Salary needed to move from DC metro to ATL (Atlanta: condo, loans)

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by vacollins

The position is located in Alpharetta GA.

That's 30 miles away from Atlanta. I wouldn't do it. Desirable areas in Atlanta aren't cheap. No way I would lose $15K that easy.

If your long term potential for growth is good. Other than that no.

[afdinatl]

Let us know if you will be working downtown or in the suburbs and we can crunch some numbers

[afdinatl]

So you will be working in Alpharetta. Since you have a kid you will probably want to stay in Alpharetta. So you will live and work in the Alpharetta area so you will not have to deal with commuting. You can get a 2 bedroom for around 950 per month at the cheapest price range in the Alpharetta area. Might can get it cheaper if you live farther north, east or West of Alpharetta. So no commute, you should be able to get to work in 10 mins paying at least 950 -1100 per month in rent.


This is your best option. Think it over and if it's worth it let us know. Good luck

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by goofy328

That's 30 miles away from Atlanta. I wouldn't do it. Desirable areas in Atlanta aren't cheap. No way I would lose $15K that easy.

If your long term potential for growth is good. Other than that no.

Alpharetta is still part of the metro. And Actually has pretty good schools too.

I'm guessing you could get a 2 bedroom apartment within your pricerange there. And people raise multiple kids on 45K and still somehow manage to survive as well.


I don't know that I would take the 20K salarycut, but if it's not getting you much more in DC then does it matter?

[afdinatl]

Originally Posted by Tryska

Alpharetta is still part of the metro. And Actually has pretty good schools too.

I'm guessing you could get a 2 bedroom apartment within your pricerange there. And people raise multiple kids on 45K and still somehow manage to survive as well.


I don't know that I would take the 20K salarycut, but if it's not getting you much more in DC then does it matter?

These people don't know what cost of living is lol. You are just wasting your time smh. If you asked which is better either living in NYC making 100k or living in Dallas and making 99k they would say NYC lol

[flyonpa]

If you will be working in Alpharetta (and probably living in North Fulton Area), you need to plan on adding a car cost to your Mix.

The Rental Market will cost you more there, then if you are living in town somewhere (car less).

Most Families want One parent somewhat close to the school the child will be attending. So that put you living somewhere in Alpharetta, Roswell, Sandy Spring, or over in Gwinett county, But you are going to need a car (and all of its costs).

[afdinatl]

Do a search on apartments and townhomes around Alpharetta before you make a decision

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Tryska

Alpharetta is still part of the metro. And Actually has pretty good schools too.

I'm guessing you could get a 2 bedroom apartment within your pricerange there. And people raise multiple kids on 45K and still somehow manage to survive as well.


I don't know that I would take the 20K salarycut, but if it's not getting you much more in DC then does it matter?

I agree with this.

And OP, just check out some housing options in Alpharetta/Roswell/North Fulton/Sandy Springs area if you are curious about Atlanta rents.

Even though COL calculators may say that you can live somewhere for $20K less on paper, that doesn't mean its a reality in real life.

Most Alpharetta rents for 2bds in good complexes that I have seen are about $1000 a month. Most COL calculators state that Atlanta rents are 50-60% cheaper than metro DC, which in this case would not be true.

And if you really want to crunch numbers, don't forget to take into consideration the fact that your actual take home pay will be less than $40K due to taxes.

Taking your child to certain child friendly activities will be just as, if not more expensive than DC. Museums in Atlanta are not free and can be over $20 per person. The zoo is also $20 per person. Registration fees for activities for kids is also pretty high. My daughter's soccer league wanted over $300 for a 4-5 year old team to play an 8 game fall schedule.

Afindatl, do you have a child and did you live on that amount when you came to Atlanta with a child after leaving DC?

Childcare can be very expensive too. If she needs before/after school care due to being a single parent that can run up to $800-$1000 a month until her child is 12 years old.

Utilities are also pretty expensive in Atlanta and to get a cheaper place, it will probably be an older place that will run up utility payments. Water is very expensive in Atlanta period so you should count on that being somewhat of an electric utility payment. Mine was always between $75-$150 a month and sometimes was over$200 a month even in apartments.

[afdinatl]

@residinghere

No kids. I was paying $1300 per month in Laurel for a one bedroom. Then I paid about $300 per month to ride the Metro. I had to park at Greenbelt and take the Metro into the city. It cost me $15 per day to park and commute back and forth. I actually took about a 23k pay cut.Plus on average I got a red light ticket for $100 fine almost monthly on that damn NY and Conn Ave. Got here and got a one bedroom for about $650 per month and I drove to work. Parking was free at my job and it only took me 20 mins to get to work. Plus I didn't have to pay for those traffic tickets monthly. It's not always about the money. I could move back to DC and make 30k more but I like it here better. I guess it all depends on the person

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

I agree with this.

And OP, just check out some housing options in Alpharetta/Roswell/North Fulton/Sandy Springs area if you are curious about Atlanta rents.

Even though COL calculators may say that you can live somewhere for $20K less on paper, that doesn't mean its a reality in real life.

Most Alpharetta rents for 2bds in good complexes that I have seen are about $1000 a month. Most COL calculators state that Atlanta rents are 50-60% cheaper than metro DC, which in this case would not be true.

And if you really want to crunch numbers, don't forget to take into consideration the fact that your actual take home pay will be less than $40K due to taxes.

Taking your child to certain child friendly activities will be just as, if not more expensive than DC. Museums in Atlanta are not free and can be over $20 per person. The zoo is also $20 per person. Registration fees for activities for kids is also pretty high. My daughter's soccer league wanted over $300 for a 4-5 year old team to play an 8 game fall schedule.

Afindatl, do you have a child and did you live on that amount when you came to Atlanta with a child after leaving DC?

Childcare can be very expensive too. If she needs before/after school care due to being a single parent that can run up to $800-$1000 a month until her child is 12 years old.

Utilities are also pretty expensive in Atlanta and to get a cheaper place, it will probably be an older place that will run up utility payments. Water is very expensive in Atlanta period so you should count on that being somewhat of an electric utility payment. Mine was always between $75-$150 a month and sometimes was over$200 a month even in apartments.

These are all very good points.

It can be done depending on your lifestyle expectations, but honestly as a single apartment renter with no kids, 40K was where I started to feel "comfortable", but that was comfortable living in an apartment that cost $950 with no car-note and no additional childcare expenses.