Moving to Bellevue for 60k-Family of three- Will it be Livable ? (Seattle: real estate, renters)

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by barooq

Thats good to hear. As long as its workable i'd be willing, rather happy to move.
I have been researching the rents on craig's list and NWhomes to get a feel of apartments and it seems you can get a 2BR apartment with basic amenities under 1400. I am not familiar with the area and once I land in Seattle, a final decision can only be made then ( though I spend an hour on google maps nowadays religiously )

Also, about the approximate cost of living and expenses, can you provide an estimate/month ?
For example my basic schema is as under

Rent: 1200-1400
Car payment + Car Insurance : 500
Fuel: 200-300
Bills ( Gas, Water, Electricity): 100-200
Groceries+Food : 500-700
Internet + Phone + Cable TV : 300 ( both me and my wife as tech addicts+ I am a sports nut and my wife cant live without cable TV... Frankly, so much so, I am a little jealous of Don Draper )
Emergencies+ Eating Out : 300

Total: 3100 - 3700 / month
Am I missing something here ? Are my estimates off the mark?


I also have a saving around 30K, but that I personally want to use for my wife's PHD in psychology ( if she feels up to it once we are there )... Otherwise, it can be used as emergency fund and emergency fund only

Waiting for your response

So a coworker of mine just saw me reading this thread and chimed in with something that might be more relevant to you (I guess he had a similar situation when he came here from Egypt, though he's now naturalized).

He said that because you're a foreign national without citizenship, you can expect to pay at least $250 a month to insure 2 cars (which will obviously be a requirement for you, unless your wife is going to take you to work and then pick you up every day). Add your car payments on to that. Not sure if that's how you got to your number. You'll also have to tack on about 50 bucks a month for "renter's insurance".

Also stated (and I ran some math in my head, and came to the same conclusion as it pertains to how I drive), that he fills up with gas at a cost of 52 dollars a tank (call it 3.10 a gallon @ an average tank size of 17 gallons, though mine is only a 15) once every 5 days or so, or just over 300 a month. Per vehicle.

Then I went and looked at a couple other things as I had the "honor" of paying some bills today. Cell phones for 2 with data plans will typically run $140 a month. Tack on 60 a month for internet, and you're up to 200. I pay $130/month for cable, but have some extras. So your estimation of 300 is probably spot-on once you factor in a decent cable package (and I saw the post above mine talking about PBS--I love public broadcasting as much as the next guy, but Rick Steves' Europe is no comparison to Dexter). More if you want a landline, which is completely unnecessary and antiquated.

[southking500]

You can live comfortably on 60K. Bellevue has the highest rents of any suburban city in the area. You can easily find a nice 2 bedroom apartment for around $900.00 in Bothell or Lynnwood which are both good areas not too far from Bellevue. Your car expense estimate of $700 - $800.00 is high. I would use the 7K relocation money to buy a late model used car with good gas mileage and budget $500.00 for gas, insurance and maintenance. Your grocery budget seems a little high too. The cable, phone and electric estimates sound about right.

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

A rock god used to own the place. Maybe he had a party and destroyed part of it, which brought down its size relative to the neighbors :P.

What's the half-life of hepatitis C?

[gwix98]

I would have to agree with SouthKing500. While I do not live in Bellevue, I'm quite familiar with the eastside, and I think you will do fine. Just keep the expenses under control. Try shopping at more
inexpensive places, say Fred Meyer versus Whole foods. My daughter has a nice apartment in Bellevue
for under $1000 a month, and near all the desirable conveniences. If you can get by with just one car that would be more ideal. Maybe public transportation is an option?
Don't be discouraged by persons more affluent than yourself who may respond to your posts. While my own family income is somewhat higher than yours will be, we save roughly half, and that would put us very close to where you will be at $60K.
I sense there is a lot of resentment against foreigners coming and competing for employment in the
Seattle area. I work with many from other parts of the world who are willing to work very hard for
salaries perhaps that locals would consider to low. Good luck to you.
By the way, there are lots of areas already mentioned not far from Bellevue where the cost of living
is less. You will be fine.

[barooq]

Thank you all the posters for the help.
I think I am getting a good idea about the general expense. Of course I will decide where to rent once I am there and familiar with the roads, commute patterns and time. My company will rent a one bedroom place for the first month and its during this time that I will find my apartment. I am thinking of moving alone first and then after a month or two, bringing my wife and son because otherwise the move would be hard on the little guy ( he will be around one when we move).
Also,we will have one car in the start not two. We are realistic people and we know we would have to have one tough year at least and we are ok with that. As I mentioned, financially we are in a good place right now but we believe this move will be great in the long run.
I will be posting again in a few days asking about things other than the costs once the contract is signed and then and the process for move starts ...
Once again, thank for your kindness and taking the time out to answer.

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by barooq

Thank you all the posters for the help.
I think I am getting a good idea about the general expense. Of course I will decide where to rent once I am there and familiar with the roads, commute patterns and time. My company will rent a one bedroom place for the first month and its during this time that I will find my apartment. I am thinking of moving alone first and then after a month or two, bringing my wife and son because otherwise the move would be hard on the little guy ( he will be around one when we move).
Also,we will have one car in the start not two. We are realistic people and we know we would have to have one tough year at least and we are ok with that. As I mentioned, financially we are in a good place right now but we believe this move will be great in the long run.
I will be posting again in a few days asking about things other than the costs once the contract is signed and then and the process for move starts ...
Once again, thank for your kindness and taking the time out to answer.

This may not matter to you, but keep in mind the taxes when a company provides you with a place for a month. Some years ago I went to work for Booz Allen Hamilton in Honolulu. They so kindly provided me with a place for a month while I looked for my own apartment. Not being aware of the tax implications, I let them put me in a posh downtown luxury hotel. I also used every day of my 30-day allowance. Well....my paycheck the following month was pretty darn light. The 30-day hotel stay was treated like ordinary income and taxes were taken out accordingly. OUCH! I was on a shoestring budget at the time. I didn't expect it.

[barooq]

Well. I doubt they are going to put in such a posh place
And I will ask the employer about this when I next talk to them. Thanks for the heads up.

[Xanathos]

Yeah, I'd imagine they're going to put you up in a place like Pacific Inn or thereabouts. When I was looking for temp housing upon my relocation to Seattle, they were selling 1 bedrooms for 995 a month. Not nice places by any stretch, but I'm sure it works for some.

[AlohaHuey]

One thing to note: One income and three dependents = more takehome.

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Yeah, I'd imagine they're going to put you up in a place like Pacific Inn or thereabouts. When I was looking for temp housing upon my relocation to Seattle, they were selling 1 bedrooms for 995 a month. Not nice places by any stretch, but I'm sure it works for some.

You seem to have more than enough room. Invite Barooq to stay with you.