Are things turning out as good as expected? (Charlotte, Durham: transplants, apartment) - City-Data Forum

familymom · 02-02-2008, 08:19 PM

For those seeking a lower cost of living, did you find it? I am not looking to hear from those that were transfered with job offers on the table. I want to know about those that went down without a job. Did you get the salary you wished for? Are the taxes that much better in the long run? Is life easier? Especially want to hear from the ones running from NJ/NY. And where did you come from and where did you land?

jaynarie · 02-02-2008, 09:03 PM

Cost of living is much higher for me, and I moved from a wealthy town in Michigan. Paid less than HALF for rent than I do now and that included heat, water, sewer, garbage and none of that is included now. Homes are higher, too. I am a teacher, and had to sub in Michigan due to the lack of teaching positions. I now make $10,000 more than I did in Michigan, but I am even more broke because of the extra living expenses. I pay $450 extra in rent, plus have more utilies. I know I am not from NY or NJ, but cheap cost of living is a myth. (It may be cheaper than what you pay, but it is likely not what you are expecting)

familymom · 02-04-2008, 07:18 AM

Wow, Sorry to hear this. Hope others will speak up because its important to really know how things may be.

MrsSteel · 02-04-2008, 08:43 AM

I'm not from NY or NJ, but maybe my story can help you anyway.

My husband and I moved to NC two years ago. The place where we lived before was great. We had family and friends close by and the cost of living was low - lower than in NC. However, there simply weren't enough job opportunities in my husband's field. Frankly, there was only one company in the whole state that worked in his particular field and we did not have a good feeling about them at all. Intuition told us it was time to look elsewhere.

My husband was offered a job in Durham, NC - an area that is home to many companies in his field - so we took it. And boy, are we ever glad we did! Granted, I miss my family and old friends, but life here has been great for us. We own a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood in southern Durham. We've made friends who've moved here from all over the country. My husband is from a northern climate, so he loves the warmer weather and increased sunshine. As for me, I adore the abundance of trees.

Yes, North Carolina is different from where we've lived before, but we knew that coming in & embraced it fully. Now NC is our home & we're thrilled that life brought us here.

superk · 02-04-2008, 09:13 AM

This is about my parents. After 30+ years working for a large defense contractor, dad was downsized and out of work. For two years he tried to find something for work, but came up empty each time. After two years, they lost their home. So, they packed up what they wanted to keep, and moved in with us in NC.

Dad found his first job within a week. It was a temp job, but anything was better than nothing. He went through a few more temp jobs, then found one that was a full-time position. He took it, decided he didn't like it, and quit. A little less than a month later, he found his current job. Once he got settled in, they went out and found an apartment, and moved out. Mom loved being able to sit outdoors and enjoy the nice weather longer. They've really enjoyed NC and being closer to everyone else in the family. His new job currently pays MORE than he ever made before, has better benefits and a whole lot more vacation time.

There only major complaint was their lack of ability to find a good, fundamental Baptist church that they could join.

Recently, his company merged with another, and his job got moved. They recently relocated to Ohio. But, they promised that they will move back once the opportunity presents itself.

NCgirl · 02-04-2008, 10:11 AM

You may find this thread helpful.

Charlotte cost of living..no less than NY

anifani821 · 02-04-2008, 07:11 PM

I know you just asked for new transplants here - and I am a native who moved back home after living in another state.

My advice is - do not come here w/o a job. Our employment stats are worsening here and people are coming down here and getting into desperate situations b/c they can't find a job.

That being said . . . the cost of living here is higher than we expected. Groceries are more expensive, but we have found ways to lower the cost by buying items on special and stocking them, buying mark downs, etc.

Our taxes were nearly the same when we arrived here, but have gone up anad we expect them to continue to rise. Things such as lawn maintenance service are higher. We had not expected that. Repairmen are higher which really surprised us as we were in a booming area b/f where construction workers, plumbers, etc were in high demand, so having to pay more for these types of services was a shock.

We are in Charlotte. Think carefully b/f you come here . . . and please read our Charlotte forum if you are considering coming to this region. We are hearing a lot of sad stories about people who have moved here w/o jobs and are in a difficult situation now. Good luck!

familymom · 02-06-2008, 08:14 AM

Good to hear about the repairman being in demand. My husband does Heating and Air Conditioning, so maybe job searching will be ok for us. Anyone know what the salary for this type of work would be? He is experienced and usually manages job sites. I have done some research online, but not sure if I trust everything I read online. A company in Charlotte was advertising a salary of $60,000 a year ago and the same company is now offering $35,000. Maybe too many applicants for one job and the local companies are getting greedy??

anifani821 · 02-06-2008, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by familymom

Good to hear about the repairman being in demand. My husband does Heating and Air Conditioning, so maybe job searching will be ok for us. Anyone know what the salary for this type of work would be? He is experienced and usually manages job sites. I have done some research online, but not sure if I trust everything I read online. A company in Charlotte was advertising a salary of $60,000 a year ago and the same company is now offering $35,000. Maybe too many applicants for one job and the local companies are getting greedy??

Wow - that is huge difference. I know there is a market here! Maybe you should check out the jobs anyway . . . maybe they would pay more for the right applicant!

NCMommy2-4 · 02-06-2008, 10:50 AM

Came from NJ JOBLESS! yep.. DH lost his job and we had to make a run for it fast. Sold our NJ home just in time before whatever money we had ran out and got here with what we had left from house sale. Dh did get a job within a few months THANKFULLY but was over half of his NJ salary. We took our NJ debt with us too LOL We have 4 kids too. It was just Mac N Cheese all the way.

BUT our move here was a huge savings for us. First and foremost, taxes were cheaper. Even with the car tax and stuff it doesn't even COME CLOSE to NJ taxes. We are really doing much better here. Our electric is also much more affordable. Our NJ house was all electric and the bill was averaging $350 monthly!! YIKES! But now its like $150 monthly on average. Whew. Things have just been great here.

On a faithful side .. we have found much more than just a cheaper lifestyle. NJ is a great state in some ways.. but not for us anymore.

L