Hate to post another where to live but...

[Curbed Enthusiasm]

Parking usually tops out around $200/month in popular neighborhoods. This ain't New York - on your salary you'll have your pick of pretty much any neighborhood and any building you so desire.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of Dupont these days. The "in" crowd has moved east to 14th St NW/Logan Circle. Most of the restaurants are average and the nightlife is okay, if not average. Arlington's food scene is a cut above, though to be honest, the DC food scene overall is somewhat weak (though definitely a huge improvement from years past).

Personally, I love the U St. and Shaw neighborhoods. Good restaurants, fun nightlife, good vibe.

[PK12]

Depends what kind of restaurants you like.

DC has better sushi, steakhouse/seafood, Mediterranean, standard American cuisine and in general upscale places.

Arlington does ethnic food better, although more so in the outer, suburban parts of Arlington

[stateofnature]

Most of the good restaurants in Arlington (and Northern Virginia in general) are hole-in-the-wall ethnic joints in strip malls where you have to drive to. If you have a car, it's only a slightly longer drive to get to these places from the city than it is from the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington. Other than a handful of places like Ray's the Steaks, there aren't any restaurants in the "urban" part of Arlington that have impressed me much.

But most of the good restaurants in DC proper are higher-end places located in Penn Quarter, the Convention Center and other areas where driving isn't the best option. To me it does make a big marginal difference to be in the city and be able to walk to or take a quick, cheap cab ride to these places, rather than a longer more expensive cab ride or inconvenient Metro ride from Arlington. The Metro is good for commuting during rush hours but it can have long, frustrating waits outside peak hours.

I also agree that if nightlife, single people and hip dining are what you are looking for, Dupont's days as the center of that are over and it is more of an old-money neighborhood now. The fun, active scene has shifted more east to Logan Circle, Shaw, U St, and also H St NE. Dupont isn't cheaper than any of these places, either the same or more expensive. You could live in Logan Circle comfortably with your salary, and walk to the McPherson square Metro stop which is only three stops from Rosslyn. That would be an easier commute than from anywhere in Dupont. It honestly would be an easier commute to Rosslyn even compared to most places in Arlington, too.