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So I've been searching a lot about NC and Raleigh/Durham area. We're planning to relocate from Northern Virginia this June and after being here for about three years, it's really hard for us as a family with four children and a monthly income of $4,000 to stay here and pay all we get for rent ($2,500 for a 3 bedrooms apartment).
Most people around urge us to stay and retry it and say NOVA area is the best for jobs and making lots pf money! Although my husband has been doing Uber full time and not able to secure a job for almost two years now. I'm too working at Walmart and it's not that much money. I know the school system in NOVA is excellent, but I'm sure NC would absolutely have got very good schools too. I don't see a reason to stay in NOVA for a longer time. I don't want to regret it if I moved to NC and I really want to move out to maintain our money. I really need your feedback guys. thank you all in advance!
Your rent will definitely be cheaper, but keep in mind that the market for Uber/Lyft is super different than DC where most people commute by public transportation. Most people here have cars and only use those services occasionally. I’ve talked with some drivers here who do it full time that seem fine, but I don’t know how that compares with DC. The job market is competitive here, but hopefully your husband can find a full time job if that’s what he wants.
Schools are great here but the system is complicated. You are assigned to a school in your neighborhood, but have the option of applying to a selection of magnet schools. You also have the choice of a traditional school year vs a year round school. My kid is still in preschool so I haven’t ventured into that stuff yet.
Much appreciated for your feedback. I really needed such a vision.
My husband makes around $120 on weekdays and about $200 during weekends. Not sure if it's that active in Raleigh/Durham. But as I said everywhere we look for a rent it's too expensive in NOVA area even in very old apartments. We lately found an apartment in Stafford VA for $1,300. It looked so different than DC Metro Area though.
What is your husband's preferred field of employment? Or is the plan to Uber indefinitely?
There's a lot more to the equation than just rent....I'm guessing you pay for your own health insurance for starters, which can be quite pricey here. I suggest you look at ALL your costs and do a comparison, and suggest, if the plan is Uber will be the full time job, to find out exactly what the market looks like here, rather than picking up four kids and moving them to a place that isn't the cheapest in the US.
The Triangle proper isn't the cheapest to live in, but the OP should be able to find something better than the $2500/month rent that she's paying now. That's an insane rent to pay for on Uber/Walmart money. Walmart and Ubering income would go much farther in Roxboro/Harnett/Johnston County than NOVA.
(From what I can tell as a long time rider)Uber driving in the triangle is not great, but okay. It's more spread out and not as dense as NOVA/DC. It'll take a little time for the husband to figure out where the surge spots/times are. A lot of full time drivers do Lyft as well, and I assume Grubhub, or one of the other food/grocery delivery services
The Triangle proper isn't the cheapest to live in, but the OP should be able to find something better than the $2500/month rent that she's paying now. That's an insane rent to pay for on Uber/Walmart money. Walmart and Ubering income would go much farther in Roxboro/Harnett/Johnston County than NOVA.
But she wants schools close to NoVA and there's the rub.
I do appreciate your time and all useful comments guys!
My husband has got an overseas work experience within IT (retail & hypermarkets). His 15 years experience was not able to give him a good position in NOVA area. The competition is really high in this area and I think companies would rather hire someone who's fresh graduated, much into hi-tech trends, than a person who is +40 years old with a minimum work experience in the US. He applied everywhere you can imagine, but no luck! He decided then to do Uber full time and kept on applying his resume too.
With all comments here, looks like Uber would be a challenging job in NC. I'm really not sure though if retail jobs are available though. I don't mind seeing my kids studying in good schools in NC, but again, the income is our priority to support the family and pay off bills.
We also have health insurance here in NOVA that we pay together (my husband and myself) around $200/month.
Last edited by Hali77; 03-12-2018 at 12:07 PM..
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