Va. Beach to Chantilly (Centreville, Fairfax: real estate, property taxes, housing)

[DC97Cobra]

The company I am working for offered me a position in Chantilly with a pay increase from 40,800 to 43,000. What is the average cost of living in the area and would it be worth the move?

[Alanboy395]

the avg cost of living is very high and no it it not worth the move. i moved from hampton to alexandria 2 yrs. ago and it hasn't really been worth the extra $. unless they offer you $70k don't even think about it.

[EricD]

wait, only $2,200 a year more? In no way would that move be worth it. The traffic, expensive housing... unless you really hate where you are now, it wouldn't be worth the move. Even the state government has a 10% cost of living differential between NoVa and the rest of the state, and that isn't even enough to stay competitive with the private industry. I wouldn't take the job unless they offer you an over 10% raise... and even then I'd think twice.

[jmarkd]

Look at home prices online. That will make your decision very easy. From June 2006- January 2007, I rented a 3BR condo in Chantilly for $1600/month.

[ashbrn4]

That's not a big enough increase for the cost of living increase you will have. The median household income in Fairfax is at least over 90K. My son, just out of college, makes more than that (at least 40% more) and he and a roommate rent a two bedroom apt in Kingstowne for about $1600/month. $1600/month for rent would eat up most of your income. 43,000/yr would give you roughly 2500-2600/month net, nowhere near enough to pay that much rent and eat, have a car, etc. My guess is the cost of living here is close to at least 20% more than VA Beach. I have a friend at work (Chantilly) who is single and has to rent a room in someone's home because she can't swing it on her own on her salary which is somewhere in the 45-50k range.

[funnylaura]

Hi There!

Unless you know someone up here you could rent from, it doesn't sound like a good move. I agree with most of the other posters, $43,000 just isn't enough for one person to move up here with the astronomical housing costs. Between myself and my hubby we make about $117,000 (before taxes) a year. We bought our little duplex in 1998 before the real estate market became CRAZY, and it has gone up in value enormously; but even if we sold it and used the profits to buy a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood, we would barely make it and would be living paycheck to paycheck.

If they can give you a 20% increase, then it would be a little easier!

Best of luck to you!

Laura

[ashbrn4]

I just reread my own post. I meant my son makes more than 43k per year, not more than the Fairfax median of 90k.

[thirdandlong]

No way. You better be making six figures to live comfortably. No kidding. My wife and I are pushing near 200k a year and we're fleeing the area because we don't feel like we can afford it anymore. Also, it's not just housing that is more expensive but also groceries, medical expenses, etc. Play around on Money.com's cost of living calculators and you'll see that your 40k a year translates into about 20k in NoVA. Stay.

[ssdei38]

That salary won't cut it unfortunately. The cost of living there is extremely high. In 1995 I rented a 1 bedroom apt. in Centreville for $700 a month...that same apartment is now $1500 a month!!! A friend bought a house in Centreville in '97 for 135,000, sold it in '04 for $285,000, and now the county tax appraisal on the home is 325,000. My favorite relative in the world is paying $500 a month alone strictly for property taxes in Chantilly!!! That's the price you pay for the privilege of living in Fairtax County!! Don't get me wrong, I love it there....it's where I grew up and I'd be back in a minute if I could!!!! But I'd have to hit the lottery to go back....That reminds me....I gotta check my numbers!!!

[ashbrn4]

Originally Posted by thirdandlong

No way. You better be making six figures to live comfortably. No kidding. My wife and I are pushing near 200k a year and we're fleeing the area because we don't feel like we can afford it anymore. Also, it's not just housing that is more expensive but also groceries, medical expenses, etc. Play around on Money.com's cost of living calculators and you'll see that your 40k a year translates into about 20k in NoVA. Stay.

Okay, where do you live and what do you drive? My husband and I make that much and we have a large home in Ashburn, two cars (one brand new w/payments), one son in college and one just out (we paid for them and their cars) and while we're not swimming in money, we're very comfortable. The level the op will be living at is just "starting out" which we all have done, and have struggeled, but 43K just isn't enough. I'm sure there are plenty of people who post here and live in NOVA that make half what we do who think anyone complaining about making 200K not being enough will think that's nuts. Yeah, 200K in the middle of the country is a lot of money, but good luck making that salary elsewhere.