Moving to Boston. What is a minimum salary I can accept? (Quincy: apartment, credit card)

[arim05]

Hello all. I'm am applying to positions in and around Boston, Ma, which I know will be a great city to move to, but of course I know I have to expect to fork up a lot of money to live there! When asked my pay expectations at positions, what would honestly be the minimum salary I should take to be able to afford to live on my own in Boston and have at least some money to spare on a life? I am a recent college graduate so any position I will most likely be entry-level, so I am not expecting much! Any tips are greatly appreciated!

[eevee]

What sort of jobs are you looking for? What sort of experience/skills are you bringing to the table? What's your debt burden? What's the minimum salary you can afford to take in order to live alone in one of the most expensive cities in the nation and pay off your bills may not line up with what employers are willing to pay you as a recent graduate. You'll be competing against thousands of other graduates and so employers can afford to be picky and comfortable with the knowledge that the supply of potential employees far exceeds the demand. They don't have many reasons to give a relatively inexperienced new graduate a top salary.

Having said all of that, making $40K/year may or may not barely keep you afloat. If you have no debt to pay down (e.g., college loans, car loan, credit cards), are okay with living in a studio in a less ritzy part of the city (e.g., okay with not living in the South End, North End, Back Bay, etc), and can live a fairly frugal life, $40,000 may be enough for you. Figure you're taking home about $2,000 (rounded down most likely). You can find a studio or even a small one bedroom apartment in places like Malden, Quincy, Medford, and other smaller towns and cities right outside of Boston. That only gives you another $1000 for bills, food, and other necessities, but if you have no other debt, it's feasible though you won't have much savings left.

Truth be told, many recent grads don't make much more than $40,000/year unless they're going into a specialized field like nursing, have a highly sought after degree like engineering, or have something else on their side like connections. Most recent grads can't afford to live alone and must rely on either roommates or living at home to make ends meet.

Without knowing more details such as your debt load and living requirements, it's hard to say how much to ask, but making less than $40,000 will make your requests harder to achieve.

[Verseau]

My salary is around $30,000 and I pay about $100/month in student loans, but I live with two roommates in an old apartment (albeit in a vibrant and well-situated part of the city) and don't have a car. I'm quite happy and satisfied with my life in the city.

If you live with roommates, you will save a lot of money.