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You think the sun always shines in CT. There is a harsh reality for people who don't know the area especially with a family of four on 75k or so income. I doubt the OPs husband is a big wig who will score double pay in the move. 75k is not a lot anywhere for one family with today's costs. It is not negative but trying to get her to understand that unless they pay up big time, don't accept it. I know lots who relocated and very few who scored if it was lateral. If they offer 100k it may sound great until they get here and get a bad shock. Better to have plan B.
Doubling his pay is not realistic, and it would have to be very close to that to match the lifestyle they enjoy now.
You're right that $2,500 is doable for rent... Just hope they aren't interested in buying, ever, unless one of those things is sacrificed. I'm not trying to be negative but I still think that salary is really cutting it close in the area. Unless they are dying to be in CT or it's an amazing career move, I don't think I could recommend that situation for anyone.
This is really true. The exception is someone who already has significant assets or family support in some way.... which is honestly how a fair number of young families make things work in many parts of the northeast.
You're right that $2,500 is doable for rent... Just hope they aren't interested in buying, ever, unless one of those things is sacrificed. I'm not trying to be negative but I still think that salary is really cutting it close in the area. Unless they are dying to be in CT or it's an amazing career move, I don't think I could recommend that situation for anyone.
It depends on what they want. I know a conservative Republican family with 2 kids that relocated from Florida to Connecticut last year because they felt that Connecticut was much safer and a better overall place to raise their family. I think both the husband & wife got cost of living salary adjustments, but I'm sure it was not a doubling of salary, either. The house they got in Connecticut was well built, but much older than their Florida home and also a bit smaller. They did get a much bigger yard than the postage stamp they had in their FL subdivision, though.
I wish the "negative nellys" on this forum would stop trying to scare people off. The OP NEVER said the salary being offered to move here. She only said that her husband currently made less than $80,000. That salary in the Miami area is not giving you a very lavish lifestyle either by any means.
The fact is that the cost of living is higher here in Connecticut and that the company is going to be offering a pay increase to compensate for that difference. They could be doubling his salary for all we know which would give them a nice lifestyle even in Fairfield County. And why wouldn't the OP want to live near one of the greatest cities in the world? Being close to New York without being in the insanely expensive and crazy busy city itself is actually kind of nice. You can live in a nice home in a quiet outer suburb and go into the city for entertainment when you want. A lot of people do that and love it.
Even if the salary offered is not doubled, that does not mean that the OP will have to live in Norwalk or Bridgeport (both of which have some very nice neighborhoods by the way). While they won't be able to afford Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Weston or Wilton, they could afford Fairfield, Bethel, Trumbull and maybe even Ridgefield, Redding or Easton. These are all pretty nice towns and great places to raise a family.
Hopefully the OP will come back and tell us what happened. Jay
I second your wish regarding the "negative nelly" posters. I don't love the dirty, liberal politics in CT nor am I a fan of the high taxes and overall cost of living, but there are so many posters here who, in almost every post they make, have to put down the state in some way or another. Having lived in three states, I can tell you that every state has issues. CT is no worse or better than TX, which is no worse or better than CA. When I moved here, cost of living aside, I felt my quality of life was higher than both TX and CA. Healthcare in this state is better, wages are higher, aesthetics are more pleasing, and the live/let live mentality I enjoy. Yes, my income and property taxes are high, and my god, I feel like I cannot go on any highway in the southern part of this state without sitting in traffic. So yes, we have our issues, and I certainly will be retiring elsewhere in the future, but the few posters who seem to prey upon every thread 24 hours a day with an agenda is tiring to read. I joined this forum to read and partake in healthy discussions, not constantly whining about where I live. Count me as one who can see the beauty of CT, without constantly complaining about its faults.
You think the sun always shines in CT. There is a harsh reality for people who don't know the area especially with a family of four on 75k or so income. I doubt the OPs husband is a big wig who will score double pay in the move. 75k is not a lot anywhere for one family with today's costs. It is not negative but trying to get her to understand that unless they pay up big time, don't accept it. I know lots who relocated and very few who scored if it was lateral. If they offer 100k it may sound great until they get here and get a bad shock. Better to have plan B.
I never said it did, but there certainly more than enough "negative nellies" here to point out the issues that Connecticut has. My point is that NO place is perfect. You have good and bad everywhere. Overall though Connecticut is a wonderful place to live. It is pricey and the economy could be better but that is true of many other places too. If you have a good economy, most likely it is going to be a pricey area to live. That is kind of the law of free economics. The OP has not said what the compensation is going to be so until they do, it is hard to comment on whether it is reasonable or not for them to live here. Jay
Doubling his pay is not realistic, and it would have to be very close to that to match the lifestyle they enjoy now.
According to the CNN Money Cost-of-Living calculator, a family with an $80,000 per year salary in Miami-Dade County would have to make $104,266 in Stamford to have a comparable lifestyle. That is a little over 30%. Anything less than that would likely be a loss for the OP. Anything more would be a win. Jay
I don't think the CNN estimator takes into account school systems though.
Or lifestyle. I've always found them to be pretty conservative myself. Has anyone seen a COL calculator that uses specific cities, not metro regions? In FFC it is really hard to lump the COL together when you have places like Greenwich next to Stamford. But we don't know if the OP is coming from a high end area of Miami or not so hard to say whether their lifestyle can be replicated on that salary.
Or lifestyle. I've always found them to be pretty conservative myself. Has anyone seen a COL calculator that uses specific cities, not metro regions? In FFC it is really hard to lump the COL together when you have places like Greenwich next to Stamford. But we don't know if the OP is coming from a high end area of Miami or not so hard to say whether their lifestyle can be replicated on that salary.
CNN Money's calculator specifically gives you the cities. For Connecticut they have Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and New London-Groton. These are the major employment centers which would give a person an idea of what is needed should they move to that area. Obviously a person moving to Stamford making $80,000 cannot expect to live in super pricey towns like Greenwich or Darien, but they could live in more affordable towns like Fairfield or Bethel and commute in. The same thing can be said in other major cities too. Highly desirable suburbs of major cities are pretty pricey too, some as high as or higher than Stamford. It all comes down to expectations. The OP could live in more affordable Stamford itself or choose to move further out. Their choice. The OP now knows that they will need to live further from their job than thought and that they will require at 30% more to compensate for cost-of-living differences. It is up to them to use the information as they wish. Jay
CNN Money's calculator specifically gives you the cities. For Connecticut they have Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and New London-Groton. These are the major employment centers which would give a person an idea of what is needed should they move to that area. Obviously a person moving to Stamford making $80,000 cannot expect to live in super pricey towns like Greenwich or Darien, but they could live in more affordable towns like Fairfield or Bethel and commute in. The same thing can be said in other major cities too. Highly desirable suburbs of major cities are pretty pricey too, some as high as or higher than Stamford. It all comes down to expectations. The OP could live in more affordable Stamford itself or choose to move further out. Their choice. The OP now knows that they will need to live further from their job than thought and that they will require at 30% more to compensate for cost-of-living differences. It is up to them to use the information as they wish. Jay
There are some other calculators out there that do let you compare at a lower level - the one I linked to above that had Coral Gables, FL (a suburb of Miami) around the same cost of living as Ridgefield, CT, though definitely cheaper than Westport.
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