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Old 11-06-2011, 07:37 AM
 
3 posts, read 10,493 times
Reputation: 10

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Hello all

I need your help to get an understanding of a typical monthly outlay. It’s just me so no family to support.
From reading other posts I have come up with the following assumptions, please let me know if I am wildly out on these figures (all per month):

Rent - $1750 (1 bed)
HOA - ??? (is this a separate charge on top of rent?)
Car – $400 (will need as my work requires frequent some travel)
Car Insurance - ??? (26/male not looking for anything flash, ford focus or equivalent will do)
Food - $500
TV/Internet/Phone - $100
Utilities - $150 (water, gas, electricity)
Gym - $100

Where I have put in ‘???’ I have no idea so open to suggestions.

Any help appreciated, I need to ensure that I negotiate a sufficient wage to support myself.

Thanks.
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Old 11-06-2011, 03:42 PM
 
Location: A bit further north than before
1,651 posts, read 3,684,001 times
Reputation: 1465
HOA is paid by home owners, not renters.
$500 for food sounds pretty low, that's $16 a day. A couple restaurant meals/week and a Saturday night out would blow through that pretty quickly.
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Old 11-06-2011, 06:54 PM
 
1,027 posts, read 1,938,770 times
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I eat mostly organic food and eat very well for $400 a month--people always ask me to teach them what to eat because of how I look (healthy and much younger than my age). Buying restaurant food is a form of insanity. I think $500 is more than enough for excellent food, especially since SF Bay area has a lot of natural food stores.
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Old 11-06-2011, 07:46 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,030,161 times
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1750 would be pretty typical for a nice 1br in a nice part of SF, but you could get the same type of place in Oakland or Berkeley for quite a bit less.
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Old 11-07-2011, 09:08 AM
 
Location: A bit further north than before
1,651 posts, read 3,684,001 times
Reputation: 1465
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexxiz View Post
. Buying restaurant food is a form of insanity.

Sorry, you lost me there!
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Old 11-07-2011, 09:28 AM
 
3 posts, read 10,493 times
Reputation: 10
More that $500/month on food seems quite high for me. I cook for myself so I can eat quote well for quite little.

Thanks for the heads up on HOA, thank god I don't have to factor that in.

I would like a coverage of at least $1500 after living costs so assuming circa $3500 would I be correct in assuming I would need circa $5000/month ($80k/year annual) salary? - according to The Salary Calculator - Take-Home

How much less do you think Oakland/Berkeley would work out, if its significant ~$500 or so it might be worth considering.
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Old 11-07-2011, 11:56 AM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
13,520 posts, read 22,003,444 times
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For car insurance (new car, 26-yo male) I'd budget $150-200/month to be on the safe side.
TV/Internet/Phone at $100 will most likely not include cell phone ... might want to budget for that ($40-$75 or so depending on whether you need a data plan or not).
Don't forget gas, car insurance, clothing, etc.
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Old 11-07-2011, 12:06 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,030,161 times
Reputation: 2957
A 1br in a good part of Oakland would be around $1100 to $1400. Berkeley is a bit more, maybe 20% more.
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Old 11-07-2011, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,701,224 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar View Post
A 1br in a good part of Oakland would be around $1100 to $1400. Berkeley is a bit more, maybe 20% more.
I'd say Berkeley is more like 30% more (think $1500). Anything cheaper is either student quality or in a really crappy neighborhood. (Ahem, South Berkeley!)

If you want something newer, generally Oakland and Berkeley are the same price, aka overpriced. Think $1800 for a new building one bedroom. Occasionally there are some newer buildings renting in downtown Oakland for cheaper -- places that have a few condos left unsold.
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:13 PM
 
3,098 posts, read 3,765,936 times
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how about entertainment?
26 y/o single person
no bars ,nightlife ,restaurants?

life is not just cable tv and home cooked meals.
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