Help-Can I afford living in Westchester on $52000/yr? (Albany, White Plains: sales, apartments)

[naveb623]

Hello everyone

I have a job offer that has a sales territory from Westchester county up to Albany that pays $52000/yr + 20 K in bonuses beginning after 2 years. I am a single male and my only expenses are my car payment, insurance etc..

Problem is that Ive been working in PA as an independent contractor ("No benefits..etc) since January and am planning on generating close to 60 K this year.

Money goes a lot further here but I do not have benefits however I was told I can acquire them for $200/month..

Any advice would be a big help

Thanks

[havoc315]

If the sales territory extends all the way from Westchester up to Albany, there would be plenty of nice and affordable places to live in between.

If you really wanted to live in Westchester, it is certainly a higher cost of living. But as you are single without a family, you can probably fit a perfectly decent Westchester apartment, in a perfectly decent neighborhood, into your budget.

[naveb623]

Thanks

[jyyanks]

Westchester to Albany is a large span. Maybe you can look into somewhere in the middle -Harriman, Newburgh or New Paltz might be an option. Westchester is very expensive and it is the farthest end of your commute. You'll get more value for your money further up and if you stay somewhere in the middle, it can save you a 2 hour commute if you had to travel from say, Westchester to Albany. Good Luck

[naveb623]

Thank You

I need a bit of night life though so I'm leaning towards the White Plains area. I also have friends that live there

[tommya]

Look in to basement apartments in private homes...much cheaper than renting in a building. If you like White Plains, you should also look into the Silver Lake area as its very close and may have more non-building renting options than WP.

[naveb623]

Thanks

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by naveb623

Hello everyone

I have a job offer that has a sales territory from Westchester county up to Albany that pays $52000/yr + 20 K in bonuses beginning after 2 years. I am a single male and my only expenses are my car payment, insurance etc..

Problem is that Ive been working in PA as an independent contractor ("No benefits..etc) since January and am planning on generating close to 60 K this year.

Money goes a lot further here but I do not have benefits however I was told I can acquire them for $200/month..

Any advice would be a big help

Thanks

Benefits are more likely to be in the area of $800 a month unless your company has a specific plan. Do not go without them.

Westchester can be done on that wage but home ownership absolutely cannot be.

If you moved further north than Westchester, your housing costs will be reduced significantly. In Westchester you are paying a significant premium for closeness to NYC.

Depending on territory and number of customers in specific areas, I would opt for something lovely like Ulster County which is smack in between.

[Scarello]

If you are thinking of renting in the WP area, try the Avalon or Bank Street Commons.

Originally Posted by naveb623

Thank You

I need a bit of night life though so I'm leaning towards the White Plains area. I also have friends that live there