How Much Money Do You Make a Year? (Pittsburgh, Allentown: low income, real estate)

[rhiannon67]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm pretty sure the OP wanted input from people who currently live in Pittsburgh in order to ascertain as to whether one could truly live on salaries that would be considered lower-middle-class by American standards.

I can safely assert that it's possible to live comfortably here alone if you're making $30,000/year-$35,000/year if you have limited debt obligations and have either a cheap studio/1-BR in an unfashionable part of town or split the rent/utilities with a roommate.

The fact that PreservationPioneer bought a home in Stowe Township debt-free several years ago while making (presumably) a salary in the high-$20k range at the time is something unheard of in most other parts of the country.

Rents in the urban core (i.e. neighborhoods contiguous with Downtown and Oakland) are escalating to the point where only the upper-middle-class will be able to afford to live here in a decade without a roommate. With that being said the vast majority of both the city and region outside that rapidly-gentrifying urban core will remain affordable for the lower-middle-class for at least a few more decades.

Oops. Sorry for That! Did not see that this threat was posted in the Pittsburgh forum

Kindly ignore what I wrote lol

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by rhiannon67

Oops. Sorry for That! Did not see that this threat was posted in the Pittsburgh forum

Kindly ignore what I wrote lol

It's all good! Feel free to contribute to our sub-forum! It's just this topic in particular was for the OP to gauge if someone who isn't a Google employee pulling in an $80,000 salary could really afford to live comfortably in the city. Yes, they can.

My partner was living in Shadyside, a high-brow neighborhood, several years ago by splitting a ~$1,350/month rental several ways. If you get enough cohabitants you can even live in Manhattan on $25,000/year, as long as you don't mind sharing the living room futon with a stranger and have six people using the same bathroom.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by chris1219

Yeah absolutely. I think it's probably just human nature to always want the "next model up."

It may be the nature of Americans... but most of the world doesn't waste a lot of time thinking about that.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Merge

It may be the nature of Americans... but most of the world doesn't waste a lot of time thinking about that.

It's the nature of people living in developed and prosperous nations.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

It's the nature of people living in developed and prosperous nations.

I don't know. Have you visited them all? Do you know for sure, like, people in Denmark and Sweden and the Netherlands and France and... you get my point, right? This seems like a sweeping generalization to me.

I'm also speaking from personal experience. I regularly forgo getting the "next higher model", although I could quite easily afford it. It has also been known as an "old money" trait to show a bit of restraint when it comes to spending one's wealth... NOTE: Not that I'm saying I'm Old Money. I'm just...money.

Anyway, I'm not convinced.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Merge

I don't know. Have you visited them all? Do you know for sure, like, people in Denmark and Sweden and the Netherlands and France and... you get my point, right? This seems like a sweeping generalization to me.

After base necessities are covered, people spend marginally more money on material goods as their disposable income increases. Your "point" is a conclusory assertion that sets out to prove a negative. Show me actual statistics that Europeans are less materialistic than Americans, and I'll be convinced that my "sweeping generalization" is just that.

Originally Posted by Merge

I'm also speaking from personal experience. I regularly forgo getting the "next higher model", although I could quite easily afford it. It has also been known as an "old money" trait to show a bit of restraint when it comes to spending one's wealth...

Nor is my statement synonymous with blind materialism. I've been told I have "old money" tastes, as well (which people intend as a complement but I see as downright insulting, and in some cases subtly anti-Semitic). However, I know for a fact that next year, when I'll be making double my current salary, I'm bound to spend more cash on luxuries. That won't be the case for all, or even most, of that money, which will be saved and invested. But if I can afford an intermediate golf or country club membership, I'm going to get one. I love the game, and the several thousand dollars a year will be well worth it commensurate to my salary increase (and that's not getting into the fact that clubs are great for networking, getting clients, making business connections, etc.).

Originally Posted by Merge

NOTE: Not that I'm saying I'm Old Money. I'm just...money.

I couldn't be happier for you.

Originally Posted by Merge

Anyway, I'm not convinced.

Nor am I. I would actually be interested in seeing the data if you can find it (a cursory search didn't yield much).

Here's one study from the 1980s (examining Germany, England, France, Turkey, and the US). Only Germany had a significantly lower aggregate materialism score than the US (and just barely):


Here's the rest of the study:
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/70...umes/v17/NA-17

[Merge]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

After base necessities are covered, people spend marginally more money on material goods as their disposable income increases. Your "point" is a conclusory assertion that sets out to prove a negative. Show me actual statistics that Europeans are less materialistic than Americans, and I'll be convinced that my "sweeping generalization" is just that.


Nor is my statement synonymous with blind materialism. I've been told I have "old money" tastes, as well (which people intend as a complement but I see as downright insulting, and in some cases subtly anti-Semitic). However, I know for a fact that next year, when I'll be making double my current salary, I'm bound to spend more cash on luxuries. That won't be the case for all, or even most, of that money, which will be saved and invested. But if I can afford to an intermediate golf of country club membership, I'm going to get one. I love the game, and the several thousand dollars a year will be well worth it commensurate to my salary increase (and that's not getting into the fact that clubs are great for networking, getting clients, making business connections, etc.).


I couldn't be happier for you.


Nor am I. I would actually be interested in seeing the data if you can find it (a cursory search didn't yield much).

I don't think you should mistake anti-douchebag for anti-semitism. But it's your prerogative, I guess.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Merge

I don't think you should mistake anti-douchebag for anti-semitism. But it's your prerogative, I guess.

I said the old money "complement" is only anti-Semitic in some cases. However, it's a cogent observation because the "flashy, tacky, nouveau riche Jew" trope is alive and well (which is funny because we're simultaneously supposed to be miserly).

"Showier" people aren't necessarily douchebags, either. I've met plenty of nice people who happen to have a lot of things. It's a question of why they have all those things. Wanting something because you want to treat yourself is a lot different from wanting something so you can impress someone else.

[gortonator]

this thread was much more fun when we were trying to find out everything about doo dah. And charisb - PhD shrink - must be rolling in the money. Katiana will be here any second now with the average earnings in Pgh for such highly qualified folks, and showing how they are pathetic compared to the rest of the country

I'm not sure about the 'always want more' thing. We're very happy with what we have, and could earn more but this would lead to compromises, like being at work all the time and having less freedom. Work-life balance is important to us and we really don't need super fancy cars/houses.

[TechCom]

Originally Posted by gortonator

I'm not sure about the 'always want more' thing.

Made me think of this:
Economic problem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia