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Buffalo averages over 100 inches of snow per year. A few weeks ago some parts of the area got 80 inches in 3 days! You couldn't pay me enough to live there. It's an economically depressed area (as is all of western NY) which is why the cost of living is so cheap. Think of Buffalo as a smaller version of Cleveland or Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately NC is not even an option. After reading through the comments I think almost all feel Buffalo would be better option in my salary range ?
Don't take strangers advice other than to go visit both areas.
As a former NJ resident and now a NC resident I find NC more similar to NJ than the Arctic snowbelt of western NY.
My ex used to live in buffalo. The weather is substantially worse than in NYC/NJ. Every single time I went there the weather was in the single digits and snowing. Also, as one poster mentioned it's economically depressed. Would never choose buffalo over NJ.
I am in NJ, greater NYC area, on a 135k a year salary you can have a middle class life style in my parts, does your wife work at all? 135k is an ok salary for one person, but if this is all the income for a family of 3, money is going to get tight.
I don't know about Alabany, maybe in Albany housing is going to be a little cheaper. Maybe you will have less in commute expenses there.
There is more jobs in NYC area then in Alabany or Buffalo, that means more job stability for you and your wife.
Is that your base salary, but you can expect to get a yearly bonus? Or is that your total yearly salary? Are you interested in trying apartment living, with a 2 bedroom?
My husband and I moved here from Dallas, where we could have had a 5 bedroom 3500 sq foot McMansion in the suburbs for what we paid for a 2 bedroom condo here. But...we weren't interested in living in a giant Mcmansion in the suburbs and my husband had always wanted to work in the NYC branch of his office. We have 1 toddler and yes, we have to live in a much smaller place here, but the benefits are that my husband doesn't have to drive to work, and we can walk a million places from our front door and we have NYC in our backyard. Our friends "visit" us (usually they stay in hotels in the city) several times a year because NYC is such an attractive tourist destination/work destination, so we still get to see our friends from back home all the time. So if you are into urban living (we are!) then you're going to do just fine here.
You can afford a 2 bedroom in JC on your salary, especially if you don't own a car and don't have the related expenses (parking, insurance, gas). The Cornelia Bradford public school in the Exchange place/Paulus Hook area has good ratings on Great Schools (it's now an 8 on School up from a 5 a few years back and I expect it to keep rising as demographics in that area change). If you are interested in private, the Stevens Cooperative School in Newport is pretty great (I worked an after school program there one year), but it's a progressive school and you would need to know about that type of curriculum and be into it. I think the tuition for a private is pretty reasonable (cheaper than daycare in this area). I think it's less that $15,000 a year for full time (prices have probably gone up a bit since I worked there). But honestly, if it were me, my kid would be in public.
I'm 100% planning to put my child in public school in Hoboken when she turns 3. The ratings online aren't that great, but I have personal friends that work there and I'm confident she'll be fine (I'm a teacher at one of the best districts in Bergen County and in my 11 years in education I've found that teachers are similar anywhere--it's the kids that vary by income usually but behavior is less of a problem in elementary).
Re: Buffalo: Yes, it's very cold there. But it's experiencing a bit of a Renaissance in terms of culture and downtown revitalization. One of my best friends accepted a temporary 2 year position there with her company (they opened a new branch and she was in charge of opening it) and moved from Texas to Buffalo--and she loved it. I visited her twice there. You just buy all the appropriate winter gear and move on with your life. She lived downtown and didn't even own a car so she walked even in winter and in the snow. I know nothing about the schools, but you are only 1 hour from Toronto and 45 min from Niagara Falls and wine region--lots to do in that area. Take up winter sports. ;-)
Visit both places and see how you like them. Good luck@
Buffalo averages over 100 inches of snow per year. A few weeks ago some parts of the area got 80 inches in 3 days! You couldn't pay me enough to live there. It's an economically depressed area (as is all of western NY) which is why the cost of living is so cheap. Think of Buffalo as a smaller version of Cleveland or Pittsburgh.
This. Also, consider that while $135k might not be a huge sum in the NYC-metro area, your career ceiling and potential for raises and/or higher paying jobs at other firms would probably be substantially higher in NYC vs Buffalo. Simply put, there will be more opportunities in NYC. You won't be making $125-135k forever, and probably not with the same company either.
Just be sure to break down and account for EVERY possible expense you can imagine, incl. car/house insurance, commuting costs (incl. parking), taxes, even lunch during the week (you'd be surprised). Good luck!
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