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Hi, I'm about 98% sure I'll be moving to the NH coast in the coming month. I'll be working in Stratham. I haven't actually gotton a figure yet (long story) but I am concerned on the cost of living and wages. I live in Toledo Ohio where it is dirt cheap. I currently only make 33k/year and just got out grad school. My new job really will be my dream job and I would expect make in the low to mid 40's here in ohio. I have no idea what that would equate to out there and any cost of living calculator I have found only has boston as the closest city. If anyone has a ballpark clue please let me know
When I looked at realstate and houses, I was blown away. A starter home in Toledo is around 110K. I couldn't find anything livable for under $250,000!!!! I don't expect to buy a house right away but I can't imagine being able to afford one out there ever unless I'm making well over 60k. My fiance makes 50K/yr here as well as a Human Resources manager and when we job searched the area they were all starting in the high 30's to low 40's. I'm worried that while I'll be making more, she won't, and with the higher cost of living we will end up taking a huge hit on our houshold income to make the move. I'm WAY overqualified at my current job though and quite miserable, and this job is an absolute PERFECT fit for me.
The salaries seem comparable to what I'm used to in ohio but the housing market is nowhere near. Does EVERYONE rent out there or what?
Also, how's the fishing and hunting (waterfowl)? The outdoors activities out there are one of my biggest sellng points.
And finally, I'm a huge Tigers fan, will I be crucified out there in Bosox land? What about IN Boston? I expect to get jeered and heckled but should I expect worse?
Thanks for any info you all can give me.
Last edited by fishnfool; 01-21-2007 at 09:01 PM..
Also, (sorr, I know this is way long already) if anyone knows of a nice, cheap town/place to look for apartments, I would appreciate any help. I looked in the Portsmouth newspaper and found alot in the $700-800/mo range around portsmouth, hampton, newmarket area that "sounded" nice. That would get me a very nice apartment here in Ohio. Would that get me something decent there or some dingy place?
I'm a total outdoor freak and don't need to live in the city but I'd love to stick close to the ocean for the fishing. Commute time isn't a huge deal either, I already commute an hour to Ann Arbor for work, although less would be better.
I don't know much about the coast. We moved to NH from AR in 2003. While salaries in MA appear to be generally higher than AR, NH for my profession was in the dark ages. That means 5-10 grand lower than AR, which is not cutting edge in the money department. Housing is, or was, very reasonable in AR. We moved from a $140,000 2450 sq ft house in the Little Rock area to a $250,000 2700 sq ft house, and taxes were about 2.5 times as high and then went up. A lot.
The salary comparitors I've seen on the internet appear to be a joke. They are about as accurate as weather forecasts.
A much more accurate checker is to read the want ads, either online or in the Boston Globe or Manchester Union or similar newspaper.
Car registration will probably sticker-shock you, unless Ohio is incredibly costly. Our cars cost in the $300-$500 range if I recall correctly. That's compared to well under $100 in AR.
My own personal experience with getting questions answered at the hub of NH bureaucracy, Concord, was far from satisfactory. Usually no one answered the phone, or I got a recording. (That means the phone just rang and rang, with no automated pick up.) Typically no one ever called back. When I did get a real person, they were most often what one would expect of a useless career bureaucrat. I raised this question at the VT boards and they say that is not a typical VT experience. I found it pretty amazing the the NH bureaucracy was so pitiful. Their attitude? Live Free or Die.
While you will be in Red Sox Nation, I always wore my Tigers hat (go Tigers!) in NH and got only a little grief for it. The guy I worked for gave me a Sox hat, but I am a Tigers fan and that's what I wore. I can't speak for what it will be like in Boss-Town, but in NH there were no worries.
That was their worst of worst years I think. But you stick with your team through good years and bad, and if Sox fans don't like it, they will get over it. Or die mad.
Tax rates in NH are set by the town. There is a wide variance town to town, so a good RE agent or your own research at the NH website is imperative. Where you'll be working, you'll have the option of living in ME or MA also. Statistics say ME is per capita the highest taxed state in the USA, and MA has high sales and income taxes but, I understand, lower prop taxes. IMO MA has very Orwellian laws and I would not consider it for anything but a job or going to watch the Tigers whip the Sox, but different strokes.
We are considering returning to the area and are looking at VT, NH, and ME. NH is at least sales tax- and income tax-free. But do your research regarding property taxes, they are IMO criminally confiscatory. I don't see that services are so dadblamed great considering the high prop taxes.
If you guys are making close to $100,000 combined you will probably be OK. But between housing costs and taxes, it's a challenging place to move to.
Please keep us posted as to how the search goes. Good luck.
fishnfool:
The two of you will do fine in NH with your combined salaries. The average couple in NH doesn't make 100k a year. As for your fiance in the HR dept; If she has a degree you're probably looking at more like 50k+ as long as she doesn't settle for the first job that comes her way. HR jobs start at 30k if you don't have a degree. My mom's an HR director for what I consider to be a crappy company in Nashua. She has no degree but makes more than 30k.
I wouldn't rent if I were you, unless you aren't sure that you're going to like it here. I don't think you'll have trouble with a mortgage and taxes based on your income. 700-800/mo is really cheap for an apartment. Don't even think about Hampton for 800/mo. The apts you see in Hampton for 800 are hotel-like. To give you an idea of rent prices, I live in Manchester, my apt is about 1,100sf. It's not in a great neighborhood, the building isn't in great shape and the rent is $930/mo with heat and water included. I was extremely lucky to have found such a "good" deal. I think Portsmouth is comparable to Manchester, maybe a little cheaper.
Portsmouth might well be MORE expensive, since the MA types and seacoast proximity have driven the prices up.
Now I just bought a place in Rochester on over an acre, 3 BR, 2 1/2 BA, brand new, for just under 250K. Might sound expensive, but a comparable property in Exeter, for example, would run close to 400K.
fishnfool:
The two of you will do fine in NH with your combined salaries. The average couple in NH doesn't make 100k a year. As for your fiance in the HR dept; If she has a degree you're probably looking at more like 50k+ as long as she doesn't settle for the first job that comes her way. HR jobs start at 30k if you don't have a degree. My mom's an HR director for what I consider to be a crappy company in Nashua. She has no degree but makes more than 30k.
I wouldn't rent if I were you, unless you aren't sure that you're going to like it here. I don't think you'll have trouble with a mortgage and taxes based on your income. 700-800/mo is really cheap for an apartment. Don't even think about Hampton for 800/mo. The apts you see in Hampton for 800 are hotel-like. To give you an idea of rent prices, I live in Manchester, my apt is about 1,100sf. It's not in a great neighborhood, the building isn't in great shape and the rent is $930/mo with heat and water included. I was extremely lucky to have found such a "good" deal. I think Portsmouth is comparable to Manchester, maybe a little cheaper.
I have a friend in hr with a degree and they started her at 63K a year. Check out salery dot com they have a scale for cost of living and job pay for the Manchester NH area.
cost of living is high, but professional/ skilled saleries seem to take that into consideration.
useful links, NH govenors website, hunting/ fishing etc; http://www.nh.gov/
Property taxes by town;http://www.nh.gov/revenue/property_tax/2003/2003_tax_rates.htm (broken link)
Property taxes are high, because its our only 'real' form of taxation -statewide.
virtually all the hunting is in the north-country, 3 hours or so from Stratham. All of southern NH is shotgun or bow only. there are deer + critters here but mostly north. Late Summer Bluefishing in the ocean is a trip. (they fight like hell!)Stripers are fun too.
Stratham really doesn't have any rentals or apt. complexes. Prices are high there. Goes hand-in-hand with school system. If you don't have or plan to have kids, it would probably be better to look elsewhere. Of course there's always the elusive ROI on a high-martket home, if you can afford it.
As long as you're not a Yankees fan, you probably won't suffer too much ridicule over your sports interests.
I'd say you probably can live comfortably on the $50K+$60K. It seems your wife should be able to do much better than $30-$40K. Many people here travel I95 south into Mass for higher saleries. bus service (from Portsmouth/Dover)commuter rail runs from Exeter + Durham too. into metro-Boston.
No worries about being a yanks fan. To be honest, my second favorite team probablly IS the Sox purely because they have such a great rivalry with the yanks. They are hated just as much (ok, well almost) in the rest of the country too. It's not quite the Michigan OSU one I get living on the border though...
You're making me feel alot better about my girlfriend too. She has a degree and 3 years experience in detroit auto, which is said to be the toughest industry out there for HR.
For hunting, I belong to some web forums more tuned to that, just thought I'd toss it out there. I'm exclusively waterfowl so the coast or lakes regions would seem better. I'm just not sure how much land is open to it, but I'll reseach that before the fall. Can't wait for blues and stripers....walleye aren't exactly fighters.
Thanks again....
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