DC on 35K/yr?? (sublets, houses, neighborhood)

[Bluefly]

I don't know coldbliss - I was quite happy in DC on $35,000 a year. Many, many people working in non-profits (the second largest industry in DC) make that or less and are perfectly happy.

I'm not talking about buying a house or raising a family of 4 or anything like that, but I think you grossly overestimate how much it takes for a young, single person to live comfortably in DC.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Exactly, nobody is saying one will make these salaries forever, they are starting points. There are more than a few individuals in both the DC and NoVa forums who grossly exaggerate how much it takes for young single people to live in the DC area.

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

Goverment jobs cannot compete with the corporate sector in terms of salary compensation. Moving up through salary grades at a federal agency takes forever.

You mentioned that one of your major expenses is health care. That's a big plus for the government column, not to mention the transit subsidy and retirement plan. I make far less than $60,000 but seem to not have nearly as much financial difficulty as you're describing (and yes, I have a car, loans, am saving for retirement, as well as an additional small savings account which I contribute to at least once a month).

As for starting salaries in the $55-65k range, you're right. That's a big driver for the rents and prices in this area, but not everyone makes that just starting out. It's also relative, my roommate's salary is well up there in that range, but once you factored in 65-hour work weeks, I actually got paid more and had better benefits and less stress. I'm happy sacrificing $20,000/yr for (what I feel is) a better quality of life.

[NavyTraveler]

I'd agree, you can definitely live on $35k/yr. Have you considered living in Northern Virginia? If you live in Arlington/Alexandria near a Metro station, that can help save a lot of $$.

Have you also thought about living w/out a car? It's definitely doable in DC, and that will save you hundreds a month.

[v3ronika]

Definitely going to live w/o a car.

Virginia's a thought... Looking at the Metro, I get very happy - its a great system, tons of stops. It provides a lot of choices!

[RaisedWell]

Originally Posted by v3ronika

Definitely going to live w/o a car.

Virginia's a thought... Looking at the Metro, I get very happy - its a great system, tons of stops. It provides a lot of choices!

I think the metro is over-rated and over-priced. I hope you are getting transportation benefits from your government job. I wish you well in "moving up" in the govt. I tried to do just what you are doing about 10 years ago with the govt. It didn't work.

You mentioned you wanted to live on your own, well you might have to sell your car if you want to live in a nice building and have a life too.

[LIS123]

I agree with the previous post. I like the Metro b/c it's stations and cars are nicer than others, such as MTA (NYC) and much of the CTA (Chicago). It can get expensive since there are no monthly passes and they charge more during rush hour (open-9:30am and 3-7 pm, M-F). Plus, they stop at midnight during the week. The cost adds up quick.

I thought there was a grace period of a couple or so hours but, once you exit a station, you're automatically charged the next time you enter and exit. One time, I saw an error message with my card upon exiting so I entered and exited immediately after exiting the first time and they charged me. They basically charged me $1.35 twice in 15 seconds.

Living in NOVA can save on rent, but Metro fares maybe higher in many cases than for those who live in the district proper.

[RaisedWell]

Originally Posted by LIS123

I agree with the previous post. I like the Metro b/c it's stations and cars are nicer than others, such as MTA (NYC) and much of the CTA (Chicago). It can get expensive since there are no monthly passes and they charge more during rush hour (open-9:30am and 3-7 pm, M-F). Plus, they stop at midnight during the week. The cost adds up quick.

I thought there was a grace period of a couple or so hours but, once you exit a station, you're automatically charged the next time you enter and exit. One time, I saw an error message with my card upon exiting so I entered and exited immediately after exiting the first time and they charged me. They basically charged me $1.35 twice in 15 seconds.

Living in NOVA can save on rent, but Metro fares maybe higher in many cases than for those who live in the district proper.

Thanks for agreeing with me. When I worked downtown, I always drove. Many people have heard me quote that "metro will make you late and burn a hole in your pocket." Back when gas wasn't sky high, I searched around for convenient places to park without getting ticketed and I found cheap and reasonable parking garages. I made out better than giving metro my money everyday! And I was on time for work.

[LIS123]

I haven't been here that long buy my take thus far is that, while you maybe able to squeak by on a low income, your life won't be much fun. It seems as though the small minority of wealthy/powerful/well-connected set the tone for the region and the rest of us are just along for the ride. If you don't move in the upper circles, it can be hard to justify living here long term. After having lived here for a bit, I can see why the population is fairly transient (besides the natural attrition built in to the political nature of some jobs).

It's kind of like why deal with the traffic, overpriced everything (not just housing), crime and understated elitism etc. if you're really not able to enjoy the best of DC anyway? Being able to go to a lot of free museums/memorials is cool, but that's already starting to ware off after a couple months. To the people who are unfazed by the price of housing (or a meal at Capital Grille, etc.) it appears that the rest of us aren't that important. It's unlikely we'll be rubbing the same elbows.

Even if one can join a group that's not elitist/status driven, that doesn't change that fact that those values (how much you make, where you went for College/JD/PhD/MD, your clothes, house, etc) are prized amongst the movers-and-shakers (who have the influence around here). These people may only make up a small portion of the overall population, but their influence is very high relative to the percentage of the population.

[v3ronika]

Originally Posted by LIS123

I haven't been here that long buy my take thus far is that, while you maybe able to squeak by on a low income, your life won't be much fun. It seems as though the small minority of wealthy/powerful/well-connected set the tone for the region and the rest of us are just along for the ride. If you don't move in the upper circles, it can be hard to justify living here long term. After having lived here for a bit, I can see why the population is fairly transient (besides the natural attrition built in to the political nature of some jobs).

It's kind of like why deal with the traffic, overpriced everything (not just housing), crime and understated elitism etc. if you're really not able to enjoy the best of DC anyway? Being able to go to a lot of free museums/memorials is cool, but that's already starting to ware off after a couple months. To the people who are unfazed by the price of housing (or a meal at Capital Grille, etc.) it appears that the rest of us aren't that important. It's unlikely we'll be rubbing the same elbows.

Even if one can join a group that's not elitist/status driven, that doesn't change that fact that those values (how much you make, where you went for College/JD/PhD/MD, your clothes, house, etc) are prized amongst the movers-and-shakers (who have the influence around here). These people may only make up a small portion of the overall population, but their influence is very high relative to the percentage of the population.

Well, I'm not sure if there is anywhere where people arent driven by status yknow? I know that the big money cities of course hold more of these folks but .. like you said, I dont think we'll be rubbing elbows anyway. I could care less about what the movers and shakers think of as important (fancy clubs, cars, houses, clothes) and really dont care what they think of me because of course I think they are just superficial one-note uninteresting herd-driven consumers

That said - I am applying to the few other areas in the country that can offer me an entry-level govt job in my field. I'm beginning to think that I should start my career with the inevitable low salary in a cheaper place to live. There will always be time to come to DC later with more $. Again though, the problem is that DC has the most entry-level jobs for me, thus making it a more probable place to "get started." Its a little bit of a dilemma.