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Old 10-12-2011, 07:28 AM
 
5 posts, read 19,710 times
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I am currently a candidate for 2 jobs in the Austin area. I have been living in the northeast for a while and have a totally skewed view of what a "good" salary is. I am married and there is a strong possibility that I will be the only income earner for at least a little while. How much money do I need to make to support 2 adults, no kids, on one income?

We are modest and like to save a lot. We have a 1 br apartment in MD and anticipate a similar living situation in Austin. Would a salary of 50K let us 1) Live fairly close to work (one job is near the Capitol, the other at UT), 2) Save money 3) Eat?
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Old 10-12-2011, 07:39 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
2,101 posts, read 4,526,634 times
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$50k is not very much to be supporting 2 adults + 2 kids in Austin. I hope you're really thrifty. Have you done any research on Salary.com - Salary Information, Job Search, Education Opportunities and Career Advice
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Old 10-12-2011, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
732 posts, read 2,125,813 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by passionatearts View Post
$50k is not very much to be supporting 2 adults + 2 kids in Austin. I hope you're really thrifty. Have you done any research on Salary.com - Salary Information, Job Search, Education Opportunities and Career Advice
She said no kids.

I am one person making a little more than half that. I am able to own a home, two nice cars, eat, and save. Obviously I cannot do anything extravagant but I am able to do a little better than survive.
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Old 10-12-2011, 07:43 AM
 
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Yes, I have. Also, we don't have children and don't plan on having them. But if my husband isn't working he will need to be on whatever health plan I have, adding to our monthly expenses. Just trying to figure out if it is worth a move.
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Old 10-12-2011, 08:28 AM
 
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You will be fine if you are renting an apartment. You can get a decent apartment for $700-1000 a month if you live about 15-20 minutes from work. For the job at UT there is a shuttle system so if you live on the route then commuting there will be easy on a budget. Maybe look at apartments on Far West.
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Old 10-12-2011, 02:33 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
2,101 posts, read 4,526,634 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by textransplant View Post
Yes, I have. Also, we don't have children and don't plan on having them. But if my husband isn't working he will need to be on whatever health plan I have, adding to our monthly expenses. Just trying to figure out if it is worth a move.
Oops - I misread your original post. That's what I get for responding early in the morning! $50,000 should be enough to support two people as long as you're thrifty.
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Old 10-12-2011, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,268 posts, read 35,627,381 times
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My wife and I figured out that we (and out two kids) could get by in our current house and expenses for about $60k a year (assuming one of us was a SAH parent). Would not be fun, but would not be the end of the world.
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Old 10-12-2011, 02:53 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,055,823 times
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Landlords often use the rule of thumb that a renter's income needs to be at lease 3 times the rental cost. $50,000/ year equates to a monthly rental cost of $1,389. You can easily find nice living accomodations for less then that. I rent out a 3 br, 2 bath SF home on .2 acres for less then that in SW Austin, a desirable family oriented area. I'm sure you can find some really nice apartments for less then that.
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Old 10-12-2011, 02:58 PM
 
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Hahahahaha! Sorry, but 50k is more than enough for 2 people with no kids to live on. I am a SAHM with 2 kids and for a very long time we made less than 40k coming in. We eat well, own two vehicles and manage to entertain ourselves for that. We also own our home. You just have to budget what you want to spend and then live accordingly.
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Old 10-12-2011, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,055,823 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cmaxmor View Post
Hahahahaha! Sorry, but 50k is more than enough for 2 people with no kids to live on. I am a SAHM with 2 kids and for a very long time we made less than 40k coming in. We eat well, own two vehicles and manage to entertain ourselves for that. We also own our home. You just have to budget what you want to spend and then live accordingly.
I agree, the Austin Estimated median household income in 2009: $50,132

Lots of people living here do fine with less. //www.city-data.com/income/inco...tin-Texas.html
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