Moving from Texas to Ohio (Cleveland, Middleburg Heights: apartment, rent, how much)

[emotionlessmoon]

I am just in the beginning planning stages of maybe moving to Ohio. What would I have to do before moving? Is it easy to get a job? What type of clothing do I need for the different seasons? In Texas I only need shorts and t-shirts and maybe a jacket. How expensive is the cost of a one-person apartment? Is it expensive to move there? I've got more questions, so someone please send me a personal message.

[kallinan]

I lived in Ohio for 15 years, so I can offer perhaps a little perspective.

We truly have four seasons here. You will need your short sleeve shirts & shorts for summer, although they will feel wonderfully mild compared to your Texan summers. You'll want long sleeve apparel for fall & winter. You'll want sweatshirts, sweaters, or fleece to layer with. It snows here, not usually too much, but 24" in one go is not unheard of. You'll want a serious winter jacket, hats, and gloves. And boots if you don't have them, something that won't get drenched if you're walking through slush & snow. The city is prepared for the weather, and unless it's actively snowing during rush hour, it hardly slows things down. Even if it snows a foot and everyone stays home, it's all cleared by the next day.

Cleveland's job market is pretty good for most professionals, but has been increasingly hard on blue collar workers. If you are involved somehow in computers/IT or any kind of medical field, you should be good to go in Cleveland. Even at the bottom of the recession, there seemed to be a fair number of jobs available in those fields. What kind of field are you in?

Apartment cost will vary greatly depending on where you want to live. Downtown studio? Inner suburb? Outer suburb? My wife & I lived at The Islander in Middleburg Heights (outer suburb) as newlyweds. A 1-bed apartment there apparently is going for $650/mo these days.

I have no idea how much it costs to move here - that's probably more a function of how much stuff you have, and if you can just rent your own UHaul. Maybe a thousand to move? I don't know. But cost of living is surprisingly low. I actually live up the lake in Buffalo for the time being, but I think Cleveland has both a slightly lower cost of living *and* slightly higher pay. Just remember you will pay more in taxes than you are used to in Texas. It's probably a couple percent, but it still hurts a bit.

[needusername]

Originally Posted by emotionlessmoon

I am just in the beginning planning stages of maybe moving to Ohio. What would I have to do before moving? Is it easy to get a job? What type of clothing do I need for the different seasons? In Texas I only need shorts and t-shirts and maybe a jacket. How expensive is the cost of a one-person apartment? Is it expensive to move there? I've got more questions, so someone please send me a personal message.

Getting a job - largely depends on what you are qualified for. The above poster is very correct in this regard.

Expect heavy winters. We've had several instances of the temperature being below zero.

The cost of an apartment depends on if you want a good or bad area. Expect to pay $500-600 a month for a decent apartment; perhaps even more. It'll be worth it though, as the ghetto areas are truly not good places to be.

The cost of living for Cleveland as far as I know is below average, so it shouldn't be too bad.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Winter is cyclical here. The past 2-3 winters have been very mild -- 2012 was like a 4 month long November. This one, not so much but it still is currently about average on the snowfall though a bit below average on the temperature. The best part about Ohio when compared to other "winter" states is that the typical "deep freeze" which lasts for weeks in places like Minnesota last only about a day or two here. You can also expect several winter thaws (like the one we're experiencing now) where the snow melts away and the temperatures get up into the 50s. A good winter coat, hat, gloves and a pair of Timberlands are generally adequate for most situations. Probably 80-90% of Americans already own what they would need.

[pinklady214]

Did you move to cleveland? If so how are you adjusting looking to move in a few months from dallas.