70k enough? (Baltimore, California: real estate, apartment, for rent)

[vishnu111]

I'm thinking about moving somewhere in Baltimore.. there is job that makes 70k which I'm sure I'll have no problem getting. But 70k seems really low.
The same job in california would pay minimum $100k- $130k.

How can you survive on 70k? How much do you pay for rent?

How much do you need in Baltimore or general Maryland area to
survive for a family of 3. (one 6 year old).

This job is in downtown Baltimore.

[The Notorious DGD]

Originally Posted by vishnu111

I'm thinking about moving somewhere in Baltimore.. there is job that makes 70k which I'm sure I'll have no problem getting. But 70k seems really low.
The same job in california would pay minimum $100k- $130k.

How can you survive on 70k? How much do you pay for rent?

How much do you need in Baltimore or general Maryland area to
survive for a family of 3. (one 6 year old).

This job is in downtown Baltimore.

It depends on your lifestyle. $70K is hardly poverty level, and Baltimore is not an expensive city compared to NY/LA/SF. If you're okay with living in a garden apartment, condo or small townhouse, having small cars with good reliability/fuel economy (or better yet, sharing a car), buying used cars instead of new, bargain shopping, and otherwise living frugally, you can do just fine on that salary here; I've seen plenty of people, including families, get by on far less than that. If you're the typical American who has several credit cards, drives a huge gas-guzzling SUV, needs name-brand everything, and doesn't feel complete without a huge house that has more bathrooms than residents, you're not going to do all that well on $70K or even $130K anywhere. And you don't say where in CA you're talking about. Some areas have a far higher cost of living than others, and $130K there may very well get you what $70K would here.

[davecj]

The COL in Maryland, while expensive, is less than NYC, LA etc. 70k should be fine unless you have a rather extravagant lifestyle.

[KLynch10]

While the nice areas of Baltimore and the surroundings areas are pretty expensive, they are less than most areas of California, and definitely less than NY.

I always like to say that making 120k in NYC is probably equivalent to making 75k or so in Baltimore.

[MrRational]

The mixed average for the general costs of living (eg: groceries, auto insurance, theater tickets, clothing, etc) that most similar people will have and **pointedly** exclusive of real estate.. will be so close to about the same in most metro areas around the country as to make the effort for comparison pointless.

NYC, LA and SF being the main exceptions in this as they still have crazy high costs.

hth

[B.K.]

70 Grand? You can live like a fat rat here for less than that, I know I do.

[DillThePill]

Originally Posted by MrRational

The mixed average for the general costs of living (eg: groceries, auto insurance, theater tickets, clothing, etc) that most similar people will have and **pointedly** exclusive of real estate.. will be so close to about the same in most metro areas around the country as to make the effort for comparison pointless.

Exactly. Browse around padmapper.com and see what areas you can afford. The street view and walk score will give you a rough idea of what the area is like. Then search here or ask to find out if those neighborhoods have a character that's for you.

[EdwardA]

70k for a family of three should be fine and comfortable but you're not going to be ballin'.

[boreatwork]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

70k for a family of three should be fine and comfortable but you're not going to be ballin'.

Shoot...I'd find a 3 bdrm something for under $1300 or house and still be able to spend about $300-$400 in groceries on that salary....think ppl do it with FAR less