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So my employer, in their infinite wisdom, is moving me and my family to NYC. The office is in lower Manhattan and they are paying me ~$75k/year. My wife doesn't work, and I have two children under 5. The wife is pretty upset about it and I'm trying to decide if this is even realistic. I'm sure you guys get this all the time on this forum, but I need some honest insight from people living in that area before I decide whether to accept the transfer or just quit my job.
Some other details: we are coming from central Indiana where we lived in a 10 year old house with 1,800 square feet in a really nice neighborhood for ~$145k (to give some background about what we are used to). Neither of us have ever been to NYC, we have no family anywhere close, and we don't like big cities. The most important things for us are having as much time together as possible (so keeping commutes as short as possible), getting the kids into good schools, and having a yard for our kids to play in. The idea of having to pack the kids up and go to a park somewhere for the them to play is not acceptable to us. I am not sure I could get approved for much more than $200k mortgage, but renting feels like throwing money away so I would much prefer to buy. I have some savings and investments I could draw from, but I really don't want to throw those away if I can avoid it.
Oh, and we have to move there by the end of February.
Does this seem like it is survivable for us? Do small-town Midwesterners normally end up doing OK in that area or am I in for a nightmare? Where would you suggest we start looking for homes that might suit our needs, and are there any surprises we need to be aware of (unusual taxes or other things newbies might not be prepared for)?
Just to be clear, you are planning to purchase a home instead of rent? A 200k mortgage will only get you a studio/1 bedroom condo in a matches box in Brooklyn or the outer boroughs. 75k annually isn't enough for 4 people who are coming from somewhere with a good QOL and would be problematic. Hopefully your wife can find a high paying job or you might end up being miserable.
No, you won't get a yard with that, lol but you'll have many rats and roaches plus incessant noise.
Can't you speak with HR at your firm and ask them for a COL adjustment?
So my employer, in their infinite wisdom, is moving me and my family to NYC. The office is in lower Manhattan and they are paying me ~$75k/year. My wife doesn't work, and I have two children under 5. The wife is pretty upset about it and I'm trying to decide if this is even realistic. I'm sure you guys get this all the time on this forum, but I need some honest insight from people living in that area before I decide whether to accept the transfer or just quit my job.
Some other details: we are coming from central Indiana where we lived in a 10 year old house with 1,800 square feet in a really nice neighborhood for ~$145k (to give some background about what we are used to). Neither of us have ever been to NYC, we have no family anywhere close, and we don't like big cities. The most important things for us are having as much time together as possible (so keeping commutes as short as possible), getting the kids into good schools, and having a yard for our kids to play in. The idea of having to pack the kids up and go to a park somewhere for the them to play is not acceptable to us. I am not sure I could get approved for much more than $200k mortgage, but renting feels like throwing money away so I would much prefer to buy. I have some savings and investments I could draw from, but I really don't want to throw those away if I can avoid it.
Oh, and we have to move there by the end of February.
Does this seem like it is survivable for us? Do small-town Midwesterners normally end up doing OK in that area or am I in for a nightmare? Where would you suggest we start looking for homes that might suit our needs, and are there any surprises we need to be aware of (unusual taxes or other things newbies might not be prepared for)?
Thanks in advance for any help.
-Tulkas
75k with kids = One Bedroom in NYC
You might want to be in live one of NYC outer suburbs bit cheaper but still expensive.
If I were you, I wouldn't even consider this. You are not going to find anything suitable for a family of 4 for anything near 200k. If you want a good school district and a "reasonable" commute time (1-1.5h each way) , you'd be very lucky to find something for only 400k. Don't forget that property taxes will be a multiple of what you're used to. (This is talking about the suburbs, which are the only option since in the city you will pay at least as much, have terrible schools, and a tiny apartment with no yard.)
In my opinion $75k is barely passable for a single person here, so a non-starter for a family of four. Of course I'm aware that people manage on even less. Nonetheless, I heartily recommend against it.
An 1,800 sq ft house with a yard in a "really nice" suburban neighborhood in Westchester or New Jersey would run you more like $600-800k, plus annual taxes of $15k in the best case or $25k just as likely. Forget about a 10 year old house, some of these are pushing 100. And anything cheaper would be a substantial downgrade from your current lifestyle in Indiana.
tl;dr: If your employer wants you to move to NYC, they need to double your salary.
Remember NYC is ultra expensive it world class city with tons of attractions, 24 hour bus/train, things to do, parks etc. NYC outer suburbs are expensive with good schools starter home is 500,000 and up daily commute is 1-1.5 hour. It get cheaper when you are over 1.5 commute time further away from the city.
Just to be clear, you are planning to purchase a home instead of rent? A 200k mortgage will only get you a studio/1 bedroom condo in a matches box in Brooklyn or the outer boroughs. 75k annually isn't enough for 4 people who are coming from somewhere with a good QOL and would be problematic. Hopefully your wife can find a high paying job or you might end up being miserable.
No, you won't get a yard with that, lol but you'll have many rats and roaches plus incessant noise.
Can't you speak with HR at your firm and ask them for a COL adjustment?
When you get to work, go into your bosses office and laugh in his face if he expects you to transfer to NYC on 75K!
This is the 3rd or 4th time where I specifically recall you pissing me off with one of your hysterical and cartoonish opinions.
You know, because bursting into your bosses' office and laughing in HIS face is such good advice to man with 2 children and mouths to feed.
Just out of curiosity: what exactly is it you do for a living? DMV? Meter Maid??
To the original poster: There are countless traditional nuclear families with 75k of household income who do just fine in the NYC metro area. Can you buy or rent rent a penthouse on 5th Ave? No, of course not (but, neither can livingsinglenyc - ever, never ).
There are countless New Jersey towns within an hour commuting time to lower Manhattan. Some of these communities are among the nicest in the world and you can definitely afford them. Best schools, safe, etc., etc.. Who knows, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime for you and your family! Your wife could end up loving it!!
Our leftist, liberal overlords have guaranteed that America isn't going to look like central Indiana for much longer. Might as well let your children get used to it because there's nothing you can do to stop it. These people are focused and intent on importing the third world to your doorstep and shoving multi-culturarism right down your throat, whether you want it or not.
Since you're not familiar with any areas here, I'd advise you to rent for 6 months or a year. Don't think of it as "throwing money away". Think of it as an investment in practicality.
Last edited by Citizenrich; 12-06-2015 at 11:12 PM..
So my employer, in their infinite wisdom, is moving me and my family to NYC. The office is in lower Manhattan and they are paying me ~$75k/year. My wife doesn't work, and I have two children under 5. The wife is pretty upset about it and I'm trying to decide if this is even realistic. I'm sure you guys get this all the time on this forum, but I need some honest insight from people living in that area before I decide whether to accept the transfer or just quit my job.
-Tulkas
It doesn't sound like a good idea. The NYC area (including commuting areas) is really expensive. Anywhere that has excellent schools AND a relatively easy and sub-1 hour commute to Manhattan are bound to be unaffordable on a 75K salary.
It also sounds like you would be miserable living here.
If you don't accept the transfer, do you automatically get terminated?
If you don't like big cities, you should avoid nyc by all means. It is a big city with many third world-like QOL issues. So it is not only about affordability in your case but also a guranteed mismatch between your prefernce of life style and nyc. Your mood will be drowned in a lot of negative daily street scences like the filth, the smell, the huge garbage piles everywhere, the constant noise from both traffic and inconsiderate humans, the crowds mixed with some thugs and mentally ill on the loose, the safety anxiety for you and family, the unreliable commute anxiety, etc. If you were not exposed to such qol issues previously you will be in for constant cultural assaults. Nyc will be too much for you even to visit, not to mention to live here on a very limited budget for a family of 4.
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