Can family of 3 live on 77k (Woodbridge, Springfield: apartment, rentals, insurance)

[aleksv77]

[SIZE=3]I got a job offer in DC that pays 77k per year. Job is close to Tenleytown metro station. For start, my wife and I with our daughter (2 years old) would have to live on my paycheck. We need 2-bedroom apartment not too far from metro. Based on the research I did so far I was thinking somewhere in Vienna or Fairfax (rent around 1500). [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Do you think that would be possible?[/SIZE]

[still_waiting]

Yes it is possible to live off of that in NoVa with that salary. Now it may be a little tight but it is possible. Of course that is highly dependent on what your monthly expenditures are outside of housing (ie credit card payments, car payments, insurance, student loans possibly). Let's make this quantifiable. $77,000/52 (weeks)= $1480 Gross. Let's say that at least one week would be considered as "taxes", so that leaves 3 weeks $1480*3= $4400. Now let's subtract rent and utilities $4400-$2100= $2300. You would have ROUGHLY $2300 left per month for instances like car and insurance, food, savings.

Of course this is not exact numbers, this is just a general look at what that salary looks like when itemized.

Don't feel bad, I am moving to NoVa for a federal position next month and I'll be making considerably less than you. The way I look at it is my career has great growth...I get a Top Secret clearance (which itself is worth its weight in gold), and my Master's paid for %100. Worth a "lil struggle" if you ask me. At least my wife and I thinks so...The little one on the way gives us her support too, at least I think that's what the kicks are for

Good luck, I'm sure you will get a more helpful response than I gave, but I thought would give you something for now.

[chariega]

This really depends on if you plan to use day care or if your wife is a stay at home mom. Day care around here is expensive. So many other factors also come into play as well, but 1500 for rent would be reasonable. It just depends on how frugal/extravagant you are with spending. I'm pretty frugal so 77k would work for me and my family--but there are plenty of people out there who wouldn't dream of it.

Also, if your job is at Tenleytown, have you thought about maybe living in Montgomery County in Maryland? Perhaps Rockville or Gaithersburg would make for a better metro commute using the Red Line since there are no transfers and it's a straight shot on that route. If you are in Vienna you would have to take the Orange Line into the city and connect at Metro Center to back track to Tenleytown on the Red Line.

[aleksv77]

"CHARIEGA" My wife would be looking for a job which means we would need daycare. Do you know how expensive can it be? Also you said "Perhaps Rockville or Gaithersburg" what would be the rent there and how safe are those neighborhoods?

"STILL_WAITING" Do you think $2300 is enough for food, car...?

[chariega]

Daycare is relative. Sometimes it really depends on where you go, but for a Bright Horizons type place probably about 250-275/wk. There are some that are lower, there are also in-home options. I would do a search on this forum for places other users recommend.

If your wife plans to work, you will certainly be fine to afford daycare and other expenses.

As for Maryland, Montgomery County is pretty much like Fairfax. Just like Fairfax it has it's great areas and not so great areas and overall it is a safe place with great schools. For 1500 you will find about the same options as you would in Fairfax. I only recommend it for your commute since getting to Tenleytown from Montgomery County via Metro is a much easier commute. Try Gaithersburg near the Shady Grove Metro or Rockville near the Twinbrook or Rockville Metro stations. Keep in mind that like Fairfax, the closer you are to the Metro the more expensive it is. Check with a realtor for condo or TH rentals in your price range as well--you might be surprised at what you find.

[still_waiting]

aleksv77, to answer your question...That depends on your situation, like how many cars you are paying on, your monthly food expeditures, credit cards.

I guess another thing you can look at is the growth potential at the job being offered to you. I say that because it may just be a temporary "struggle" for you and your family.

It's going to be really tight for my family, my wife has a Masters in a field where she can get a federal job easily, but at least initially she is going to stay home and raise the little one for at least 18 months in order for us to save on childcare costs as Chariega alluded to.


One thing a lot of my mentors who have lived or still live in the area have told me is that it's a tough move initially, but if gets much better as your career progresses. It will also teach you financial discipline if you have never had it.

[aleksv77]

Thanks a lot CHARIEGA and STILL_WAITING for your responses.
We have to make a decision today to accept or decline the job and I still don't know what to do. It is not an easy decision to make, we would both love to live in DC and we can accept temporary struggle if the perspective is bright. Our biggest problem is how long we would have to struggle before we start living comfortable life (nothing special just comfortable).

[still_waiting]

Hey Aleksv77, I wish the best for you and your family, no matter which decision is made.

[bmwguydc]

For a family of three, with the rent budget you're considering, you seem to have the priorities in order. I am assuming that with being close to Metro, or the Connector/CUE buses to Vienna Metro, will alleviate the need for a second vehicle. That will help to keep the budget in check, especially since your wife can have the car for errands and child-related things during the day, not to mention job hunting.

What I would focus on is your wife's most likely place of employment, since if it's Northern Virginia, living in Rockville or Gaithersburg could make her commutes a living nightmare of traffic, or very long train travel times, or train-bus if it's in a place like Tysons Corner. Intraregional public transportation is not the best, since "all rail lines go to DC" was the original design of the system. There is no direct transportation connection, via rail, between Montgomery and Fairfax Counties, and few bridges, so that compounds the traffic situation.

Even if your wife only works part-time, I think that would give you enough breathing room in the budget where you would not be struggling to live in the region.

Housing will be the largest expense, followed by child care; and buying a home in a nice family neighborhood will be the largest change, unless you're coming from a handful of cities that are as expensive. You can find some townhouses in the area, though, that are not as expensive, yet still in good, convenient areas, such as in Fairfax, West Springfield (off the Metro rail line, so you would need a second car or bus to the station in Springfield) and Vienna.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[marie5v]

Just to give you some idea of what other people are living on, I have quite a few friends who are stay at home moms (2-3 kids each) and live comfortably in NOVA on their husband's salary, all of which are in the 80-120K range. Some live further out, like Leesburg, and have nice new homes, others live in small ranch homes or townhomes in the Fairfax area, one lives in Woodbridge. Most struggle a bit at first, and then do better when the kids go to school and mom can work, or when the kids are old enough for mom to work part time. I think you can make it on 77K - you'll struggle for a while, but once the kids are in school and your wife can work more you should be OK. Good daycare is damned hard to find and very expensive - 1500-2000 for the ones I would consider. That's why most of my friends choose to stay home or just work part time. I say if the job is a good career move and you aren't leaving anything important, go for it - also, there are so many job opportunities in this area that finding a better paying job in the future would be more possible than in some other places in the country.

Also, regarding groceries, our bill for three people is about 600/month, and it would be a lot lower if I cooked and didn't do all my shopping at whole foods.