Move to Boston (neighborhoods, college, median income)

[GeePee]

I was making $40k when I had my funnest years in this city

[raider21]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Absolutely. Most people here though are absolutely loaded and truly don't think life is worth living if they can't live in luxury.

huh?

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Nothing from his post suggests any of that. If it's true, the OP will say so. He was concerned if Boston is "cool."

LOL maybe he has expensive hobbies. The horror!

You don't need 100k.

He said he felt like he needed 100K to pay his bills. He doesn't need to disclose all the details. It could be that was an exaggeration. But who are we to argue with his own self-assessment?

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

He said he felt like he needed 100K to pay his bills. He doesn't need to disclose all the details. It could be that was an exaggeration. But who are we to argue with his own self-assessment?

Sounded like hyperbole. But like I said, this board is so rich, people throwing out the number 100k doesn't sound like an exaggeration for living expenses (the vast majority of Americans will never come close to that kind of salary).

OP didn't say anything about a family or medical expenses etc. You'd think he would mention that instead of wondering if it's cool. So I think my assumption is better than yours as of this time. OP can correct it if it's not.

[G-fused]

Originally Posted by GeePee

I was making $40k when I had my funnest years in this city

Yeah, so everyone should have a low income because it's so much fun.

I had tons of fun in high school when I was making just a few bucks from a part time job (a lot less than 40). And I had a ton of fun in college where I was living on campus and had a part time job making hardly anything. And then in grad school it was the same thing - living with a girl, we made hardly any money but had a ton of fun. It's called being care free.

It really depends on where you are in life. Moving here would likely put the OP in a worse financial position. A lower standard of living with nothing that you are working towards (going to school for a better life, opportunity for career growth, etc.) can get old fast.

It was a long time ago but I was making less than 40k/yr out of college and living in NYC and it was fun. If I had to cut my income to 40k (or 50, 60, etc.) now, it would not be as much fun. Catching what I'm throwin'?

[GeePee]

^
Catch what im throwing.
Get rid of all your expensive toys and hobbies you have accumulated in the years. Have no debt. Shack up with some chick. Become care free.
If your essentials are paid. the rest of your life is up to you. You drive that bus.
I know a couple people who have $1m homes and the standard 2 cars over $80k..... THey are miserable.
I know people my age working at restaurants with people they love, or teaching yoga. And they are spiritually superior than group A.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GeePee

^
Catch what im throwing.
Get rid of all your expensive toys and hobbies you have accumulated in the years. Have no debt. Shack up with some chick. Become care free.
If your essentials are paid. the rest of your life is up to you. You drive that bus.
I know a couple people who have $1m homes and the standard 2 cars over $80k..... THey are miserable.
I know people my age working at restaurants with people they love, or teaching yoga. And they are spiritually superior than group A.

Very true, many of the happiest people I know around Boston long opted out of that stuff, one's a luthier, the other does book restoration, another a pilates instructor (brief examples). They're very happy.

[G-fused]

Originally Posted by GeePee

^
Catch what im throwing.
Get rid of all your expensive toys and hobbies you have accumulated in the years. Have no debt. Shack up with some chick. Become care free.
If your essentials are paid. the rest of your life is up to you. You drive that bus.
I know a couple people who have $1m homes and the standard 2 cars over $80k..... THey are miserable.
I know people my age working at restaurants with people they love, or teaching yoga. And they are spiritually superior than group A.

I am catchin' what you're throwin' and it sounds great but I have a hard time believing it all.

I do have a high priced home but my expensive hobby are kids, not fancy cars or vacations. Only debt I have is my mortgage (my 2 cars are fully paid - one older car and one new), plenty of savings in the bank and will have my mortgage paid in 4-6yrs. I did ok and don't worry about finances but it is hard to not be a little miserable in life, I have a stressful career. I would guess that your friends working at restaurants are somewhat miserable, that's not an easy gig and can get very irritating. Who can make a living doing yoga? A real living where you can live with dignity and like a person? That person most likely ain't gonna be teaching yoga when they hit 40 or so, and what will they do when they want to retire? They'll be miserable thinking they can't go to 3 days a week because they need to struggle to make rent and eat pasta. Some do but those are supported by their spouses, like "artists" are here. If they don't have any other source of income, they'll have nothing when they're older and trapped. I'd love to be less miserable but it would be crazy to cut my salary 80% to be 20% less miserable. Indeed, I would imagine I'd be more miserable if I did that. Bottom line is that more $ is better than less, and 40k/year would be a tremendous hardship here, and most other places.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by G-fused

Who can make a living doing yoga? A real living where you can live with dignity and like a person?

Hey man, you sound like a real whimsical, fun dude...
To each their own. I know people on your side of the fence, and people on the other side. I tend to envy the people on the other side more. My friends band is in Hamburg mid way through a tour. I'm sitting ion front of a computer typing to someone I don't even know.
Choose your own adventure. We all end up in the same place in the end.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Absolutely. Most people here though are absolutely loaded and truly don't think life is worth living if they can't live in luxury.

This is pretty accurate. 100k would make you wealthy for Boston proper.

Median income for an individual is about 35k, maybe as high as 45k minus the college students but probablly not.

I grew up in Boston in the 2000s in a family of 4 on 45/50k and I certainly wasn't 'poor' compared to a lot of other kids.families in the city...so 100k for an individual is relatively loaded