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Are you one of those people being discussed trying to make it on $2000 a month NET income?
One who needs to limit their monthly housing costs to $600 or less?
If so... you have some reconciling with reality to do.
That's your opinion. Like I said, on $15 an hour in Virginia there isn't a lot of money to live on after expenses. Things are supposed to be so cheaper here, but it's relative to what one earns. My personal situation doesn't change that fact, regardless of what your opinion of my finances are.
You can't just tell people to live in a $600 place if you don't know what circumstances a $600 place puts you in. I doubt you would live that way if you were here.
Maybe its different in the Southern Midwest, which I'm assuming this is why those links were posted? Or just pacify people by grabbing at a bunch of straws without any personal experience at the information being provided. I could find a bunch of listings and post them too but if I don't know about those neighborhoods personally it doesn't mean anything.
Nope it really isn't. Either you have the dosh needed to live the way you want... or you don't.
Quote:
...on $15 an hour in Virginia there isn't a lot of money to live on after expenses.
How many people do you share that house or apartment with?
That's the answer btw ...and the reconciling with reality you'll need to do.
One weeks NET paycheck is your monthly housing budget target. Rent AND utilities.
Stick to that model and you could be BUYING a house in a few years.
Nope it really isn't. Either you have the dosh needed to live the way you want... or you don't.
How many people do you share that house or apartment with?
That's the answer btw ...and the reconciling with reality you'll need to do.
One weeks NET paycheck is your monthly housing budget target. Rent AND utilities.
Stick to that model and you could be BUYING a house in a few years.
I don't disagree with you on the math I'm saying that if I were doing this on my own I wouldn't be getting anywhere. Serious sacrifices need to be made. I don't want anyone coming down here that isn't mentally and emotionally prepared to make the sacrifices they need to get ahead. Because they'll be miserable.
People can live wherever they will. But this fantasy of a free lunch in the South is delusional. They don't pay as much in the South. So you're in the same boat. Good thing is that there are opportunities available that don't exist for some people. Especially when jobs are leaving the Midwest and relocating here. But I appreciate where you're going with this.
Why do people assume that the South is cheaper? It is definitely more expensive than the Midwest, at least the working class areas no one ever talks about. I always hear about the South being cheaper on this forum, usually in the pejorative, but nonetheless stop giving out incorrect information!
I've been in Virginia for 15 years. It is not cheaper than the North. The entire state is expensive. There are a few small towns here and there with like 10,000 people that are cheaper than the larger cities but overall it is more expensive than the North. If you want a decent place that is not in some rural area you are going to have pay $600 or more. If you move to the larger urban areas, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Northern Virginia, you can live in a really sketchy area for $600 but the appropriate rent for those cities is more like $1,200. Plus they continue to build these huge homes. If you can't afford a new big home, there are plenty of old homes falling apart you can acquire but you need to have the money available to invest in them to keep them going.
Atlanta is supposed to be cheap. Some say that Georgia is cheaper than Virginia. But what do you get for the same money in Atlanta? Is it smaller than what you would find somewhere else? Is it in the city proper, or out 20 miles away in some distant suburb? Is the neighborhood safe?
Texas is supposed to be cheap but I've heard many say that prices have risen there as well.
What cheap real estate exists in the South? The Carolinas? Northern Florida? I think that the South is still cheaper than the North or the West but overall this may not make things affordable if considered relative to income. If you're making $15 an hour it is expensive everywhere. And once you do find something "affordable", you have the inconveniences of not living in desirable areas. Not necessarily from a crime aspect or anything but areas that simply do not have the amenities you would enjoy in a more expensive area. If you're struggling somewhere else, you're probably going to struggle in the South. Although you will get the benefit of getting more for your money, nicer people, generally, and nicer weather, assuming there aren't any tornadoes or hurricanes you have to deal with.
Texas has a reputation for being cheap but it has gotten more expensive.Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin are pricey.Houston is cheaper compared to Chicago I would think.I think Texas is only really cheap if you are coming from the coasts.
It's cheap only if you don't care about your children having access to good schools and low crime. A lot of people are shocked to realize how expensive the nice areas of the Atlanta metro and the city itself are.
Atlanta is still way cheaper than similarly sized northern cities.
It's cheap only if you don't care about your children having access to good schools and low crime. A lot of people are shocked to realize how expensive the nice areas of the Atlanta metro and the city itself are.
OK, but c'mon, $500k in a great suburb like Roswell will get you 1/3 acre and a 3500 sq ft house. Here in the Bay Area, that'll get you 1000 sq ft in close proximity to the loudest gun fire the region has to offer.
I'm a native Tennessean from a small town, but lived in Indianapolis for three years, and lived in Des Moines for a year. Groceries here in TN are much higher (25%+) than either other location, and the selection sucks. My car insurance is nearly double what it was in the affluent Indiana and Iowa suburbs I was in.
Housing is cheaper here in the podunk than in the affluent suburbs, but compared to similarly sized, isolated cities in Indiana, no, it's really a toss up, perhaps slightly leaning more expensive. Your property taxes will be lower, so it may be a toss-up in your monthly nut.
All forms of taxes are lower, at least in TN, but putting a state like SC that has personal property tax and a 7% or so in the mix, and that tax situation changes considerably.
I think places like Indy, Cincy, St. Louis, etc., are probably the best wage/COL combo in the country.
OK, but c'mon, $500k in a great suburb like Roswell will get you 1/3 acre and a 3500 sq ft house. Here in the Bay Area, that'll get you 1000 sq ft in close proximity to the loudest gun fire the region has to offer.
OK, but c'mon, $500k in a great suburb like Roswell will get you 1/3 acre and a 3500 sq ft house. Here in the Bay Area, that'll get you 1000 sq ft in close proximity to the loudest gun fire the region has to offer.
Does 500k really get you that in Bay Area? Well, I guess in a bad neighborhood....
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