2013: Cost of Living Pittsburgh (Columbia: mortgage, townhouse, calculator)

[XRiteMA98]

Hopes, we are 3 in the household, soon to be 2, once the daughter goes to college in the fall. We spend on average about 350-400 per month (this does not include eating out which we don;t do very often, especially not in winter).

For the rest, as I said, we don;t touch the mid isles in grocery stores except very rare, for stuff the daughter eats now and then: cereal and pop tarts, although she knows pretty well how to cook and how to eat turkish style. We much rather have bread, olives and tea in the morning as opposed to sugary cereal and we make almost everything in the house - pretty much like the amish We both LOVE to cook, so here you go.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

how to eat Turkish style

How do you "eat Turkish style"?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

For the rest, as I said, we don;t touch the mid isles in grocery stores...

I go into the middle isles less and less. Not only is it healthier, but shopping is super fast when sticking to the perimeter, isn't it?

[sparrowmint]

I find Pittsburgh more expensive on food mainly if one is shopping at the pure grocery stores around here that aren't national. Granted, I haven't shopped there in at least two years now, but before that, I found Walmart's pricing near identical to what I would have been paying in Portland Walmarts, same with Target, same with Costco. But are Giant Eagle and Shop n'Save and even Kuhn's more expensive all around than what I was paying at the Pacific NW's Kroger affiliate Fred Meyer, Winco, Albertson's or even Safeway (the most expensive of the four)? Yeah, often significantly so, even accounting for inflation over the last 4-5 years. Though I'd rather pay more in groceries now than a 9% state income tax in a place with more homeless youth than available jobs.

[avm316]

Originally Posted by sherilyns

Thanks for your responses. I'm moving from NYC if that matters. I guess what I'd like to know is what would estimates be for utilities for a small 3 bedroom house in the East End. I know this can vary widely depending on usage and efficiency, but what are typical electric bills, water bills, gas bills (assuming gas heat)? Is car insurance expensive?

For a 3 bedroom house, your gas bill is going to be at least $300.00 a month during the winter.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by avm316

For a 3 bedroom house, your gas bill is going to be at least $300.00 a month during the winter.

My gas bill with a 3 bedroom house is $100/month peak at this point. Granted the house is on the smaller side, and it's also newer than many. It's just that I find this a funny blanket statement that is easily refuted with my own direct experience.

[sparrowmint]

Originally Posted by avm316

For a 3 bedroom house, your gas bill is going to be at least $300.00 a month during the winter.

My house is only 2 bedrooms, I will grant, but my highest bill has been $100, with the other winter bills being in the $40-60 range. The bill I just got for mid-Feb to mid-March (meter reading March 12) is $42, which also includes the use of gas appliances and a gas water heater. Somehow I don't think the bill would rise to at least "$300 a month" if an extra bedroom was thrown on. My house doesn't exactly have nice energy saving doors and windows either, haven't put a cent into those yet.

[Hopes]

My gas bills are definitely higher than $100 in the winter. I can only guess what they are exactly for each month. My annual gas bill is probably higher than $1,200/year. That means my winter heating bills are probably between $200 to $300 each month. Heck, I don't know, maybe higher than that in January or February when you consider our gas usage is almost nothing in the summer. I have a gas kitchen appliances, gas dryer, gas water heater, and gas boiler. Next time I get a bill, I'll look at it more closely and try to report back.

Here's a point of reference. I helped my girlfriend with her budget. She lives in a three bedroom townhouse, end unit. Her gas bill is on the monthly budget plan for $90/month. That's $90/month each 12 months. That means her winter month bills are higher than $100 too.

[sparrowmint]

The last place I rented before we bought was a large old 4 bedroom that was drafty as heck, and our gas bills weren't that high. Not much higher than what they are now (forget what they were individually, but I know they worked out to be an average of $50-60 a month on a budget plan). This was People's Natural Gas, same as we have now.

[Hopes]

For gas usage, number of household members is just as important as the size of the home because household members influence how much water is heated for bathing and laundry. There's also the issue of cooking and baking, which a greater number of people do very little of.