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Old 06-16-2017, 05:05 PM
 
83 posts, read 95,982 times
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hi, I am living in LV now. I am mulling over a job offer in Malvern area.
I know the cost of living is going to be higher there.
The base salary will increase about 20% (about $30k a year higher). The incentive will be up more but I don't want to count on that yet.

I rent now in LV and probably will rent for a while after I relocate there.

Anyone would like to comment if I should move?

I have been living in LV for 2 and half years. I really like LV area. But there is not many decent jobs around here.
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Old 06-16-2017, 08:21 PM
 
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No LV expert here but id take the leap. The job market is so much better in the Philly area. I'm sure cost of living is more but sounds like you have mobility and growth.
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Old 06-17-2017, 05:59 AM
 
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Unless you plan on greatly increasing your lifestyle, a 30k pay increase will more than cover any cost of living increase (housing will be the bulk of it) and leave money left over.
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Old 06-17-2017, 12:40 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fuhongl View Post
The base salary will increase about 20% (about $30k a year higher).
I rent now in LV and probably will rent for a while after I relocate there.
So you make $150K in Lehigh Valley now. That's pretty good income for here.
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Old 06-17-2017, 03:00 PM
 
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Well, you're comparing a three city, multi town area to a fairly small town. It would make more sense to compare Emmaus or Bethlehem, to Malvern. We moved from a two story colonial in Garnet Valley, PA to Coopersburg area. We paid the same amount for a house up here as we sold our house for in Garnet Valley. The houses were pretty similar, as were the schools. The biggest difference was the cost of electricity in Delaware county. PECO was a lot more than PPL. I think your raise will more than cover the COL change.
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Old 06-17-2017, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
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It's a nice area. Move. It seems as though (your math) you'll be able to afford to live there.
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Old 06-18-2017, 08:30 AM
 
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Aside from rent, which you could pay the same and live in a smaller/ less nice apartment, I don't know which other costs are higher in Malvern (groceries, cable, cell, gas, car payment, clothing... should all be the same).

I'd take the money and as others have said, the job market is going to be much better the closer you get to Philly.
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Old 06-18-2017, 08:57 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blazerj View Post
Aside from rent, which you could pay the same and live in a smaller/ less nice apartment, I don't know which other costs are higher in Malvern (groceries, cable, cell, gas, car payment, clothing... should all be the same).

I'd take the money and as others have said, the job market is going to be much better the closer you get to Philly.


But rent/housing is the biggest ticket item, isn't it? I am not going to rent a less nice apartment just for saving money. doesn't make sense.
I really like my 2-bed apartment now in bethlehem, it's spacious and quiet. I hope I can find similar.

When I talked to friends here in LV, they seem to suggest that rent is not going to be too much higher, but the if I buy a house one day eventually, it will be considerably higher.
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Old 06-18-2017, 12:03 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fuhongl View Post
But rent/housing is the biggest ticket item, isn't it? I am not going to rent a less nice apartment just for saving money. doesn't make sense.
I really like my 2-bed apartment now in Bethlehem, it's spacious and quiet. I hope I can find similar.

When I talked to friends here in LV, they seem to suggest that rent is not going to be too much higher, but the if I buy a house one day eventually, it will be considerably higher.
Will you live right in Malvern? Again, you are not comparing apples to apples. Where would you buy a house in the Lehigh Valley and where would you buy one in the Delaware Valley? Just like here, many people commute and there are similarly affordable places to live in the towns near Malvern. Personally, for a youngish person, I would suggest West Chester. For a lower cost house, you can look into Downingtown. It's still a reasonable commute from Malvern, and a good school district too.
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Old 06-19-2017, 07:10 AM
 
2,957 posts, read 5,866,275 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fuhongl View Post
But rent/housing is the biggest ticket item, isn't it? I am not going to rent a less nice apartment just for saving money. doesn't make sense.
I really like my 2-bed apartment now in bethlehem, it's spacious and quiet. I hope I can find similar.

When I talked to friends here in LV, they seem to suggest that rent is not going to be too much higher, but the if I buy a house one day eventually, it will be considerably higher.
Yes, rent is the biggest ticket item in most people's budgets. Let's use some guestimated numbers. If your rent is say $1,500 for a nice 2 bedroom apartment in Bethlehem, that's $18,000 per year. If you are making $30,000 + bonus (which we can ignore) more in Malvern, then that's about $21,000 a year after taxes (assumed to be 30%). So, even if you are paying $500 more a month in Malvern (I'm sure you can get a nice 2 bedroom in the area for $2,000/ month) then it's only $6,000 more a year in rent as opposed to taking home $21,000.

I think your friends are correct on the rent not being much higher, but houses being much more expensive to buy, but if you want to come back to the LV, you will have a higher base salary from which to negotiate.
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