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I'm new to this site, and didn't find any posts that were similar to my situation...so here it goes
I am canadian (from the westcoast) and my husband is american (from the eastcoast), we are both in our late 20's and have an 18 month old baby. Long story short we are both living in Vancouver and my immigration papers for me to work and live in the US are almost done so my husband started looking for jobs in potential cities that would most benefit his career(he's a chef).
After a couple weeks of resume sending he landed 5 interviews all in NY, one of which is tomorrow. Prior to us getting to this stage we often talked about NY as place to end up but not as a place to start off. I already work for an apparel company in Vancouver with it's head quarters in North Bergen, NJ and my husband would most likely be working in the Manhattan area. We would most likely have a combined income of $90K a year (before taxes)
My husband is confident that we can do this, and has always dreamed about being a chef in NY, but being the pessimist that i am i'm getting cold feet.....does anyone have any insight or suggestions. What areas could we afford, what areas are safe for families etc. Our lifestyle is pretty low key, we like to do family friendly things but we also like to enjoy the city life....so maybe somewhere middle of the road would be good for us.
Other things that are important to us are shops/stores/markets within walking distance, living within walking distance to transit, no more than a 45 min commute to work and daycare near by.
an advice would be awesome - THANKS!!!!
Last edited by cheerchix; 03-18-2008 at 04:35 AM..
Reason: spelling grammar
I would check out some of the Jersey towns that are serviced by the Path trains, like Hoboken or JC. They should be a good for both of your needs. You can probably drive to work and he can take the Path right into Manhattan. You should put your post up in the Jersey section of the forum too, to get some more help from Jersey folks.
That's a good idea, i think i'll do that.....slight detail i forgot to mention. NO CAR! still doable? I hear that our NJ office has it's own shuttle to and from work.
That's a good idea, i think i'll do that.....slight detail i forgot to mention. NO CAR! still doable? I hear that our NJ office has it's own shuttle to and from work.
You dont want a car in Hoboken. Its a great place.
are we living a pipe dream if we think we can afford anything in NYC? I hear Astoria and parts of Brookyln are nice neighborhoods. We are trying to be as realistic as possible and know that living in NY can be tough and not as glamourous as some people hope it can be (esp on a budget).
I crunched some numbers and this is what i came up with for a rough monthly budget
total monthly basic living costs $3550
we should be clearing around $5000 monthly.
Are my #'s way off??? living on the westcoast, things are so different - housing is also expensive but you need a car to get just about anywhere so i guess all in all it evens out
the only thing i would really look into is daycare and your grocery cost. Your husband is a chef and will most likely cook for you most nights, but new york is a great place to eat out (especially for culinary ideas) and it adds up quickly. i know you have a little one, so i'm not talking high-end restaurants. but, even things like takeout and coffee add up. i'm not up on daycare costs in new york, but i know when we were thinking of moving to boston we put our ideas of having a kid on hold because childcare for a child under five 30 hours a week would have ran us about $1800. It gets progessively cheaper as they get older (less risk and worry i suppose. more self-sufficient), but i was stunned at the costs I found. Of course there are family-ran daycare centers that are cheaper, but depending on what you want for your child and how many hours a week, you might just want to google "daycare" or "child care" in your perspective cities to get an idea. I could be way off base, but i just wanted to suggest the google thing. And your utilities look a little low if you factor in AC for the summer. Oh yeah. . .and be careful with the laundry. my friend pays roughly $4 a load (wash and dry). Perhaps she gets ripped off (entirely possible haha). But, if not, your budget would only allow you for 12 load a month and i know you're little one probably runs through onsies like nobodies business at that age. Take care!!!
[quote=cheerchix;3177742]are we living a pipe dream if we think we can afford anything in NYC? I hear Astoria and parts of Brookyln are nice neighborhoods.
Commute from Queens/Brooklyn to northern NJ will be hell. Probably take a 2+ hours and a gazillion transfers between different subway lines, buses, and NJ Transit.
I crunched some numbers and this is what i came up with for a rough monthly budget
$1500 - rent
Maybe a 1 bed in parts of Hoboken/Queens/Brooklyn.
$1000 - daycare
Gonna cost more.
$75 - utilties
Gonna cost more.
$200 - transportation for 2
$81 for MetroCard and $200+ for NJ Transit, per person.
$100 - family dental/health insurance
At least $200 for family in NYC, just for health, not including co-pays.
Are my #'s way off??? living on the westcoast, things are so different - housing is also expensive but you need a car to get just about anywhere so i guess all in all it evens out
The only place where a car is not a 100% necessity is Manhattan. But you if work in northern NJ, have a kid, and live in a $1500/mo. outerborough, you'll have a harder without a car.
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