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I’m about to have a second interview with a company located in Hauppauge, NY and I could use some advice about living in NY. I’m mainly concerned about cost of living of course, and “quality of life” based on that and population density there.
I have visited NYC on 3 occasions in my life, and my step brother lived there for over 15 years as well. I’m well aware of the challenges presented by living there due to rent, cost of living, population, density, etc. For the most part, I would consider the opportunity to live in and experience one of the greatest cities in the world to out weight the negatives. I doubt I would settle there long term, but if I spent the next 3-5 years of my life experiencing it (and they paid me well enough) it would be worth the move. I am also for the record, not moving to NYC to “fulfill my wildest dreams” of becoming an actor, a rock star, a famous artist, etc. I’m just going there for an Engineering Job and I wouldn't make the move without a firm job position.
Now of course I am worried about cost of living though. When I was fresh out of college I moved to Chicago and I was making $33K a year and I was barely above the poverty line. I lived in Chicago, but I didn’t really get to LIVE there. I never had enough money to really take advantage of what the city had to offer. Hell, I could hardly afford to go out on the weekend more than once a month. I don’t want to make the same mistake in NY.
I’m guessing based on early conversation with the recruiter that I could make $85K - $90K although we haven’t really hammered out numbers yet.
Is that much enough to be at least “somewhat comfortable” in NY?
Would I be barely scraping by paying my bills from month to month?
Or would I have enough money to enjoy myself too?
For the record I am single with no kids and while I still have student loans to pay they are manageable. That certainly influences things. I could give a rat's ass about what school district is best, etc.
I should also mention that while it's a bit of a pain to live with a roommate I'm willing to do it. I have always in the past prioritized more space & lower expenses over total privacy.
With that being said I know that the Long Island area would be a different animal then Manhattan or some of the other more popular Boroughs. My Step Brother said when he lived out there his rent was around $1,200 a month. I could deal with that much more than spending over $2K for a studio in Manhattan. So I consider that a big plus. I wouldn’t be living in an outer Borough or suburb and working in the city, I’d be working closer to somewhat more affordable housing.
So let’s rattle through my questions about Long Island:
Can anyone give me a relative idea of typical rent costs?
Is it really “middle class suburbs and houses” like I’ve traditionally assumed it is supposed to be?
If that’s the case what are the chances I could be in a small duplex for instance vs. an apartment complex for less than a fortune?
Is it at all possible to deal with owning and keeping 2 cars there? If so how likely could I find a reasonably priced place to rent with at least 1 garage space?
I ask that because over the past few years I bought and more or less restored a 2nd car which has been my “weekend toy”. It’s 33 yrs old and not suitable for daily driving and nor would I want it to be. I would just up and sell it if it became too much of a hassle to own, but I’ve probably spent twice as much as I paid for it fixing it up and I would take a bath on selling it now. I’d easily lose around $4,000 compared to what I put into it. If I could find a place to live with a garage though, I’d probably down grade my daily driver and street park that.
The company’s office is located in Hauppauge, NY near 465 and Sagtikos Parkway. Where would you suggest I live close to there?
Which areas would have the easiest access to the LIR?
Any cities or neighborhoods nearby I definitely want to AVOID?
Lastly, I feel like I have one more important question to ask:
If you aren't a native and moved to New York was it what you expected? Would you make the same decision again?
You are about 50 miles from NYC so chances are you will not live in NYC although you might want to. IF you live west of Hauppauge you will be doing a reverse commute which will save you lots of time both in the a.m. and p.m. I am a former NY'er who has relocated from Nassau County Long Island, so my knowledge of the market out there is limited but I will include the suffolk county mls link and you can play around. http://www.mlsli.com/pages/suffolk-county-real-estate
If you google towns nearby Hauppauge and then you can check the rentals in the area. Smithtown and Kings Park are nice areas but may be pricey now. I know that Commack was a decent area but I am not familiar now with it. The train lines are Port Jefferson line, Babylon and Ronkonkoma lines. IF you google the LIRR map you will see where each lies relative to where you want to live.
Good luck hopefully I was able to get you started and others can offer more current info for you.
With that salary, you should be fine as long as you live modestly. Apartment complexes are pricier in general and not abundant on Long Island. Few would offer a duplex apartment like they have in the midwest unless you sublet someone's townhouse/condo. Most likely, if you want a garage, you would have to again sublet someone's condo which has a garage or find a private house with an apartment and see if they could rent the garage. It's not common. Most likely, if you end up in a apartment complex, you will get one outdoor spot.
It sounds like you would prefer to rent a full house with a garage. In that case, look for a roommate situation. You will definitely need a car if you live on Long Island.
You are about 50 miles from NYC so chances are you will not live in NYC although you might want to.
Thanks! I really doubt that I'll want to live directly in NYC or one of the boroughs honestly. As long as I'm close enough to the LIRR to get into the city that way I'd be happy. I could have a hell of a lot more fun in the city saving $800 or more a month in rent then just living there to say that I did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nuts2uiam
IF you live west of Hauppauge you will be doing a reverse commute which will save you lots of time both in the a.m. and p.m.
Good call on commuting West to East too. I'll have to give that some thought.
With that salary, you should be fine as long as you live modestly. Apartment complexes are pricier in general and not abundant on Long Island. Few would offer a duplex apartment like they have in the midwest unless you sublet someone's townhouse/condo. Most likely, if you want a garage, you would have to again sublet someone's condo which has a garage or find a private house with an apartment and see if they could rent the garage. It's not common. Most likely, if you end up in a apartment complex, you will get one outdoor spot.
It sounds like you would prefer to rent a full house with a garage. In that case, look for a roommate situation. You will definitely need a car if you live on Long Island.
Thanks. Yeah having a roommate for the sake of being able to live in a house and have access to a garage is definitely on the table for me. I'll have to look into that scenario more if things move forward with this job.
When the recruiter gives you a potential number, is that base or all in with any bonus?
As far as trains, the Ronkonkoma line wins over Port Jeff in my opinion. I concur that Commack might fit the bill. Better digs in Huntington but probably too pricey.
When the recruiter gives you a potential number, is that base or all in with any bonus?
As far as trains, the Ronkonkoma line wins over Port Jeff in my opinion. I concur that Commack might fit the bill. Better digs in Huntington but probably too pricey.
We haven't really talked salary in more specific terms yet. I would assume that's base.
His preferred strategy is to let him negotiate that more if I get close to an offer, and I'd tend to agree with that thinking.
I'm probably doing a Skype interview with my potential manager next week.
Saw your thread on reddit too, but I'm replying here. Definitely check out kings park. I don't know what kind of car you have, but the scene there is great. Lots of nice cars around and a local show every thursday all summer, quick commute to hauppauge. It will be a little tough, but you should be able to find a small house for rent w a garage.
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