New job in Stamford...Help!!! (Bridgeport, Fairfield: apartments, rent , health)

[local]

Currently I live in South Florida and I am likely to start working for a company in Stamford, CT. I am looking to rent something cheap, as I will keep my house in FLA for now (can't sell now if I wanted to). What are some of the less expensive areas within 30 minutes driving. I don't care if it's in the middle of nowhere as long as it's a quite area. I was thinking going more north towards Canaan???

By the way I would love to be close to nature, hills and mountains.

Any advice...

[JayCT]

Local - Unfortunately Stamford is one of the most expensive areas to live in the country and there are really no cheap areas within an hour of it. When you say cheap, what do you mean exactly? You might consider Bridgeport as a less expensive alternative, but driving into Stamford during rush hour is not easy. Stamford is a major employment center and traffic is tough. Jay

[notjustamom]

Originally Posted by local

I was thinking going more north towards Canaan???

Surely you didn't mean New Canaan? That's even more expensive than Stamford. As Jay said, you will pretty much have to leave Fairfield County to find something cheaper, and it will be a lot further than a 30 minute commute unless you consider Bridgeport, but that's still a long commute as Jay also said. And it's a big city with a high crime rate, not "close to nature, hills and mountains".

[jumper]

there are apartments all over the area...exactly what are your needs?
how much do you want to spend, do you have a pet?

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by local

Currently I live in South Florida and I am likely to start working for a company in Stamford, CT. I am looking to rent something cheap, as I will keep my house in FLA for now (can't sell now if I wanted to). What are some of the less expensive areas within 30 minutes driving. I don't care if it's in the middle of nowhere as long as it's a quite area. I was thinking going more north towards Canaan???

By the way I would love to be close to nature, hills and mountains.

Any advice...

Hmm..well, what is your definition of "cheap?" Most 1 bedroom apartments in Stamford will run you around $1200 bucks and up. The "cheapest" area is Bridgeport, but it is also a not-so-good area. The commute time is around 20 minutes by metro-north train from Bridgeport to Stamford, or 30 mins by car.
Regarding New Canaan--you referred to the town as "Canaan"--you better have some big bucks. This is a very wealthy "resort/boutique-y village" with homes starting at $700k (approx) and up. Fairfield county is consistently in the top 2 wealthiest counties in the US.

[local]

Thx for the replies, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and become a pimp or something to make ends meet in Stamford

[cosmonewman]

Have you accepted an offer yet? If not you should make sure that the employer pays you more to make up for the increase in the cost of living. People forget that they can negotiate for this kind of thing when accepting a new job.

[xbsd]

Originally Posted by cosmonewman

Have you accepted an offer yet? If not you should make sure that the employer pays you more to make up for the increase in the cost of living. People forget that they can negotiate for this kind of thing when accepting a new job.

That is absolutely correct. You should negotiate the terms of the offer accordingly at the "right time". Try the cost of living calculator found on many websites. As an example from CNN - Cost of Living - Cost of Living Calculator from CNNMoney says,

If you move from Fort Lauderdale FL to Stamford CT...

Groceries will cost: 13.992% more
Housing will cost: 48.335% more
Utilities will cost: 29.679% more
Transportation will cost: 6.779% more
Healthcare will cost: 3.282% more