Living cost in USA, particularly in Maryland (Gaithersburg: apartments, rent)

[yzzirhc]

Hi everybody!

A family of three ( young couple with a two year old child from Europe) is moving temporarily to Maryland USA. Husband is offered a job somewhere in Gaithersburg Maryland. Wife may stay at home or find part time work when possible.

We would like to have an idea about the cost of living in this area and about life and living in general. We will probably rent a house or apartment, commute the first few months and when possible buy a used car.

Anyway, we really need help in figuring important things such as:

Estimate monthly living cost for a family of three

Apartment/House- how much, where are the good apartments, where to look
are apartments furnished? what are the things we need
to buy such as bed?

Basic needs and necessesities...how much they cost

Food
clothing
house appliances
beds

Health Insurance - how much, where to buy


Tax issues

Transportation - busses? trains? subways?

Car Issues - where to get driver's licence,

Childcare - estimate cost of raising a child

what is it like there? weather, culture, people, activities

WE WELCOME any input, positive or negative.

Thank you so much!!!!

[yzzirhc]

hi. thanks for the help...

anyone,

around how many $/month is average monthly cost of living, after taxes?

[dullnboring]

I don't really know the cost of living for a family since I am single, but here are some basics:

Renting, you can expect to pay at least $1400/month. I went to Craig's List and plugged in "Gaithersburg" and "2 bedroom" (this means it includes all those with two bedrooms or more) and here is what popped up to give you some idea of the types of places that you can get in the area and for what price:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/s...max&bedrooms=2

Apartments generally do not come fully-furnished, but some single-family homes do, although those that do tend to charge extra.

Health insurance is generally covered by an employer so it will be most likely offered to your husband and then a certain amount will be taken out of each paycheck. Children and spouses will generally be covered under the husband's plan. The cost of this could vary wildly it will likely be at least $200/month (I could be way off on this though).

For a driver's license, you will need to go to the local Motor Vehicle Association (http://mva.state.md.us/) (broken link). You will then have to take a written test and I believe a driving test (although that may not be the case in MD as I don't believe it is in VA after you are 18 years old) and pay a fee.

As far as transportation, there are buses and there is a subway (called Metro) but it stops a few miles short of Gaithersburg. If you live in Gaithersburg, you WILL need a car. Coming from Europe, one thing you will quickly realize is how sprawly and car-dependant the U.S. is. Our suburbs are not like European cities and their suburbs with high-density residential areas, and cute little walkable downtowns, all with great access to public transportation to zip you into the city. In most suburbs, you will have to drive everywhere, including to the grocery store. This holds true in Gaithersburg as well unless you happen to find yourself a place right by a shopping center, but even then, you will NEED a car.

The weather is four defined seasons. Where are you moving from in Europe? It would be easier to give a comparison between the two climates then. In general though, summers are oppressively hot and humid. Winters are cold and we get a decent amount of snow (about 20 inches on average per year) and both freak blizzards and snow-less winters aren't uncommon. Spring (right now) tends to bring a lot of rain. Both Spring and Fall have fluctuating weather, with some freezing days and some scorching hot days, but they are both generally pleasant for the most part.

I hope I could be of some help.

[yzzirhc]

dullnboring,
thank so much for the helpful info.

it's a start. we're coming from stockholm sweden.

best regards here

[julius fakrogha]

Originally Posted by yzzirhc

Hi everybody!

A family of three ( young couple with a two year old child from Europe) is moving temporarily to Maryland USA. Husband is offered a job somewhere in Gaithersburg Maryland. Wife may stay at home or find part time work when possible.

We would like to have an idea about the cost of living in this area and about life and living in general. We will probably rent a house or apartment, commute the first few months and when possible buy a used car.

Anyway, we really need help in figuring important things such as:

Estimate monthly living cost for a family of three

Apartment/House- how much, where are the good apartments, where to look
are apartments furnished? what are the things we need
to buy such as bed?

Basic needs and necessesities...how much they cost

Food
clothing
house appliances
beds

Health Insurance - how much, where to buy


Tax issues

Transportation - busses? trains? subways?

Car Issues - where to get driver's licence,

Childcare - estimate cost of raising a child

what is it like there? weather, culture, people, activities

WE WELCOME any input, positive or negative.

Thank you so much!!!!

estimate monthly cost of living and apartment in maryland