What would you consider to be a liveable yearly income for a single person in Madison, WI? (sales, apartment)

[Indi9]

Hi. No big explanation this time, but I hope someone answers. I need some actual numbers, figures, etc. as I consider job offers. In NYC, I average ab. $46,000/year, before taxes. Here in the big city this is just above the tides of poverty and just below the sands of the middle class, as one poet once put it. What is it like in Madison? How much should a single person make to live simply yet comfortably? Again, please answer, or point me to a website that might be helpful, ok? Thank you.

[Megan1967]

Wow. You are going to get a myriad of answers to that question. The truly frugal can live on a whole lot less than the average Joe. Personally, I think 46,000 if fine, but you won't have much discretionary income or the ability to save a lot.

[Indi9]

Thanks, Megan1967. Good point, and all too true. Here in NYC, this is enough to make ends meet and to go on vacation from time to time. Savings...? Yeah, well, there's the rub. I want to do better than this in Madison, but I am willing to start from there and keep a tight budget if it means living in a place that has the lifestyle and natural beauty more suited to me than this big, boisterous, ridiculously expensive city.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by Indi9

Hi. No big explanation this time, but I hope someone answers. I need some actual numbers, figures, etc. as I consider job offers. In NYC, I average ab. $46,000/year, before taxes. Here in the big city this is just above the tides of poverty and just below the sands of the middle class, as one poet once put it. What is it like in Madison? How much should a single person make to live simply yet comfortably? Again, please answer, or point me to a website that might be helpful, ok? Thank you.

May I ask what your occupation is? I would assume you may take a bit of a pay cut here.

You would be able to make it at below that IMO, depending on where you choose to live etc. I know gas is more expensive now but there are some deals in the smaller towns for rent and housing if you can commmute, and even in the city I would imagine you would be fine. You could always consider roommates. Google searches with your questions in mind should turn up lots of info.

I have 2 daughters in their early 20's making it just fine on less than that individually, but they also have significant others chipping in. Of course they aren't living in high rises lol!

[Indi9]

Thanks, gold*dust1. Very helpful. To answer your question, I am an adjunct Engish instructor at two local colleges here in NYC. I love my work, but the pay is, well... "ok." As I have said, just enough to make ends meet and treat myself to the occasional vacation or getaway. Right now I am applying for teaching positions in Madison (MATC, UW, Edgewood College) and program coordinator positions in neighborhood/community centers. I am exploring other kinds of work, trying to think outside the box, as they say; but so far all the jobs I see posted online are paying far less than what I earn now. The plot thickens. Still, I press on. I'm keepin' the faith.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by Indi9

Thanks, gold*dust1. Very helpful. To answer your question, I am an adjunct Engish instructor at two local colleges here in NYC. I love my work, but the pay is, well... "ok." As I have said, just enough to make ends meet and treat myself to the occasional vacation or getaway. Right now I am applying for teaching positions in Madison (MATC, UW, Edgewood College) and program coordinator positions in neighborhood/community centers. I am exploring other kinds of work, trying to think outside the box, as they say; but so far all the jobs I see posted online are paying far less than what I earn now. The plot thickens. Still, I press on. I'm keepin' the faith.

Yep keep the faith! It may take you a while to find that perfect position, but I think you could make it here if you want to.

[Indi9]

Just googled it and found out that acc. to the Muni Net Guide the median household income (mhi) in Madison is $52,139. But the mhi is calculated based on households of two or more people. What does this mean in relation to the household income of a single person? Hmmm...

Anyway, I will be all right. It actually feels good to have gotten this far in my little moving saga/quest.

[7G9C4J2]

The tough thing about that question is that one person's definition of "frugal" or "livable" could be so very different from another's.

For example, I could get by for probably $40/week for food for one person, if I shopped the sales, didn't buy brand-name stuff, ate relatively little meat, and didn't have any serious food allergies or limitations. I could also drop $40/day on restaurant meals for one person.

With the excellent Madison public library system, I could easily do without buying books at all if I chose to or needed to. Or I could make regular weekly stops at all the local bookstores and spend hundreds or thousands of bucks over the course of a year.

There's plenty to do here in Madison that is either free or available for a nominal sum. There's also plenty that comes at a pretty penny indeed; you can drop over $100 for a single ticket to some events at the Overture Center.

If I were to make most or all of my clothing, I could get by on an annual clothing budget of $200 or so. If I shop at resale shops, St. Vinny's and Goodwill, I could still get by for not much more than that. If I watch the sales and shop with care, I could get new stuff pretty inexpensively. Or of course, I could go to the priciest places and drop top dollar for The Latest Thing.

If I bike or bus everywhere, I can manage transportation pretty cheaply: no gas, no maintenance, no parking meters, no car insurance. If I'm a driver, gas will probably run me $50 per tank, insurance (depending on the company and my driving record) can range from $50 to $200 per month, and repairs, yeesh, anywhere from nothing to thousands in a month.

Medical costs: if my employer has a decent insurance plan or HMO, and assuming that I don't have any pre-existing conditions or need unusual care, I can probably expect around a $500 annual out-of-pocket costs, plus insurance premiums deducted from my paycheck equal to a few hundred a month. If I don't have insurance, I'd better either be healthy or independently wealthy.

Housing and utility costs can vary enormously, too. You could rent a one-bedroom apartment for anywhere from $600 to $1,000 per month, and depending on a lot of variables, your monthly utility costs could range from $20 to $400, depending on the size of the place, insulation, efficiency of the HVAC system and other variables.

So you see, there are so many factors to consider that it's really, really hard to say "You need X dollars to live comfortably in Madison." My definition of comfort may be very different from yours, and my comfort budget may be as well.

[Indi9]

Thanks everybody. Obviously I am no stranger to living well within my means here in NYC. $46,000/yr. would be a joke here to many people, but luckily when I first moved here someone handed to me as a going-away present a wonderful gem of a book entitled Your Money or Your Life. Many of the concepts I learned and have expanded on through experience have enabled me to live very well on relatively little. The idea here being that if you want to live a good life you must not be controlled by money, i.e. overspending which leads to more debt and wage slavery, overindulging which not only hurts your budget and taxes your time but also hurts the planet.

I live in a small yet beautiful, very Zen-like studio apartment (I hate clutter anyway, so this works for me.). I buy used books and cd's when I buy at all, I prefer participating in open mics and poetry readings more than big glitzy Broadway shows, if I do go to the theatre or the opera now and then I go to matinees or previews, I shop for the lowest air fares through cheaptickets.com, I use public transportation, I am the queen goddess of mixing and matching my very simple but very me wardrobe (Thanks, Mom.), I know where to shop for the best prices and am not caught up in being a slave to fashion, and I know how to stretch a meal (leftovers, yadda yadda, for days). I hope you get the picture. This is no Sex and the City fantasy life, where I get to blow more than a couple of hundred dollars on a pair of shoes.

I opted for the part-time adjunct teaching positions because for me teaching English (Poetry, Literature, Speech, Writing, Reading, Critical Thinking, etc.) is meaningful, creative work in which I can make a contribution to the community by working with students from all over the world who for many reasons haven't had many breaks in life. I love helping them find their own voices. An added bonus has been that I teach at night for the most part and have my mornings, early afternoons, and weekends free to write, sing, practice the guitar, perform, network, volunteer, etc..

The book I mentioned gives myriad tips for frugal living, budgeting, debt repayment, etc., and asks the question, what do you choose, your money or your life? I choose life. But at the same time I have no intention of living in poverty or government dependency.

When I come to Madison, I am sure I will be carrying these kinds of values with me.

[Indi9]

Dang... Can't believe I am up at 2:30 in the morning obsessing over this moving business. Imsomnia... Hey, when I finally make it to Madison, I am going to celebrate and invite my regular city-data people to the party. Thanks again for all your insights. Signing off...