Possibly relocating to Mclean from Atlanta. Will my salary be enough? (Arlington: rentals, student loan)

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by atlien2010

I have a "solid" job here, but its pretty dead end. I'm not happy here. I've looked for other opportunities here, but haven't found anything. That's why I decided to take my job search elsewhere.

I've visited the Mclean area before and thought it was really nice. And I really just want to do something new. I've lived in Atlanta my whole life.

I really want to think about this realistically though. I'm assuming roommates are fairly common here. How would I find one, being new to town? Craigslist seems pretty sketchy to me.

I feel you. I'm not going to lie, you are going to have an uphill battle to make ends meet here. It is really up to you to decide whether it is worth for possible career advancement. For me, being in an area that was familiar where there was good jobs to be had made it worth my while to be back here. Plus emotionally, I was not feeling making a new start again somewhere else.

I personally did the Craigslist thing under room/shared to find my roommate. It is really the luck of the draw. I ended up with a sane law school student.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by atlien2010

Thanks for the optimistic perspective.

I really want to do this, so I will have to seek out roommates. I just find it a little weird making living arrangements with strangers lol. I dont want to live with a potential psycho . I've never had to do this before.

When I first graduated college I was making about 30k and lived in Arlington with a roommate where my rent was $1425 I believe. I made ends meet just fine. I didn't have a car payment or student loan payment which helped. I think you can make it work just fine on 45k. I would suggest preparing a budget that works for you before you move here and trying to stick to it.

[atlien2010]

Originally Posted by FCNova

When I first graduated college I was making about 30k and lived in Arlington with a roommate where my rent was $1425 I believe. I made ends meet just fine. I didn't have a car payment or student loan payment which helped. I think you can make it work just fine on 45k. I would suggest preparing a budget that works for you before you move here and trying to stick to it.

How did you find your roommate? What was the process like?

[lqda4]

Originally Posted by FCNova

When I first graduated college I was making about 30k and lived in Arlington with a roommate where my rent was $1425 I believe. I made ends meet just fine. I didn't have a car payment or student loan payment which helped. I think you can make it work just fine on 45k. I would suggest preparing a budget that works for you before you move here and trying to stick to it.

+1. I rented a room in a SFH (owner was a single person and was out and about most weekends) 20 years ago when I went through school in the area. I found it from WOM and from family/friend connection. You might want to target nearby areas since affluent residents of McLean area might not need roommates...

[NovaOne]

My wife moved to NoVA to work in McLean as a staff accountant for a public accounting firm when she was single. She was making mid $40k salary range when she first moved but this was 10 years ago. She lived in a studio apartment in Falls Church and worked her ass off. I'd say it only makes sense if you feel that the area represents a significant career opportunity for you. It's the only case where moving to a high cost of living area makes sense.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by atlien2010

How did you find your roommate? What was the process like?

It was a friend of mine. I grew up in Nova so haven't had to go the random roommate route but lots of people do it around here because of how many people are constantly moving in & out of the area.

[vermonter16]

I survived 12 years ago with making about 35K. It wasn't great but I was able to do it and am in a much better position now. It CAN be done. Folks are just so used to having a lot of disposable income that living with very little can seem insurmountable. I'd definitely look for a roommate to make it easier though.

If this job provides a better opportunity for you - do it!

[majicdonjuan]

As someone of the same age I'd say this. If I could make the same amount of money in Atlanta as I make here I'd move down there in a heartbeat. This is a nice area but the expense of living here makes it tough if you like to do things that require disposable income. Keep in mind that here typical things (such as going out to dinner, for example) will run you 30-40% more then they do in Atlanta.

On 45K I personally would not move here. If this is your only opportunity and you are truly not happy in Atlanta, then maybe its worth taking a shot but honestly, if you have the opportunity to up and move somewhere else that's a bit less expensive that's probably a better lifestyle choice. But it definitely depends on your priorities - if you're a homebody, a saver, and you enjoy cooking, you'll probably come out better financially than if you like to go out a lot - nights out are much more expensive here than in Atlanta.

This area is great if you make a lot of money and really tough to live in if you don't. Just my perspective.

[CaliTerp07]

Craigslist is actually very common for roommate finding around here. Lots of grad students, young professionals, etc on there. I've lived with multiple craigslist roommates before I got married, and none of them were awful.

I work with a girl who is recently graduated. It is her first year teaching for FFX County, so she only makes $40k. She opted for an apartment in Woodbridge (don't do it, your commute will be awful), because it's the only place she could afford on her own. She also has a car payment, also has student loan payments, and is somehow making it work...but her standards are low. She has not gone out to eat, purchased new clothes, or planned a vacation since starting work. She pays her bills, and that's it. She confessed that nothing is going into retirement because there is nothing left over to put into retirement.

Get a roommate, so you can save the extra $500/month for retirement or emergencies.

[atlien2010]

Originally Posted by majicdonjuan

As someone of the same age I'd say this. If I could make the same amount of money in Atlanta as I make here I'd move down there in a heartbeat. This is a nice area but the expense of living here makes it tough if you like to do things that require disposable income. Keep in mind that here typical things (such as going out to dinner, for example) will run you 30-40% more then they do in Atlanta.

On 45K I personally would not move here. If this is your only opportunity and you are truly not happy in Atlanta, then maybe its worth taking a shot but honestly, if you have the opportunity to up and move somewhere else that's a bit less expensive that's probably a better lifestyle choice. But it definitely depends on your priorities - if you're a homebody, a saver, and you enjoy cooking, you'll probably come out better financially than if you like to go out a lot - nights out are much more expensive here than in Atlanta.

This area is great if you make a lot of money and really tough to live in if you don't. Just my perspective.

thank you. you bring up good points.

I make about $10K less in Atlanta, and I dont have much disposable income. So it wouldn't be a new experience for me lol. Most of my income goes toward rent and utilities. I have just enough money left to eat and put gas in my car. I am kind of a homebody, but I would like to explore the area since it will be new to me. I actually moved back home to save some money.

I truly feel that this would be a better opportunity for me, and since its being offered, I feel like I would regret not doing it because of all the what-ifs.