might be moving to santa fe - need advice (apartment, condo)

[hank]

Hello all, and thanks in advance for reading/responding. My girlfriend (yes, it's serious) and I may be moving to Santa Fe from Austin for a job she may get there. She's a vet tech and the potential job will offer ~45 - 50k. Now, I've read about the cost of living in SF and understand it's on the high side, but right now in Austin she's making a little more than half of the offer in SF.

My 1st question is, for those of you who live/have lived in SF, is a 45-50k salary enough to have a "reasonable" lifestyle there? We don't live extravagantly by any means but don't want to worry about affording to pay bills every month. We are comfortable living frugally.

My 2nd question is how difficult would it be for me to find work in SF with a PhD in nutrition? I recently got my PhD from The Univ of TX Austin and am still looking for work. I understand there are not a lot of universities in SF and would prefer not to commute to ABQ, so I'm thinking of doing some sort of nutritional counseling. Would the SF area be a good place/receptive for this type of service? If so, would any of you have any leads for me - where I might look, who I might talk to, etc...?

P.S. We are very excited about the prospect of moving to NM and hope to make it a reality. I lived in ABQ for a bit (went to UNM for undergrad) and we vacationed recently in northern NM. So pretty there. And the weather is, in my opinion, terriffic. Austin is just too dang hot!

Thanks again for reading and I look forward to hearing from you.

[kklinebryan]

Hi Hank! Well, those were all good questions. It sounds like you guys would be just fine here. though, even considering the higher than some cost of living expenses. Basically, it's pretty esy to make a living here if you have a "trade" of some sort, like you guys do. There's plenty of opportunity, it's really only hard if you don't have a degree or a trade of any sort at all. The cost of living here is higher than in some places, but it's a nicer place to live than a lot of places too.
Have you guys thought about what type of living situation you'll be looking for-condo,house,apartment rental, etc? The main place you'll see the cost of living problem is in the housing market, houses in a decent part of town can be expensive, many times starting out in the mid 300's. There are some very nice condo communitites, with good central locations and nice amenities which are going to range from about $150-$225,000. Otherwise, you may be looking at one of the surrounding communities, where you can find properties for less if you don't mind the commute. I personally live 40 miles away frrom Santa Fe, but I do commute in every day as I work in Santa fe. You're many times better off buying too, even if you start out in a condo and then graduate to a house after a couple years, because rents here are pretty high, and many times cost as much as a mortgage would.
As far as finding a job with your nutrition PhD, I wouldn't think that would be a problem. Santa Fe in general is a very health concious, and environmentally concious place, (There's a Whole foods, Trader Joes, and Wild Oats Market all within a couple blocks of each other). There are lots of new medical clinics being built, and a couple of really nice colleges including St John's and College of Santa Fe which all may hold opportunities for you.
Anyhow, hopefully this helped! please feel free to contact me if there is anyhting else I can answer for you!

[hank]

Thanks for the response, kklinebryan. You've been very helpful.

by the way folks, i've noticed my message has been looked at 80 times yet only 1 response. i hope that you all will share any knowledge or opinions with me - good news or bad news.

[T-rose]

hi there
santa fe is HUGE on alternative health so i would think that a nutritionist could find or make loads of work. Depending on where you want to live and how big a place you need i think with a 45 - 50K income plus whatever you make, you will be just fine. i cant imagine that its THAT much more expensive to live in SF vs Austin. There is certainly a BROAD range of income in SF from the really very poor to the REALLY VERY rich so as such there are services in that broad a range as well.

I hope this helps. Ive lived here 13 years now in both ABQ and north of SF. When i was in ABQ i didnt make very much $$ and i lived just fine. If you work the resources that are available you all will do great in SF.

[hank]

very helpful. thanks T-Rose.

[tito]

Originally Posted by kklinebryan

Hi Hank! Well, those were all good questions. It sounds like you guys would be just fine here. though, even considering the higher than some cost of living expenses. Basically, it's pretty esy to make a living here if you have a "trade" of some sort, like you guys do. There's plenty of opportunity, it's really only hard if you don't have a degree or a trade of any sort at all. The cost of living here is higher than in some places, but it's a nicer place to live than a lot of places too.
Have you guys thought about what type of living situation you'll be looking for-condo,house,apartment rental, etc? The main place you'll see the cost of living problem is in the housing market, houses in a decent part of town can be expensive, many times starting out in the mid 300's. There are some very nice condo communitites, with good central locations and nice amenities which are going to range from about $150-$225,000. Otherwise, you may be looking at one of the surrounding communities, where you can find properties for less if you don't mind the commute. I personally live 40 miles away frrom Santa Fe, but I do commute in every day as I work in Santa fe. You're many times better off buying too, even if you start out in a condo and then graduate to a house after a couple years, because rents here are pretty high, and many times cost as much as a mortgage would.
As far as finding a job with your nutrition PhD, I wouldn't think that would be a problem. Santa Fe in general is a very health concious, and environmentally concious place, (There's a Whole foods, Trader Joes, and Wild Oats Market all within a couple blocks of each other). There are lots of new medical clinics being built, and a couple of really nice colleges including St John's and College of Santa Fe which all may hold opportunities for you.
Anyhow, hopefully this helped! please feel free to contact me if there is anyhting else I can answer for you!

I'm an artist (a painter) and I'm considering movig to an affordable (less than $200,000) place in or close to SF, but since I live alone I would prefer a condo or a townhouse with sufficient security, just in case I am absent for a few weeks and I don't want to find my house burglarized on my return.