Moving to NoVA on $54,000. What area? Apt suggestions? Please help. (Reston: coupons, apartment complex)

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

I highly recommend upping your rental budget to $1100-1200 per month and living in Reston near ScranBarre, anonymous, and the others. I don't recommend Manassas as the little you will save on rent down there will not be worth the extra commuting costs (and also time!).

I think Reston is a great place to live. Here is a link that tells you a little more about all that Reston has to offer Welcome to Reston Association!

My comment about the extra commuting cost got me thinking about running a few calculations. Considering the difference between living in Manassas (about 20 miles from work) versus Reston (about 5 miles from work), the 15 extra miles twice a day for five work days and 50 work weeks totals 7,500 miles per year. If you consider only the cost of gas at $2.50 per gallon that would work out to be an extra $78/month. If you consider the governments car rate of $0.55 that would be an extra $344/month. Alternatively if you consider the rate that AAA indicates for a small sedan driving 20K miles/year of $0.374 that would be an extra $233/month. I think these calculations make an excellent point to decrease the distance between home and work even if you have to pay a little more in rent cost.

Here is the link for the AAA cost per mile.
AAA Exchange (http://www.aaapublicaffairs.com/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=3&SubCategoryID=9&ContentID =23 - broken link)

[NOVAmtneer82]

I know a lot of people who started out at less than 50K and none of them lived with their parents. Of course most of us aren't even from this area so that was never really even an option. Some chose to live in group homes or have roommates to be able to afford a nicer place maybe near the Metro or close to work but that doesn't mean they absolutely "have" to do so to survive.

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82

Do people proclaiming that 54K isn't a lot of money here realize that most college graduates in this area don't start out making even 50K? You aren't going to be owning a penthouse in Arlington or driving a Maserati but it's an entry-level salary for godsake that will go up with time. This board is getting so dramatic...before you know it potential newbies to this area are going to be told they will be on food stamps at 100K a year.

Originally Posted by rubytue

And how many recent college graduates do you know that (a) have roomates or (b) live with their parents?

Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82

I know a lot of people who started out at less than 50K and none of them lived with their parents. Of course most of us aren't even from this area so that was never really even an option. Some chose to live in group homes or have roommates to be able to afford a nicer place maybe near the Metro or close to work but that doesn't mean they absolutely "have" to do so to survive.

Gotta agree with NOVAmtneer on this one. I've been here two years and still don't make $54k (close, but not quite). I have a roommate by choice (both for the money and for the company), but could go it alone if I wanted to. I started almost $15k less than that and never felt poor. I know plenty of GS-7's and GS-9's living alone, and several who have even purchased homes recently. Considering that all of these people live in Arlington, Alexandria, or DC, chances are their housing expenses are higher than out in somewhere like Reston.

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Wow! There's a lot of us on here from Reston who are neighbors. Hello!

Hey!

Perhaps the 'hood would like to organize a small get-together? I know my fiance and I would be interested in making friends with couples in the area. Personally, I hit the big 3-0 next month (ack!) and would like to expand my social circle just a bit.

(The social thing reminds me of a line from an old TV show: "Bill, I don't know any of my neighbors." "That's because you live in an apartment, Joe." Somethings are still true 30 years later.)

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82

Do people proclaiming that 54K isn't a lot of money here realize that most college graduates in this area don't start out making even 50K? You aren't going to be owning a penthouse in Arlington or driving a Maserati but it's an entry-level salary for godsake that will go up with time. This board is getting so dramatic...before you know it potential newbies to this area are going to be told they will be on food stamps at 100K a year.

That still doesn't mean 54k *is* a lot of money in this area. If you've got student loan payments, a car payment, and want a one-bedroom apartment, that 54k disappears *real* fast.

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by rubytue

8 years ago when I first started out in the area (on $48k), my income was too high to qualify for the moderate income apartments, which were $900/month. I always thought that was really sad, as I didn't want to pay $900/month on my salary - I really wondered how those who qualified could. I eventually realized that DC was a different beast, and I'd have to get over the fact I had never paid over $500/month for an apartment.

When I finished college (went to school at George Washington) and moved out to Centreville, I rented a room from an individual. Cost me $410/mo and I stayed there for 2.5 years.

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82

I know a lot of people who started out at less than 50K and none of them lived with their parents. Of course most of us aren't even from this area so that was never really even an option. Some chose to live in group homes or have roommates to be able to afford a nicer place maybe near the Metro or close to work but that doesn't mean they absolutely "have" to do so to survive.

Get rid of gas, car payment, insurance payment, maintenance, and I could see getting around on less than 50k. But I highly doubt the people to which you refer are renting $1800 one-bedroom apartments in Arlington. (I couldn't find anything much lower than that.) Back in 2001 (crap, that's awhile ago now) I paid $885 for a studio at Potomac Towers. (Just north of the Courthouse Metro... studio now runs $1300. Geeze.)

As someone who has BTDT, to make it on 50k, you're choosing to do without certain conveniences, or you got lucky and have minimal student loan and car payments. You are aware that in most areas of the country, people buy a house and support a family on that kind of money, right?

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by anonymous703

But I highly doubt the people to which you refer are renting $1800 one-bedroom apartments in Arlington. (I couldn't find anything much lower than that.)

The other day I found a 1-bedroom for about $1200 in Ballston, and then a studio for $1250 (I've been doing research on what I could afford should my roommate decide to move in with her boyfriend). The people I know who live alone are typically paying about $1300 for studios or small 1-bedrooms in the Dupont/Adams Morgan area. It's pricey, but doable.

You're not necessarily going to be "living high", but the point I'm trying to make is that you won't be poverty-level eating Ramen noodles (unless you like them...which I do...)

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by anonymous703

Get rid of gas, car payment, insurance payment, maintenance, and I could see getting around on less than 50k. But I highly doubt the people to which you refer are renting $1800 one-bedroom apartments in Arlington. (I couldn't find anything much lower than that.) Back in 2001 (crap, that's awhile ago now) I paid $885 for a studio at Potomac Towers. (Just north of the Courthouse Metro... studio now runs $1300. Geeze.)

As someone who has BTDT, to make it on 50k, you're choosing to do without certain conveniences, or you got lucky and have minimal student loan and car payments. You are aware that in most areas of the country, people buy a house and support a family on that kind of money, right?

You must not have looked very hard then. I rented a 1 bedroom within 10 minutes of Courthouse Metro for $1300 for 2 years (2006-2008) and it had a pool, gym, common room for community happy hours, washer and dryer in the units, parking for my car, etc. When I first came to this area I had a one bedroom right off Route 50 that was a 15 minute walk to Rosslyn Metro that rented (and still does) for $915.

Nobody said one would be living in luxury on such a salary but it is by no means the welfare sentence that some people on this board make it out to be.

[KTuner]

It seems the discussion has gotten a little off topic and moved towards talking about salary's and what is considered poor, vs what isn't. While I enjoy reading everyone's opinions on the subject, and it is a bit educational for someone who is not from the area, I would prefer there not be any flame-wars or heated arguments. Everyone has an opinion, so lets please leave it at that.

Back on topic. I do have a car payment of $350/month, so that is a good chunk of money there.I currently live in an apartment that costs $450/month, and get by fine on a slary of $38,000 so according to calculations I will be making approximately $1000 more a month after taxes, meaning if all other costs stayed the same, I could afford $1450 on rent. I think bumping up to $1200 is reasonable and leaves me an extra $200 a month to live on. Yes, I will have to cut back my lifestyle a bit as living here in STL on $38,000 I can afford, and love to buy, things many other semi-single (we have been dating for 4 years, but live separate) people in this area cannot.


I really appreciate all of the good suggestions and will be putting together a spreadsheet of apartments to consider, and having some calculations done on that.

Some information I would love to have, which will allow me to get a better calculation of cost of living is:

What is the sqFt of where you live?
What is the total cost of electric, gas, water, etc?
How many people live in your place?

I think having those numbers from a few people will allow me to calculate a semi-accurate cost per sqft. Anyone who is a math whiz, feel free to add in ideas. If we got some good information here, perhaps it could be added to the sticky.