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More like 30% cheaper now (was 50% but so many ex-pats moving there, costs have gone up):
Austin, Raleigh Durham, Salt Lake City, DC/VA, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Provo. All have growing median incomes, salaries easily on par with Long Island, falling unemployment, good schools and thriving start ups. Some complain about rising taxes and traffic but those are a joke to a LI/NYer.
Being an ex-Islander it depends on what amenities you can live without if you left. Putting a percentage is tough since it depends on the item. I left nearly twenty years ago and have a six figured income from my LLC now. When I left, not so much working in WTC. Comparing what I pay now compared to costs in LI/NYC, it is extremely cheaper in a few catagories. Just looking at normal COG prices the following are much cheaper. RE taxes for me is 80% cheaper (used propertyshark to compare to northern suffolk home with similar specs). Most fees are a joke. Southerners were up in arms when EZPass added a 0.50 monthly monthly fee. My business lic is $30/yr. With auto ins we pay less for five cars than my brother does for two in Syosset. Gas is about $1 per gallon less for reg. Hiring contractors to do repair work is extremely cheaper. Food and utilities are about the same. flying is more expensive.
Many ex-NYrs that I met down here will always find something to complain about because its part of the NY culture to do so. We have no bumper to bumper traffic. But I still yell at the windshield because the light went green and no one is moving (can't even hit the horn since its highly frowned upon) and even when the light changes they crawl up to speed limit. On the other hand I95 is considered a speed limit sign. OTOH we could use some red light cameras down here since red lights and stop signs are stoptional.
You're an exception to my generalization. For a lack of a better term, you seem quite miserable and fed up with Long Island from the grammar deficient teachers to the home values. LOL. Don't worry I'm not trying to call you out in a negative way I actually think you make some valid points.
That is the reason why I asked you. From my observations, you have to be from or grow up on Long Island or the boroughs to enjoy it here. Long Island is a unique place- extremely high density in many areas, very few transplants from other US regions, and you always have to take a bridge or tunnel if you want to leave by automobile (thank you captain obvious on this one). People from other US regions don't adapt well to these unique aspects of Long Island, and prefer NJ, CT, or even Westchester if they relocate to the suburbs of NYC. However, as the years go by it seems like people from Long Island are getting more fed up with these unique aspects in addition to the high COL and generally low bang for your buck.
As other posters mentioned, I did notice the housing was expensive in relation to home quality. Last year I was house shopping with my brother (he wanted to move from Manhattan because he had to take care of my niece and nephew, and Long Island is much more family). It is hard to find a completely updated house below $500K still, even though the market has come down. My brother got a nice house in a great neighborhood just below $500K, but the house needed many renovations because it was older. It's costing him a fortune. Properties are generally small too, this is because of the way many suburbs were designed on Long Island but mostly the restrictive island geography. The change of wants and desire in society, population growth of many other regions where you can find bigger and cheaper housing has lead to people on Long Island wanting more when it comes to buying a home. I agree with other posters, that other than taxes and other amenities, housing is the number one reason why you need to have a high income here.
With that being said, I lived on Long Island and then moved to CO and lived in other states and cities (CA, FL, DC) as well as traveled quite a bit around the US. My personal opinion is that Long Island is not my cup of tea. But to be completely honest Long Island does have a lot of flaws, but it sure is a heck of a lot nicer and has more advantages than many other regions of the US as well.
one of the most thought out posts I have read in a while. Everything you said is right on. Been living here forever and never noticed there are so few transplants !
one of the most thought out posts I have read in a while. Everything you said is right on. Been living here forever and never noticed there are so few transplants !
Stony Brook and Setauket have a large number of transplants both national and international. It is certainly not the 'norm' for LI.
Okay, okay...I'm gonna shout this from the mountain top:
Generally speaking, most other areas aren't cheaper than Long Island-- the COL just falls more in line with the salaries. You'll still have bills wherever you go. Yes, you'll be more financially comfortable, but, geez, you won't go from driving a Kia to driving a Benz!
It depends on the field. I'm twenty years out and still being called by head hunters from NY. The salaries they're offering is 30-40% less then what I get being an independent contractor (IT) down south. I had one call me heavily with counter offers a few months ago, so to shut him up I had him spec out the job. In short I turned the company he was hh for into a client and he got paid his comm.
As to cars. I went from a '84 Fifth Ave to a brand new '93 Ford Explorer LTD 4x4 and my insurance went from 5-10-20 to full coverage for less $500/yr within the first month of moving here.
Quote:
So the south isn't actually cheaper, the expenses are just more in alignment with the wages.
Overall it is cheaper. I have a friend living in Richmond (VA) getting paid around $35k. He has an affordable mortgage on a 3000 sgft ranch. drives a Lexus, has normal utilites and his property tax is $2k per year and still has money left over for fun each and every week. On the other hand his daughter moved up to NY and lives in Queens. She rents, can't afford a car, cant afford cable, cant........and she makes $60k.
It depends on the field. I'm twenty years out and still being called by head hunters from NY. The salaries they're offering is 30-40% less then what I get being an independent contractor (IT) down south. I had one call me heavily with counter offers a few months ago, so to shut him up I had him spec out the job. In short I turned the company he was hh for into a client and he got paid his comm.
As to cars. I went from a '84 Fifth Ave to a brand new '93 Ford Explorer LTD 4x4 and my insurance went from 5-10-20 to full coverage for less $500/yr within the first month of moving here.
Overall it is cheaper. I have a friend living in Richmond (VA) getting paid around $35k. He has an affordable mortgage on a 3000 sgft ranch. drives a Lexus, has normal utilites and his property tax is $2k per year and still has money left over for fun each and every week. On the other hand his daughter moved up to NY and lives in Queens. She rents, can't afford a car, cant afford cable, cant........and she makes $60k.
Yes, IT salaries have receded with incredible speed in NY. Combination of Wall St. rifs, Wall St. leaving NYC and lots and lots of H1bs. I had a contract on LI--at a financial corp--but management kept beating me over the head over rate vs. what they were paying 'guest' workers. Not worth the abuse, went the start-up route.
LI is the poster-child for economic dysfunction. If you read some of the posts in threads on LI's quality of life, the folks that think LI is a fine place to live either have public positions or are in a state of denial. Cost of living on LI is huge and going up in leaps and bounds. Taxes, energy and infrastructure costs aside, most consumer goods need to be trucked in, which means LI's roads are increasingly being battered by 18-wheeler trucks. Warehousing has become a big business on LI, because of this. And consumer prices are hyper-sensitive to fuel costs and toll fees (yes, they're really expensive for multi-axle trucks). So, yes, almost everything you buy costs more on LI. Sucks to be on LI these days....
At least you don't have to cross the bridge or tunnel to get to major airports.
But you know its pretty bad when: Short story. One night about a year or so ago I cabbied it to LGA, caught my flight home, got into my car and got home before a friend of mine who drove out of the city at the same time got to his home in Center Moriches. Bridges/Tunnels are not a problem, traffic is.
So much traffic in NY is caused by people you slow down to tourist a accident site. Yet down here in VA, people don't do it. I've been on I95 where only one lane was open and was moving through the accident scene at over 50mph. People south of DC actually read the digital warning signs or are within sight distance nearly all move over in time not to cause a backup.
I loved Long Island for 20 of the 25 years we lived there. I loved the fact that it was near Manhatten, near decent airports, could earn a very very decent living and it was the place where we achieved the american dream.
However, the last 5 years were grueling. We got tired of the hustle and bustle. Tired of the anger of people, very tired of the fact that to get ahead it was thru who you knew, and we didnt really know anyone as we are immigrants. Very tired of the complaining and the everyone out for themselves So after having a business where we employed at the height, 15 people, we downsized and eventually sold. We sold rental properties that had been trashed by tenants and had the copper ripped out. I am not saying everythign on Long Island is bad ; we did make some very very good friends that we miss daily.
7 months later we are relaxing, not stressed, taking life at a different pace and enjoying it. My kids are so so happy in school and yesterday said they would never go back to Long Island. Their school friends are so down to earth, so helpful and they are having fun at school while mainting their grades and playing sports. I am working full time ; yes, the paycheck is smaller, but the stress is gone, the co workers are decent people always there to help. My dh is a stay at home day and liking the fact that he does not have to work 50 hours a week but doing honey do jobs.
The big difference here is not the cost of living ; yes, thats lower. But the people here respect eachother and help eachother out. That is a huge difference. After all, we all take the same things with us when we go 6 feet under.
Never mind leave LI,Leave NY period thats my desire
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I actually think you make some valid points.
