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We are relocating next summer to WC to rent, not sure exactly where yet but probably one of these:Scarsdale,Tarrytown,Pleasantville and Larchmont. We are figuring we'll pay about 1600-2000 for rent. My husband is transferring and his salary will increase significantly, now that it is a definite that we're going, I'm trying to see around how much bills are up there, I know you guys have gas, what else if anything I'm not listing do you have? He'll be taking the train but his work is covering that.
We're coming from FL, our monthly bills for these things are now are about this:
Rent:$1200
Water:50(included in rent)
Electric:$300-500 (may-oct) 200-300 (nov-dec) 200's (jan-april)
Gas for car $160
Groceries: $400-$600
Cable/Internet: $85
Could you please give us a round about price for these things and any thing else I didn't mention? Greatly appreciated!!!Thank you!
I'm guessing nobody responded because there's no good way to do so in a very meaningful way. Cable might be $85 or $185 depending on what you want to watch. Cell phone? Gas depends on how much driving you do. Ditto food, ditto car insurance, etc. etc.
I'm guessing nobody responded because there's no good way to do so in a very meaningful way. Cable might be $85 or $185 depending on what you want to watch. Cell phone? Gas depends on how much driving you do. Ditto food, ditto car insurance, etc. etc.
Yes, that's true. I didn't think of it that way. I was just hoping to get a rounded number from a few people to have at least something to compare to. I keep hearing how much more expensive groceries are up there(heard milk is like $6 a gallon, here it's $3), and that there are extra expenses we don't have here like gas, we just use electric.
I just want to make sure we can really do this before we start putting things in motion.
At least maybe how much water and electric/gas is from a few people would give me an idea...
Thanks
Water usually isn't too much. The electric and heating bill will have a lot to do with the size of the place you're renting, and whether it is a house or an apartment, as well as how much energy you tend to use. Coming from Florida, you may keep your house much warmer than I do, for example.
I can't help you out with water and electric rates, as those are included in my monthly rent. A few years ago when I had a small studio apartment in Croton-on-Hudson, I believe my monthly electric bill was somewhere between $40-50 roughly (on the higher end in the summer when the A/C was on). Again, that was for a small apartment.
I lived in central Florida back in the late 90s, and I didn't notice any big differences in the price of groceries between NY and FL. I don't know where you got that $6/gallon for milk figure from, lol. I buy a half-gallon every week, and that's currently around $1.98 at the supermarket. A gallon doesn't cost twice as much, though. It's definitely under $4. Oddly enough, milk seems to be priced lower at the local CVS (drugstore chain) stores than in the supermarkets (with the exception of Wal-mart).
Regular unleaded gas went up about .12/gallon during the last week. At most stations in Westchester, it will be just under $3/gallon now. When I was on the other side of the river in Orange county yesterday, I found a station selling it for $2.82/gallon and tanked up before heading back to Westchester.
Like another poster said, how much you pay for cable and internet depends on what services you choose. Basic cable tv varies based on where you live. Where I live, it's around $18/month (that's just for BASIC cable, without any of the movie channels, etc). My cable internet costs me $49.95/month. The main providers of tv and internet services are Cablevision/Optimum and Verizon, which is the local phone company. Verizon's competing internet and tv service is called Fios.
I can't help you out with water and electric rates, as those are included in my monthly rent. A few years ago when I had a small studio apartment in Croton-on-Hudson, I believe my monthly electric bill was somewhere between $40-50 roughly (on the higher end in the summer when the A/C was on). Again, that was for a small apartment.
I lived in central Florida back in the late 90s, and I didn't notice any big differences in the price of groceries between NY and FL. I don't know where you got that $6/gallon for milk figure from, lol. I buy a half-gallon every week, and that's currently around $1.98 at the supermarket. A gallon doesn't cost twice as much, though. It's definitely under $4. Oddly enough, milk seems to be priced lower at the local CVS (drugstore chain) stores than in the supermarkets (with the exception of Wal-mart).
Regular unleaded gas went up about .12/gallon during the last week. At most stations in Westchester, it will be just under $3/gallon now. When I was on the other side of the river in Orange county yesterday, I found a station selling it for $2.82/gallon and tanked up before heading back to Westchester.
Like another poster said, how much you pay for cable and internet depends on what services you choose. Basic cable tv varies based on where you live. Where I live, it's around $18/month (that's just for BASIC cable, without any of the movie channels, etc). My cable internet costs me $49.95/month. The main providers of tv and internet services are Cablevision/Optimum and Verizon, which is the local phone company. Verizon's competing internet and tv service is called Fios.
Well this sounds good, I was afraid it was going to be outrageously different in costs of things.
Thanks for the info, I heard the groceries were more expensive from some friends of ours that lived in NJ, and they said they had friends in Westchester-however our friends are trying to convince us not to go, so maybe they told a lil white lie to get us to stay, although expensive milk won't hold me back from leaving crappy FL,lol.
Speaking of, are you glad you left, do you like it better up there?
Good to hear there's a walmart too, a super walmart I presume? Are there many? Are there Targets too? Please say yes.
Well thank you for the reply.
Things are definitely more expensive here. Staples aren't that dramatically different, but I've definitely noticed a sizeable increase in packaged goods and produce. Also, nobody works for cheap here so things like hair cuts and the like will cost at least $60+ and your housekeeper isn't going to be less than $100 (but I came from CA where everyone was illegal and working off the books).
They have a Wal Mart I think in Mt. Vernon but I've never been. Same with Target (also in WP) but most 'nice' areas here don't allow big-box stores so you have to trek to those places (15 mins or so) to get anything except groceries. I wouldn't guess that they would allow a Super Center out here but who knows. Heck, people in Larchmont had a heart attack when Starbucks was finally able to open a store locally. Most people in lower WCH want that kind of stuff to stay in Jersey.
Well this sounds good, I was afraid it was going to be outrageously different in costs of things.
Thanks for the info, I heard the groceries were more expensive from some friends of ours that lived in NJ, and they said they had friends in Westchester-however our friends are trying to convince us not to go, so maybe they told a lil white lie to get us to stay, although expensive milk won't hold me back from leaving crappy FL,lol.
Speaking of, are you glad you left, do you like it better up there?
Good to hear there's a walmart too, a super walmart I presume? Are there many? Are there Targets too? Please say yes.
Well thank you for the reply.
As jjinla said, Westchester is not an inexpensive place to live. There are many people living here who make large salaries, which pushes up the cost of living for everyone else. The things you will likely notice the greatest difference in is the cost of housing and taxes, especially property taxes. Back in 1995-96, just before my parents sold their home in Rye Brook, they were paying approximately $7500/yr for property taxes. When they moved to FL, their property taxes dropped to around $1200/yr (the property is FL was a bit smaller admittedly).
I am a native of Westchester. My parents persuaded me into going down to FL with them when they sold their house up here. I had a hard time finding work down in FL, but I admit I did not put a lot of effort into looking for work in the Orlando area (the closest large city), which probably would have had more opportunities than where I was living in Lake county. When I told my Dad I wanted to return to NY, he told me that I was going to "wind up underneath the eight ball" by going back to NY because of the high cost of living here. I should have listened to him, because he was right. This is a very costly place to live if you are not making at least $75K/yr, and even then it is still expensive. Since I work in a service industry and make under $50K, I am now considering relocating to an area outside NY with a lower cost of living.
To answer your question about Walmart and Target, yes, we have BOTH in this area. Target was not in this area before I moved to FL, so it was kind of strange to see it here when I returned. I had gotten used to shopping at Target when I lived in FL. There is a Target store in Mt. Vernon (near the Hutchinson River Pkwy), one in downtown White Plains, and one in Mt. Kisco. There is a Walmart store in downtown White Plains (where Sears used to be for many years before they moved to the Galleria mall) and one in Cortlandt Manor/Mohegan Lake. I was only in the White Plains store once, and it didn't leave a good impression on me. I go to the Cortlandt Manor store a lot, and it's decent. Unfortunately, neither of the Walmart stores in Westchester are supercenters. The one in CM has a small food section with canned goods, cereals, bread, coffee and juices and a refrigerated case selling beer, but no produce, no frozen foods or meat, no deli and no bakery. If you want to go to a supercenter Walmart, you have to drive up to Fishkill in Dutchess county, or over to Monroe (near the Woodbury Commons outlet center) in Orange county. Not worth making a separate trip for given the distance, but if you're going to either of those areas for some other reason (I was over in Orange recently to go biking with a friend and to go to Oktoberfest at Bear Mtn State Park), then it's nice to have that option.
Also, nobody works for cheap here so things like hair cuts and the like will cost at least $60+ and your housekeeper isn't going to be less than $100 (but I came from CA where everyone was illegal and working off the books).
Yes, it's true that most services aren't cheap here, but you have to shop around. I'm assuming that the $60 figure you're mentioning is for a woman's haircut? You can certainly find men's haircuts for less than $60. The most I've spent on a haircut was $25 at a unisex salon in Croton-on-Hudson. If you go to Supercuts, they charge around $15 for a man's haircut; a little less than that if you use the Valpak coupons that come in the mail.
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Thank you!
please
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At most stations in Westchester, it will be just under $3/gallon now. When I was on the other side of the river in Orange county yesterday, I found a station selling it for $2.82/gallon and tanked up before heading back to Westchester.
