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Hi all, I've been looking through the archives, but haven't found something that matches our situation well.
My spouse and I are moving to DC from the Midwest in late August for my job. I'll be making just under $80k. My spouse plans to find work, but they are a therapist and will need to get licensed/credentialed as a clinical social worker, so it may be a couple of months before they are working. So hoping for something that we can support on my salary alone if necessary.
We're currently in a 925sq ft 2 Bedroom, so we're trying to find something of similar size, but it doesn't have to be a 2BR if it's a large 1 BR. We'll have 1 car, but no pets. We're in our early 30s, and are thinking about trying to start a family in the next year or two, so trying to find somewhere that will be family-friendly, but not so out of the way that we can't go out and have fun once in a while.
I'll be working in Chinatown, and would like to keep the metro commute to 30-40mins. But don't know if Northern VA, MD, or NW/NE DC would be best (since all are about equal commute if we're near a metro stop). Suggestions?
What is your budget per month? Are you willing to live in an "up and coming" area (i.e. a bit of crime)? Do you have/want to keep a car?
An apartment that size in a remotely desirable neighborhood is going to be pricey. I have a friend who pays over $2000/month for an 800sq foot 1-bedroom in Arlington, for example. The building is nice and relatively modern, but the unit isn't updated (it has a 90s-era convection stove, for example).
What is your budget per month? Are you willing to live in an "up and coming" area (i.e. a bit of crime)? Do you have/want to keep a car?
An apartment that size in a remotely desirable neighborhood is going to be pricey. I have a friend who pays over $2000/month for an 800sq foot 1-bedroom in Arlington, for example. The building is nice and relatively modern, but the unit isn't updated (it has a 90s-era convection stove, for example).
I think we're looking at around 2000/mo in rent to make it feasible for our budget. We have/do want to keep a car, since we don't know if my spouse will be able to use metro once they are licensed. We're moving from a town of ~70,000, so probably anything is going to be more crime than we're used to, but again considering having a family, so would prefer it not be too rough around the edges.
We thought about North Bethesda/Rockville to make the budget buy more space, but not sure if we'd just end up spending that money back any time we wanted to go and do anything, since some of the spots out there seem not to be near stores/shops/etc.
Ahh the sticker shocked out of towner who suddenly realizes they are moving to the third most expensive area of the country.
Let me be direct with you, if you are coming from the midwest you need to bring up your price range dramatically. On everything. This area is not cheap.
Likewise in terms of plans having kids (not starting a family, you already are a family without the kids) in the next year or two, I would seriously reconsider your plans. If you are struggling to find an apartment now that is just a 2 BR, just wait until you get into the three-bedroom+ territory with SFH and TH. Also the childcare costs, you do not know expensive until you see that childcare costs here are higher than rents, and this is for a single child. Most people don't think out the cost considerations of having a kid like they should. This area forces people too. Talking about having a kid in DC area like it is the low cost of living midwest is ill advised. Do your cost estimations for that too.
Also nobody wants to go see a therapist who has a screaming baby in another room. Do you really think professional childfree clients would put up with that crap. Seriously think ahead.
Also 30-40 minutes from your job, you are still in the city. Again, if you want to stretch your budget you are going to have to go further out or scale up your budget. This is what everybody wants out here, and many of those people have much larger budgets than you do.
If you are considering having kids, my advice is to put that on hold. Considering your budget you have a choice, a smaller place in a nicer neighborhood and putting the idea of kids on hold until you can afford the substantial costs it entails. Or a larger place in a much further out or worse neighborhood, and maybe just barely scraping by with the sky high cost of childcare in this region. You are not in the budget range for the nicer ares to have kids, not even close.
The culture and cost shock is going to hit you hard.
Hi all, I've been looking through the archives, but haven't found something that matches our situation well.
My spouse and I are moving to DC from the Midwest in late August for my job. I'll be making just under $80k. My spouse plans to find work, but they are a therapist and will need to get licensed/credentialed as a clinical social worker, so it may be a couple of months before they are working. So hoping for something that we can support on my salary alone if necessary.
We're currently in a 925sq ft 2 Bedroom, so we're trying to find something of similar size, but it doesn't have to be a 2BR if it's a large 1 BR. We'll have 1 car, but no pets. We're in our early 30s, and are thinking about trying to start a family in the next year or two, so trying to find somewhere that will be family-friendly, but not so out of the way that we can't go out and have fun once in a while.
I'll be working in Chinatown, and would like to keep the metro commute to 30-40mins. But don't know if Northern VA, MD, or NW/NE DC would be best (since all are about equal commute if we're near a metro stop). Suggestions?
You might be surprised to find out you can afford to live in DC in a pretty safe family-friendly area with sizable two bedroom apartments. Check out the Palisades neighborhood just west of Georgetown which is a bit off the radar but popular with young couples and working professionals wanting a quieter location, but yet close to everything in the city. It's around a 35-40 minute trip on a single MetroBus route (D6-Eastbound to work and Westbound home) but the good news is that's basically door-to-door versus your 30-40 minutes via MetroRail, which would obviously take as long or longer getting to/from the stations.
You could also try Tenleytown, Brookland, or Friendship Heights. DC is definitely a more expensive place to raise kids than anywhere in the Midwest, but DistrictSonic's statements are a little hyperbolic given your stated income and willingness to move into an apartment.
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