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.
I was just curious if anyone can tell me how realistic it is for a family of four to live in Ithaca on $50K a year.
We have a decent-sized downpayment for a house (around $100,000) so with any luck we would be able to afford something livable. We tend to live fairly frugally (i.e. drive a used car, no expensive hobbies, not obsessed with getting the latest hi-tech gadgets) but we'd like to have a decent quality of life while still saving a little $$$ for our kids' college tuition etc.
Are the kids in daycare or have any other expensive activities? What sort of commute is reasonable to you? Would you be expecting to travel to wherever your family is regularly? Are you looking for a house on a big plot of land?
I think it's totally doable for some folks I know and untenable for others. For our particular family to thrive with that salary, we would probably live in Cayuga county and commute, and live on a single salary to minimize daycare/ preschool costs. A cost of living calculator may help you to compare what it's like in your current location vs around here.
Are the kids in daycare or have any other expensive activities? What sort of commute is reasonable to you? Would you be expecting to travel to wherever your family is regularly? Are you looking for a house on a big plot of land?
I think it's totally doable for some folks I know and untenable for others. For our particular family to thrive with that salary, we would probably live in Cayuga county and commute, and live on a single salary to minimize daycare/ preschool costs. A cost of living calculator may help you to compare what it's like in your current location vs around here.
Could you get away with that salary in Dryden, Trumansburg, Newfield or Groton? I would think that Cortland County would work too.
Yeah, they're all possibilities. Of them, Trumansburg would be the most expensive, almost as expensive as Ithaca proper. But overall my understanding is that taxes are higher across all of Tompkins County, and that will eat into the salary with two houses of comparable price. The best choice will depend on the exact location of the job too, because the quirky geography of the area means that commute times have very little to do with as-the-crow-flies distances.
Yeah, they're all possibilities. Of them, Trumansburg would be the most expensive, almost as expensive as Ithaca proper. But overall my understanding is that taxes are higher across all of Tompkins County, and that will eat into the salary with two houses of comparable price. The best choice will depend on the exact location of the job too, because the quirky geography of the area means that commute times have very little to do with as-the-crow-flies distances.
That makes sense. From what I could look up, it seems like Dryden, Newfield and Groton would be the most affordable choices in the county, but I have heard that some people come in from adjacent counties. Some of the public transportation systems from those counties have shuttles/lines that go to Cornell/other employers in Ithaca as well.
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.
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.
