Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Wisconsin > Madison
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-05-2009, 04:04 PM
 
16 posts, read 37,031 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hello, all!

I came across this forum while Googling and was surprised it even existed! I am hoping some of you can help me with my decision to move to Madison.

I visited the Madison/Portage area last March when I went to visit a friend, and quite simply, I love it. I've researched the heck out of the city's history, current offerings, politics, and etc. and I have set my sights on it as my future home.

However, I worry that it may be too expensive for me. I currently rent, and would keep doing so for the first couple or three years in Madison. My monthly rent currently is $400 per month, in a 2-bedroom apartment south of a major southwest Missouri city.

With my income, I am squeek by with a few dollars left at the end of the month, so I worry because the cost of living is much higher than my current area. I plan to transfer with my job, so they'll match any COL increases in my pay rate. Even so, the apartment rents I've been finding online have been in the $500 - $600 range, and I worry that is too high for me.

I also am confused about where to look - people keep mentioning streets and etc. which I can find easily on a map, but I haven't yet seen anything that relates to my own needs. I wouldn't mind being near UW, but I wouldn't like the rowdy undergrad scene (I've been there, and I didn't like it even then!). I'd love to be near someplace I can use my car less than I currently do - (I have a 20 minute commute to work & to shopping, entertainment, etc. I live a mile from a Wal-Mart SuperCenter, though).

I'm also single and gay, and not sure if that makes a difference in where in the city I consider. I'd appreciate any tips y'all can provide.

Take care.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-05-2009, 08:27 PM
 
Location: Madison, WI
1,741 posts, read 5,374,509 times
Reputation: 821
Hello and welcome to the forum.

I am afraid you are correct in your observation that the cost of housing is higher in the Madison area. For $400 per month you will only be able to afford a one room (not one bedroom, one room) efficiency anywhere within reasonable driving distance of Madison. You might also be able to rent a room in a house for that amount.

There have been tons of discussions about areas that are less desirable in the city and those are where the cheapest rents are. As much as I love Madison I would choose to live elsewhere rather than live in those areas.

It sounds like you are considering moving from quite a distance. I would find out exactly what the COL increase for your job would be and I would recommend making a couple of more scouting trips before committing to moving.

Come and check out some apartments - Start Renting Easy-To-Use Apartment Listings is a good source - get a feel for what you can afford.

Also, keep a few of your grocery store receipts and bring them along to compare prices at grocery stores here. Woodman's and Cubs are going to be the least expensive here for the most part.

Go to stores similar to the ones you would shop at where you live now and compare prices.

I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but I was sure Austin was going to be my new home until I visited there and discovered I couldn't afford to maintain the same style of living I'm accustomed to up here. There were other factors as well, but where you live in a city makes a big difference in how happy you are there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-05-2009, 10:25 PM
 
5,680 posts, read 10,298,752 times
Reputation: 43791
Megan makes a number of excellent points, and I would echo her very good counsel to make at least one more carefully planned scouting trip before making a leap. Her suggestion to bring along a couple of typical grocery receipts for some comparison shopping is an inspired one.

There is no getting around the fact that Madison is not a cheap place to live. It's a great city, and I don't ever plan to live anywhere else, but it could not by the wildest stretch of imagination be called an affordable community.

I kind of hesitate to mention this, because it's a bit unusual and certainly not for everyone, but one option that Madison does offer that is at least somewhat more affordable would be to look into housing co-ops. There are quite a number in the area, and if you're looking for the lowest cost living option in safe parts of town, you might find it a reasonable alternative. This website would be a place to start: Madison Community Co-operative (http://www.madisoncommunity.coop/index.cfm - broken link).

Good luck to you! It is a great joy to live in a city you love, and I hope that comes to pass for you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2009, 11:15 AM
 
Location: Colorado
129 posts, read 554,595 times
Reputation: 68
I've been renting in Madison for the last 5 years. In every case, I shared a nice, large, well-kept 2-bedroom apartment. My share of the rent (split equally) was never over $470.

You can definitely find places to live where you'll pay $400 or less, so long as you're willing to live with someone else. Also, if you head further away from downtown, rents get much cheaper. I recommend the West side of town; it's easy access to downtown for the most part, and just heading a few miles west or southwest can have a dramatic effect on rental rates. A friend of mine just lowered her rent by $250/month by getting a 2-bedroom with a friend on the West side, instead of living alone downtown. (If you're determined to live by yourself, you'll be lucky to find anything under about $550.)

As for driving, Madison is extremely bike-friendly and has a pretty decent bus system. I actually did not own a car the first 3 years I lived here. And even if you live a little further from downtown, you can get just about anywhere in Madison in 30 minutes or less.

Madison is decidedly gay-friendly as well, so in that sense, it might be a good place for you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2009, 09:07 PM
 
62 posts, read 182,231 times
Reputation: 41
For $400 a month your best bet would be finding someone to splint rent with, renting a room in a flat or apartment with other people, or a co-op. Many of the co-ops have college age students but for the most part they are going to be the more mellow type than rowdy. A couple of the co-ops have a more mature mix of people.

There was a room being offered for rent by a gay male couple on the far east side of town a couple of weeks ago. Just search "gay" in the apartments or shared section to see what comes up.

Aww heck, I went ahead and did it for you:

classifieds - craigslist

The authors of those ads could probably be a good source of information for you in terms of cost of living as well as the lifestyle Madison supports. I'm a straight guy who doesn't get out much so I can't tell you a whole lot in that regard. But you would most likely want to live as close to downtown and the near east as possible, that's where all the culture is.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2009, 09:31 PM
 
Location: Midwest
164 posts, read 598,805 times
Reputation: 66
You definitely have your work cut out for you on finding a cheap apartment if you would like to continue living alone. The biggest thing to adjust to after moving here isn't the increased cost of living, it's the weather. Summer's are beautiful, but winter will take a bit of adjusting to if you are coming from Missouri. They are very cold for extended periods of time, and it snows like the Dicken's. You may get brief snowfalls down where you live that stick around for a week or so, but here it starts snowing in early November and it will remain on the ground until at least the latter part of March. So prepare yourself for that if you decide to move here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2009, 05:14 AM
 
Location: Milwaukee
37 posts, read 132,695 times
Reputation: 40
It's not impossible to find a studio or efficiency in the high 400 to 500 range in the campus area. You just have to shop early (March, April) for special "college leases." They last one year, and you have to move in on the 15th of August. These apartments are usually small, some with or without kitchens, yet the important thing is you'll have your own bathroom. I myself have a college lease on a small but nice $500 a month studio apartment in a quiet area near Atwood Ave on the Eastside of Madison. Many of these apartments have utilities paid options.
Only housing is somewhat more expensive in Madison. Food & utilities are about average for the Midwest. I was recently in southwest Missouri (Springfield) and do do remember groceries being more expensive down there compared to Madison. You have a lot more choices here--especially dairy products. Also, people on this forum often forget to mention that Wisconsin has very generous homestead and renter's credit exemptions which means you'll get a hefty refund at tax time. So don't let the high cost of Madison stories scare you away. Just shop smart and early for an apartment.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2009, 05:43 PM
 
62 posts, read 182,231 times
Reputation: 41
Quote:
Wisconsin has very generous homestead and renter's credit exemptions which means you'll get a hefty refund at tax time
Whaaa????? Please tell us more, I knew nothing about that.

Of course, in Wisconsin, "tax refund" is just another term for "beer money". But seriously, I would like to find out more.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2009, 06:38 PM
 
Location: Milwaukee
37 posts, read 132,695 times
Reputation: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by subclavius View Post
Whaaa????? Please tell us more, I knew nothing about that.

Of course, in Wisconsin, "tax refund" is just another term for "beer money". But seriously, I would like to find out more.
Sure. Just google the Wisconsin Department of Revenue site, Schedule H (homestead) forms and instructions, and they will tell you all about it. If you make over 25 grand a year, you're not elgible, but most student renters are because they make under this amount. And I figured from the info in his post, that SoftPillow is low income or a student. When I myself was a student, I sometimes received $700 to $800 back in homestead credit in additon to a couple hundred dollars in renter's credit. Remember, come tax time, many states only give property tax credits to home and property owners, not renters. And I know of no state that gives a homestead credit to tax paying renters.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-10-2009, 07:45 PM
 
16 posts, read 37,031 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for all your responses!

I've been doing some searching and have determined that, no, I couldn't find what I'm looking for for $400 per month (what I pay now). That much is obvious - I'm expecting to have to pay out $100-$200 more per month on the low end.

Thankfully, my job will allow a transfer with a COL raise (assuming everything works out for a transfer). For example, one COL calculator I saw rated Madison as being 23% higher than my area. So, my salary would rise by 23% when I transferred. Ergo, I would (in theory) be able to maintain my current standard of living by transferring. If that really actually works in practice remains to be seen!

I know I don't want to share with anyone else; I also know I don't really CARE about being in the downtown area if I can at least access it without too much hassle. I am just trying to find a reasonably priced apartment in a decent area of town - doesn't have to be the most perfect part of town, but I want to know I'm fairly safe and have pleasant surroundings.

As far as the weather goes, I'm a military brat, and lived in North Dakota for five years before moving to Missouri. I hate Missouri, and miss NoDak weather. So, living in WI would be like a dream for me. :-p

That said, here's some new questions: it seems that nearly every apartment I find has a/c units in the walls, rather than central air. Is that just the way things go in Wisconsin?

Also lacking seems to be a choice of apartments with washer/dryer connections in the unit. I own my own units and they are connected in my apartment. Since they're fairly new and cost me quite a bit I'd like to keep them. Is that another Wisconsin thing that just doesn't happen?

Both those criteria are fairly common in Missouri.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Wisconsin > Madison
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top