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Hi - I'm moving to Forest Hills with my wife and 2 young children (4 & 3) from London, UK. We're probably going to be in NYC from 1st March onwards and Forest Hills is one of the areas we're looking to move to (because of the easy commute and good public schools).
I've been trying to work out what rent I can afford and what my typical cost of living will be.
I'll be earning a salary of 100k and my wife wont be working. Is anyone in a similar situation to me salary and family size wise that could share some information?
Any help would be great!
Thanks
James
Good public schools in Forest Hills? Not really. The best school district is located in the Bayside area, district #26. FH is district #28, which also includes Jamaica. SInce your kids are very young, the elementary schools should be fine. I know FH High School has drastically declined in quality and is a virtual zoo.
$100k wont go that far for a family of 4 in FH because housing costs are high, due to the easy commute to the city you specify. Rents for a 2 bedroom, or junior 4 apartment will be about $2,000/month, give or take. Groceries are very expensive and of poor quality in nearby supermarkets, so I suggest you look into getting a Costco membership, and try Aldi, both in nearby Rego Park. Good luck!
I've been looking on the best schools website and PS196 in Forest Hills comes up as the best school in Queens, is that not an elementary school?
The good commute is what I'm after so I don't spend my whole morning and afternoon traveling so I might have to make other sacrifices so that we can afford the FH rents...2000 per month doesn't sound so bad though, are there places in Queens / Brooklyn that are cheaper than that?
I've been looking on the best schools website and PS196 in Forest Hills comes up as the best school in Queens, is that not an elementary school?
The good commute is what I'm after so I don't spend my whole morning and afternoon traveling so I might have to make other sacrifices so that we can afford the FH rents...2000 per month doesn't sound so bad though, are there places in Queens / Brooklyn that are cheaper than that?
Rego Park which borders with Forest Hills is also a very good neighborhood and is usually slightly cheaper than FH.
I agree with jackinyc, Bayside is a much nicer place to live for a family of four. The only problem is that many of the neighborhoods there are not in a subway zone, meaning you would have to get on a bus first to get to the train.
Minor point but Forest Hills, using the 71st Avenue station, has 4 train choices (E, F, M, R) whereas Rego Park only has 2 (M, R)
Rego Park is slightly cheaper than Forest Hills as the subway stations are local stops only. Forest Hills has the 71st Avenue station with express subway train service. (The person asked if there are any other good neighborhoods that were slightly cheaper and the rents are slightly cheaper for that reason.) In reality the local train service only adds about 10 minutes on one's commuting time in each direction and Rego Park is a very good/safe and decent neighborhood otherwise.
Rego Park is a more convenient commute to Manhattan than Bayside as Rego Park has good subway service from its local stations especially during rush hours. Bayside as mentioned doesn't have direct subway service you need a bus to connect to the subway or you have to take the much more expensive Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to get to Manhattan.
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