Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello! I currently live in Richmond, Virginia in the short pump area if anyone is familiar with that and it's a pretty expensive town. Just apartments alone can be as high as over a thousand and since I'm only 20 and my boyfriend is 21, it gets a bit expensive. We do have a 2 year old son together as well so all of our money seems to go pretty fast with everything. We are thinking about moving some place new and Charlotte is one of the places we are considering but since we are unfamiliar with the area, we were wondering if it is more affordable there and what are the good areas that are pretty family friendly? What is the average price range for apartments or even small family homes?
I think Charlotte is about the same as Richmond especially if you want to be in a good area with good schools. The cost of living calculators on the web say Charlotte is 5% less expensive than Richmond so perhaps it is - but these are only averages with no consideration of housing stock, schools or neighborhood quality. Perhaps someone can contradict me as I don't have direct experience with Richmond.
Apartments are definitely less expensive than the price you quoted. I am an IT contractor and when I come to town on a long term assignment, I will generally try to get a nice apartment that won't break the bank. I easily find rates around $750 for apartments.
Hello! I currently live in Richmond, Virginia in the short pump area if anyone is familiar with that and it's a pretty expensive town. Just apartments alone can be as high as over a thousand and since I'm only 20 and my boyfriend is 21, it gets a bit expensive. We do have a 2 year old son together as well so all of our money seems to go pretty fast with everything. We are thinking about moving some place new and Charlotte is one of the places we are considering but since we are unfamiliar with the area, we were wondering if it is more affordable there and what are the good areas that are pretty family friendly? What is the average price range for apartments or even small family homes?
We lived in Richmond for a number of years after college before moving to Charlotte, I love Richmond but the education (UNC system) and employment opportunities were better down here. Charlotte is much cheaper than Richmond if you're buying a house - it was amazing what you could get here vs. Richmond in terms of modern upgrades, garages, space and, communities here have amenities that only the most upscale ones in Richmond have (pools, pocket parks, greenways). Ballantyne and the Birkdale area in Huntersville are most similar to Short Pump. However, I don't think apartments in these areas get much below $1000 for a 2 bedroom, and a nice new apartment complex is more likely to be $1200. NC and Charlotte are absolute killers on taxes. Although the state income tax was recently cut back to 5% for $60,000+ earners, that's still more than VA. In addition, there is a personal property tax on cars, almost 8% sales tax, higher property taxes, high gas taxes, and health insurance is roughly 10-15% more here. Utilities and the other stuff is pretty much comparable. Add up everything before you make a decision, but if you're only making a cost decision you wont come out that much ahead.
I don't think you'll notice too much difference between Charlotte and Richmond cost of living especially rental prices. But isn't Short Pump one of the (maybe the) nicest areas of Richmond? You're probably not going to get a nice 2 or more bedroom apartment in the better parts of Charlotte for much less than $1000.
If you don't mind living on the outskirts of Charlotte (20-30 min from uptown), low cost areas are pretty abundant. For example, you can rent a small house for about $700/month. Since your child is only 2, I assume being near the best schools in Charlotte isn't a huge concern (granted, some of the small town schools are pretty good).
Charlotte metro has a population of 2.5 million. There are all kinds of people including friendly. It is very diverse in housing in regards to cost of living in different areas. It has something for all incomes. Even a "beginning teacher" can live comfortably but may have to budget at first. And, there are many people that work at the "convenience stores" that are able to exist. Many are foreign and support kids. They may not live in luxury, but anybody can afford to live somewhere unless one happens to be a street person. To say that one must "pull down $60-70K a year to afford to live is a statement of bitterness, not reality. A member of my family is a beginning nurse making $35-40K and doing fine, maybe not living in luxury, but happy and able to afford.
Are you a beginning Mecklenburg County teacher or a convenience store clerk?
It's affordable if you're pulling down a nice 60-$70,000 a year banker's job. Even better if your significant other is pulling down similar dosh.
If you have convenience store job skills, or if you're a beginning public school teacher forget it.
Is Charlotte friendly? Define friendly.
Considering we earn just that, live in one of the most expensive parts of Brooklyn and pay $1900 per month rent for a 1 bedroom and STILL live pretty comfortably (albeit on a budget - but no matter what one earns they should have one) I think you could earn significantly less and be comfortable in Charlotte.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
