT either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I'm no NYC expert, but that doesn't seem like enough $$ to work. I hear these horror stories about rent prices and I think you would need much more to live comfortably in NYC. but again, not an expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 (edited) --- Edited January 13, 2016 by kbeal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I always wanted to be one of those families that lived in a little apartment in NYC and took subways. That never happened while our kids were home, but I'm not giving up yet! As with a lot of places, I'd think it would depend on your lifestyle and your expectations. I personally am the type who would rather live simply and have the experience, and therefore I'm inclined to think it could work. My son and his wife are actually in the midst of making this same decision right now so I'm interested in what others have to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I think it could be done, but like others have said, it would depend on how you want to live. We'd live in a tiny apartment to cut back on rent and transportation time, ride public transportation, entertain ourselves with free things, and shop at ethnic markets. I really, really hope I get a chance to do that someday. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I know a lot of people who make less than that, live in NJ and work in NY. Hoboken is right across the river but there are a lot of other towns on the Midtown Direct train line. I'm a 30 minute drive/1 hour train ride from NY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 We make less than that and live about an hour train ride--maybe less from NY. It is doable. We do live very frugally, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Would you want to be in the city itself, or someplace like Hoboken/Jersey City, or further west into NJ proper? Would you homeschool? (For commuting into Tribeca, I'd think in terms of NJ, not CT. We lived in NY before kids, in NJ on the Morristown train line until my second child was born, and subsequently CT. The CT commutes are pretty brutal no matter WHERE you're going in NY, and Tribeca is over by the NJ Tunnel. There are a LOT of very nice suburbs on the Morristown train line -- and I'm sure others as well, I'm just familiar with the area we were in -- at various price points, generally correlating pretty straight-line with commuting distance back to NY.) It's possible to be in the city itself. My sister-in-law and her family do it. There are definitely cons (space, privacy, COLA) but there are also a lot of advantages. Good luck in your decision making. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Your family of six people wouldn't be able to live comfortably in the city on a salary of $150k. You might be able to live in the NJ suburbs, but you wouldn't have the daily NYC experience (and your dh would probably have a long commute from what might be a very modest home) so I'm not sure it would be worth it. If your dh can make $150k elsewhere in the country, you would probably be able to afford a far better lifestyle than in NYC. Sorry to sound so discouraging, but in your situation I wouldn't do it. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 You could do it on that salary if you lived on Staten Island... but then you're looking at a minimum hour long commute just to get to Tribeca, one way. I certainly know people who are living with families of five or six and doing it on less money than you say, and in houses, not apartments. Staten Island still has fairly inexpensive neighborhoods. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 What is comfortable to you? My family would live completely differently than the life we have in the high COL suburb we live in now. Different is not bad. You have to define what you want. Do you want the yard? Do you want separate bedrooms? Have you considered the impact of commute time? Another option: I have a friend who went through this decision making 10 years ago. Her dh took the job in NYC and the family did not move. Her dh commuted home weekends. Eventually, he got a tiny condo and the family would go stay with him sometimes. The older two dc were already in college at the time. Since then three kids have graduated and the last one is part way through college. The dh is still working in NYC. My friend goes up there a lot, but weekends when she's not there, he's here. It works for their family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Are you willing to live in a small 2 bedroom apartment? If you can cope with close quarters you may be able to pull of the City Experience. Otherwise, you're looking at insane commutes. People do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Goodness, I know plenty of people who make it work for less than that. Check out NJ. My friend lives in a cute town in NJ and her and her partner prob make that much combined. I am in the same position, will know soon enough, and I would be fine with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 (edited) It would be hard to live in the city but it is doable if you commute into the city and live somewhere else like NJ. I knew lots of people who did that on various incomes. We made a lot less then that when we lived in the area. We have friends and relatives who work in the city and live in a commutable location. The commute is not insane if you take can take the train. Edited January 13, 2016 by MistyMountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 We would plan to rent because I think we would want to live there for about 3 years. It is usually fairly easy for Dh to transfer to another office, but it isn't a guarantee. Since we plan on it being a short term move, I think we could lower our current standard of living. I know that his employer covers some of his transportation costs. It may just be for the subway, but I am not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 If it were me and I knew it was short term, I'd totally go for a tiny apartment for the first year and take advantage of being in the city. When I was growing up, my family did something similar and lived in Tokyo for a year. City living is completely different than suburbs. I think people who live in suburbs often don't take advantage of city offerings even though they are close. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 IF you're planning to homeschool, it's also super-easy in NJ. And it's very easy to take the kids on the train in the city for field trips and experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 If it were me and I knew it was short term, I'd totally go for a tiny apartment for the first year and take advantage of being in the city. When I was growing up, my family did something similar and lived in Tokyo for a year. City living is completely different than suburbs. I think people who live in suburbs often don't take advantage of city offerings even though they are close. I like the idea of viewing it as short term, and an adventure. We considered a tiny apartment, and living in the city for a year - to cram in as much as we could. But long term, I think you'd find $150K might be tough. You can do anything for a year though! Or three. But as far as buying a new house, long term lifestyle - it would be tough, for us. We were, like another poster, in the DC area. We still are, but ended up moving farther out. It was a better choice than our potential "year long vacation". Crunch the numbers though, and listen to the PP about Staten Island - that could be doable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Truthfully, that doesn't seem workable to me. Now, I've never lived in NYC so obviously take my advice fwiw! :-) But I live in the metro DC area, and based on COL here and what I know of COL there, I'd say no. Especially if that's pre-tax. Agreed- we live in metro DC area as well- husband makes about $110K a year (I have no qualms about sharing salary- see "Adam Ruins Everything" show about corporate America...) and we have fabulous (govt) benefits... there is no way we could afford to live in NYC. A salary of $100-$150K only sounds really high when you live in places with cheap COL. But when you live in high COL places, it's just average/decent pay. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Oh, btw, if you're only doing it short term, I would rent a house on the Island, not buy. Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 How do you feel about bunk beds? You could comfortably afford a one bedroom in the city. Maybe not in Manhattan, but definitely in the city and near a subway. Put all the boys in the bedroom and you sleep in the living room. I'm not kidding. And people totally actually do this sort of thing in NYC. For three years, why not? In exchange for cramped quarters you have the whole city at your disposal, and still have some money left over to enjoy it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnniePoo Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Are you planning to homeschool there? That really would make a huge difference. We lived in a smallish apartment last year for 6 months and it nearly did me in. Homeschooling with a bunch of boys in a small space is no joke. There was NO place to go to escape the noise or the kids. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Now I want to do it. It sounds like fun. We can do cramped. We can do LR-as-bedroom for our son and Dd could just live at college and suck it up during breaks. However, my kids are teens and well past the toys and wrestling phase of childhood. As long as we have wifi, beds, a couch, and a table we're pretty happy. I'd much rather be cramped than commute. The dog would be a complication :-/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I know that his employer covers some of his transportation costs. It may just be for the subway, but I am not sure. I missed this comment before! The law in NYC is that the employer (over a certain size of business, which I assume this one is) is required to participate in a program that allows you to take your transportation money out of pre-tax income, not post-tax. His employer might do more than this, but they're not required to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgo95 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Have you tried the salary calculator at paycheckcity.com to estimate what his take home might be? I ran it for a family of 6 in NY and net pay was about $105K annually. My only concern is that if you wanted to live in the city, do you think you and your kids can handle living in an apartment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 http://www.zillow.com/b/83-Baxter-St-New-York-NY/40.71662,-73.99959_ll/?3col=true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato4 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Unless you live in Manhattan, there is just no way out of a commute. You can look at Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to find apartments that won't cost as much as the ones in Manhattan. If you're used to living in a house, NYC apartments will shock you with their smallness. The pros I can see for living in NY instead of NJ is that there are tons of activities for your kids to join in, and quite a number of them are free to very low cost for NYC residents. Not going to get that in NJ. NYC also has lots more museums, many of which are technically free if you have a thick skin and can ignore the look for not paying the "suggested donation." You might also want to check out the tax situation if you live in another state but work in NY. Will part of the salary be taxed by both states? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgo95 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 You might also want to check out the tax situation if you live in another state but work in NY. Will part of the salary be taxed by both states? If I recall correctly, you get credit on your state taxes for what you paid in NY, so you don't get taxed double. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 If you are going to homeschool I would commute from NJ. Depending on where you choose to live it is super easy to get into the city and take advantage of all it has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I have friends that raised two boys in an efficiency/one bedroom apartment. They spent a lot of time away from home participation in sports and activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 How many people can you legally have occupy a one bedroom? I lived in NYC and have family that live there and it would be extremely difficult on that salary. The cost of food is significantly higher (not even including eating out), parking a car will cost $300+/month, if you have a pet the vet bills will double (at least), even movie tickets are crazy expensive. If you move to NJ it would be doable but then you have to commute to NYC and it just becomes day trips and annoying trips home on train or long drives sitting in traffic. You would have to go pretty far out in Connecticut to find something affordable. You could probably afford an apartment in Queens with subway access to NYC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 That salary is low to comfortably rent anywhere near the city with kids. Now granted we have five kids in one bedroom and it works great, but not everyone likes building lofts and bunk beds. If your husband is willing to commute you could have something workable though. We make 130-ish here in Alaska and are doing okay with a budget it place. New York has significantly higher home prices. I'm not sure you could manage it on that, truthfully, unless you worked too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Agreed- we live in metro DC area as well- husband makes about $110K a year (I have no qualms about sharing salary- see "Adam Ruins Everything" show about corporate America...) and we have fabulous (govt) benefits... there is no way we could afford to live in NYC. A salary of $100-$150K only sounds really high when you live in places with cheap COL. But when you live in high COL places, it's just average/decent pay. Exactly. We live in a moderately high cost of living town - with reasonable gas prices, higher end of average home prices, and expensive food. With six dependents on one income and medical debt we can pay our mortgage, afford some extras for the kids, and go on cheap dates. But that's about it. In an area like Marin or NYC we would be living in an even smaller shoebox than we already do - as a homeschooler that's really challenging. It can be done but I don't think the quality of life is anywhere near worth the cost. Granted, any job DH takes in a place like NYC pays over 200k without the benefits package and that does help, but 125-150k just doesn't go far there if you need space. Double that and you could be comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 Yes cost of living makes a huge difference. Dh works for the federal government, but where we live currently the salary is enough for us to be comfortably middle class. $150,000 would for sure be in the top 20%. People do his job in NYC, so it must be doable. I'm guessing most don't have 4 kids or a stay at home spouse. When he took this job, we thought it might be a good opportunity to take transfers and be able to see different parts of the country. Unfortunately, most of the transfers are to super high cost of living areas and the increase in salary does not even come close to covering the difference (I'm sure it isn't a coincidence that the openings are in places that are difficult to afford 😄). I would love it if we could make it happen. If we do, I want to actually be able to experience the city-not just move to a suburb that is not much different than our current suburb (and pay 3x as much to do it). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 (edited) Exactly. We live in a moderately high cost of living town - with reasonable gas prices, higher end of average home prices, and expensive food. With six dependents on one income and medical debt we can pay our mortgage, afford some extras for the kids, and go on cheap dates. But that's about it. In an area like Marin or NYC we would be living in an even smaller shoebox than we already do - as a homeschooler that's really challenging. It can be done but I don't think the quality of life is anywhere near worth the cost. Granted, any job DH takes in a place like NYC pays over 200k without the benefits package and that does help, but 125-150k just doesn't go far there if you need space. Double that and you could be comfortable. Gack! Isn't that sad! We moved to Boston from Indianapolis and while my husband's salary went up by almost 60K to just short of 200K, it is still tight sometimes with the price of food, gas, and everything else sky high. Rent is $3400 a month (our mortgage was less than $900 in IN). Our home in IN was 1800 sq ft and had a yard, driveway, etc. We rent a condo here that is a very badly laid out 1500 sq ft 3BR/2.5BTH with a garage. We are considering buying the condo next to us - we think we'll have to offer 550K. We barely fit as it is, but the location is right and houses of any sort that aren't falling apart are hard to come by. We are trying to find a house ((literally nothing in our target market - nada, unless we want to pay 1.3 mil and up). NYC is comparable to Boston and even a drop more expensive. It's possible, but you will have quite a lifestyle adjustment. Still, I wouldn't change a thing. We puffy heart love Boston. Good luck with your decision! Edited January 14, 2016 by YaelAldrich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Yes cost of living makes a huge difference. Dh works for the federal government, but where we live currently the salary is enough for us to be comfortably middle class. $150,000 would for sure be in the top 20%. People do his job in NYC, so it must be doable. I'm guessing most don't have 4 kids or a stay at home spouse. When he took this job, we thought it might be a good opportunity to take transfers and be able to see different parts of the country. Unfortunately, most of the transfers are to super high cost of living areas and the increase in salary does not even come close to covering the difference (I'm sure it isn't a coincidence that the openings are in places that are difficult to afford 😄). I would love it if we could make it happen. If we do, I want to actually be able to experience the city-not just move to a suburb that is not much different than our current suburb (and pay 3x as much to do it). My husband's job has a similar ability to go around the world. We have done it happily and sometimes even come back with cash, but maybe you should think short term if it is possible. Not three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 According to this list, which came out back in August, it would be doable... In NYC, you need almost $99,000 to "just get by." I remember the list because I live in DC, which clocked in at number one. It takes more than $106,000 a year here to just get by. Great, I guess that impressive salary dh has is enough... to just get by. Sigh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 My husband's job has a similar ability to go around the world. We have done it happily and sometimes even come back with cash, but maybe you should think short term if it is possible. Not three years. If he stays less than 2 years, he would have to pay back his 50,000 relocation money. Maybe a temporary assignment will come up sometime. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 (edited) It could be done but like others said -- not comfortably unless you don't care about space at all. For me, I doubt I'd do it because... trivially... I hate bugs... bed bugs, roaches, even ants freak me out. So needless to say I don't do well renting in major cities. I remember when I got a tiny room in a shared apartment in Boston. People were so envious at my lack of vermin, they didn't even care that my bed barely fit. OK, one friend had an even smaller apartment, she could lie in her bed and touch both walls. But no bugs! I know many do live in NJ, but be careful overrating the ease of being in the getting the city experience if you are even 1 hr out. I work in Boston, and have a 1.5-2 hr commute by train or 1 hr by car when I go in to the office. We seldom go with the kids because what seems like a reasonable adult commute isn't reasonable for the youngest on a regular basis. Edit: On the calculator Farrar posted it says $119,913 for 2 adults + 4 children in New York... which seems low to me, but maybe it's because it says "metro area" and might include some cheaper places? Edited January 14, 2016 by tm919 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 It's doable -- my sister-in-law and her family do it within that income range -- but it's a different life. For instance they don't have a car. They don't need a car. Her husband takes the subway to work, and she and the kids take the subway or bus to wherever they're going. Not having a car frees up a lot of cash. They walk to all errands (while I'm hauling around 15+ miles to every.dang.thing, paying for gas). They live in an apartment that feels tiny to my kids who've grown up in the big burbs, but they're a 1/2 block from a good park and their apartment building has a (small, shared) roof deck that they go up to with a glass of wine to watch the sun set; it's lovely. They have a neighborhood dinner group as their primary adult entertainment. They do free arts-in-the-park programs all.the.time; they get same-day reduced-rate tickets for music and dance and theater. Sports programs are WAY more accessible and affordable there than out here in the cutthroat and over-coached suburbs. A key element of how they've balanced it all is that they've owned their coop apartment for going on 20 years. Their maintenance (which covers the collective mortgage on the building, as well as building-wide expenses like the super/doorman/maintenance & repairs -- it's a different financial structure than condos) is a little over $1000/month. I don't know that they could manage as renters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 You could probably afford an apartment in Queens with subway access to NYC. Queens is NYC. NYC comprises two cities (New York and Brooklyn) and three counties (Richmond, Bronx, and Queens), for a total of five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, and Queens. If you lived in Manhattan, you surely wouldn't need a car. You wouldn't want one either. Forget the cost of parking, you have to do the whole alternate side of the street thing every day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 According to this list, which came out back in August, it would be doable... In NYC, you need almost $99,000 to "just get by." I remember the list because I live in DC, which clocked in at number one. It takes more than $106,000 a year here to just get by. Great, I guess that impressive salary dh has is enough... to just get by. Sigh. I did the family budget page for Boston Metro for 2 adults and 4 children. It said to get by in Boston, you need 104K. The rent costs they calculated were 1800 - HA! You couldn't find anything like that here for 3 BR apts. The rest of it wasn't so off ,but that makes a big difference. If they can find me a place to rent for 1800, I'll take it! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 It's doable -- my sister-in-law and her family do it within that income range -- but it's a different life. For instance they don't have a car. They don't need a car. Her husband takes the subway to work, and she and the kids take the subway or bus to wherever they're going. Not having a car frees up a lot of cash. They walk to all errands (while I'm hauling around 15+ miles to every.dang.thing, paying for gas). They live in an apartment that feels tiny to my kids who've grown up in the big burbs, but they're a 1/2 block from a good park and their apartment building has a (small, shared) roof deck that they go up to with a glass of wine to watch the sun set; it's lovely. They have a neighborhood dinner group as their primary adult entertainment. They do free arts-in-the-park programs all.the.time; they get same-day reduced-rate tickets for music and dance and theater. Sports programs are WAY more accessible and affordable there than out here in the cutthroat and over-coached suburbs. A key element of how they've balanced it all is that they've owned their coop apartment for going on 20 years. Their maintenance (which covers the collective mortgage on the building, as well as building-wide expenses like the super/doorman/maintenance & repairs -- it's a different financial structure than condos) is a little over $1000/month. I don't know that they could manage as renters. If they were to buy that same co-op today, it wouldn't be $1000/mth at all and that makes a big difference. Renting is automatically about $1000 more than the mortgage would be to cover insurance, taxes, etc. It's hard to make it in the big city! I'm not sure how people do it in Boston. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Queens is NYC. NYC comprises two cities (New York and Brooklyn) and three counties (Richmond, Bronx, and Queens), for a total of five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, and Queens. If you lived in Manhattan, you surely wouldn't need a car. You wouldn't want one either. Forget the cost of parking, you have to do the whole alternate side of the street thing every day. Yeah, I didn't phrase this point strongly enough. You do not want a car in Manhattan. It is madness. When you need to get away for the weekend, you just rent a car. It's *far* cheaper to do that, than to pay city surcharges on insurance and the UNAVOIDABLE parking tickets, let alone the cost of parking in a garage (choke). For part of the time we lived in Brooklyn, I *did* have a car since by then I was reverse-communting into New Jersey. I could find spaces on the street in Brooklyn, but the alternate-side-of-the-street thing just about did me in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 I just checked the federal government employee salary for a few cities. Houston and New York make the same. San Fransisco makes the most. Chicago makes more than DC and Boston. I wonder how much the cost of living pay actually correlates with the cost of living. I would think it would be much cheaper to live in Houston than New York and in Chicago rather than DC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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