What contributes to the higher cost of living in NOVA? (Fairfax: real estate, car insurance)

[novahousehunter]

Housing is the biggie.

Also we have a "personal property tax" on cars/trailers/boats etc that can add up.

I think the focus on "upscale" in NoVA (be it grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, schooling) puts a lot of expensive stuff out there, but it's not the only option.

[arielmina]

location location location....sorry but being in the Metro DC area has a greater draw because there are somewhat plentiful jobs around a large metropolis such as DC and the surrounds, so there is alot more competition for land within commutable distance, therefore, the closer in your are, the higher the housing cost. It's the age old principle of supply and demand

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by clintsullivan

I guess that's why lots of people live in Eastern WV and commute in to NoVa. Housing & taxes are much lower if you can put up with the commute.

Yeah, and their sob stories about the commute get old.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by alibaba1579

No - we pay roughly 1% of assessed value. So yes, it will double when I move. Still a great deal compared to other parts of the country though.

In Nova, it was .92/$100 until the dems jacked up the rate to 1.02/$100, so yes, your more expensive house here will result in a doubling of your bill although you can easily find a house in NoVA in a "less desirable" area for even less than your LA house.

[michgc]

I agree that housing is why most people say it is expensive to live here. And since housing is the greatest proportion of ones income, it affects people the most. Even if something like the cost of food were double here than other places, it wouldn't be a huge deal like housing being double because food is a smaller proportion of ones budget. Having said that, I do find restaurants to be more expensive here than where I am from (Phila., PA) as well as supermarkets. Going "out" is more expensive than in smaller towns - like bars, mixed drinks, clubs (not that I do this anymore).

Some of it might also be a city versus smaller town thing, though. Most big cities around the country are expensive. Smaller towns tend to be cheaper.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by michgc

I agree that housing is why most people say it is expensive to live here. And since housing is the greatest proportion of ones income, it affects people the most. Even if something like the cost of food were double here than other places, it wouldn't be a huge deal like housing being double because food is a smaller proportion of ones budget. Having said that, I do find restaurants to be more expensive here than where I am from (Phila., PA) as well as supermarkets. Going "out" is more expensive than in smaller towns - like bars, mixed drinks, clubs (not that I do this anymore).

Some of it might also be a city versus smaller town thing, though. Most big cities around the country are expensive. Smaller towns tend to be cheaper.

Restaurants are more expensive because the rent is more expensive, which goes back to housing. Also, in this area, the median income is higher, so people can pay for it.

It'd be interesting to know the median income for OP in whatever city in La?

[alibaba1579]

Originally Posted by live_strong28

It'd be interesting to know the median income for OP in whatever city in La?

Baton Rouge. Median household income is around $33,000/year, and the median home value is $140,000.

[Dazed&Confused]

Housing really IS the only difference. Our sales tax in AL is 9.5%. Yours is 4.5%, right? $15.00 per hour salary in NoVa and $8.00 in Alabama for the exact same job. 3BR, 2 1/2 BA townhouse here in AL is $950.00 month, $1300 in NoVa ( say Manassas, which is about the same geographical make up as here). Our car insurance w/State Farm is nearly doubled what it was in NoVa, because of all the uninsured drivers here. I saw a 1998 Ford Escort wagon, 190K miles, ripped interior, awful paint, advertised for $1500.00 today! HA! You're better off in NoVa.

[car54]

Originally Posted by live_strong28

In Nova, it was .92/$100 until the dems jacked up the rate to 1.02/$100...

Yeah, it's those pesky dems raising taxes again.

Oh wait, a quick look at my RE tax receipts show that from '93 to '95, the tax rate was $1.16/$100.....and from '96 to '02 it was a whopping $1.23/$100!!!

Then in '06, the tax rate was slashed to .89/$100. Mmmm, that must have been the year the republicans took control of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Yeah, that's what it was....

PS: the current rate is 1.04/$100, not 1.02

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by alibaba1579

We're moving to the area in a couple of months (corporate transfer) from Louisiana. The first thing out of everyone's mouth is "the cost of living is crazy up there"! I live in supposedly one of the cheapest states in the US, yet am not finding a whole lot of differences in the price of things. Housing is the biggie - what we got for 300K here will cost us 600K in VA. But that seems to be the only thing that's considerably more expensive.

Property tax is almost exactly the same, and sales tax is less than in LA. Both states pay income tax. My car and homeowners insurance will be less in VA(on a house that's worth twice as much), health insurance the same. Not sure about gas (we're paying in the high $2 range). Electricty and natrual gas prices are high in LA - so I don't expect my utilities to be higher than I'm used to.

On a recent trip to the area, I stopped at a local grocery store, and prices were identical - almost to the penny on stuff I typically buy here in la.

Child care is higher in VA ($1000/ month vs. $600)- but once kids are in school, they can go to public school, which is a HUGE cost savings! Private school here can run $5,000 - $15,000/ year per kid.

So what am I missing? In my mind, I've covered most of lifes recurrent expenses - and don't see much difference. Maybe it's just that LA is masquearding as a "cheap" state, but it's really a rip off!!!

One group that will find their non-housing expenses will likely rise is those moving to NoVA from other parts of Virginia.

We moved from Hampton, VA to NoVA and our car insurance rose. We found groceries to be more expensive here. Also there is a big difference in gas prices when compared with Southern VA. Then again, the Hampton Roads area has some of the cheapest gas in the country.

I'm relocating to Kentucky and i'm finding that my car-related expenses (insurance and gas) could rise next year even though i'm moving to a pretty rural area of KY from an urban area.