Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,020,596 times
Reputation: 794
Advertisements
Quote:
Originally Posted by geoking66
Don't expect much in the way of a COL break. DC is just as, if not at times more, expensive than San Francisco. Rentals are in the same tier, while there's no shortage of million-dollar plus houses. Since the Metro has no unlimited passes, it's more expensive than Muni, although anything is actually better than Muni.
Oh I've been here long enough to figure that out
Rent is on par with San Francisco in some areas, though at least in DC I am able to live in a fantastic place in a "less desirable" neighborhood for a reasonable price - unlike San Francisco, where even the "ghetto" Zip codes are overpriced. I admit this really surprised me when I first started looking at places, I wasn't prepared for that.
Part of the reason I left SF was that I was sick of paying a premium to step over used needles, dead hookers (no joke, once had to call the cops to pick one up off my stoop) and human excrement. At least that is not an issue in DC (as far as I can tell).
Overall COL is still lower. It took me a good 6 months before I got used to grocery store prices (though they've caught up nicely since thanks to the Fed's infinite easy money plan). Except for produce, I'm still pretty happy with my grocery bills. I remember just getting here and seeing $2 box macaroni and cheese and thinking "WOW, is this how the rest of America lives?!" I was thrilled.
When I left, Muni had just changed its pricing structure. Yes you can get a "unlimited" Muni pass but if you plan to take BART (which is like Metro), you're going to pay the same as Metro riders due based on distance of your trip. But if you're riding within the city, you're good.
I think you should go for it. As mentioned, I think you should bring both cars unless it would be too much hassle to transport both. DC isn't like New York where having a car becomes this huge liability but its not LA where you HAVE to own one either.
I personally don't mind driving in the city but I only do so on the weekends and after work. Only rarely do I drive into the city during rush hour.
The area around American University is an okay place to have a car. The nice thing about that section of DC is that if you own a car it isn't a big of a hassle as say Dupont or Columbia Heights but if you get rid of it your world won't end.
Boyfriend absolutely positively needs a car if he's commuting to Baltimore. I wouldn't say you need to soul search though. I say take the opportunity and east young lady. Good luck either way.
I remember just getting here and seeing $2 box macaroni and cheese and thinking "WOW, is this how the rest of America lives?!" I was thrilled.
Just curious, is $2 a box for macaroni supposed to be cheap? Safeway usually has generic for around $1 by me, and often it is on sale for $0.50 - $0.75 per box. I'd actually consider $2 to be kind of expensive for macaroni.
I'd first find a place to live that you like and can afford-- a place that would take dogs, which may affect in ust what part of the DC region in which you'd live-- and then decide whether to keep at least one car. How would you get your dogs to the vet without a car, by the way? I'm sure others do it; maybe they're small enough to be in a carrier yo could take in a taxi. When I lived in the area I know some people who didn't have cars and maybe just rented them on weekends. Others had cars even if they didn't use them for commuting. When we lived in Silver Spring I took public transit (Metro Rail) to work, but we used our car a lot for shopping, trips to friends and entertainment, etc. You may end up living in DC or maybe in suburban Virginia. Even Maryland (doubtful, but possible). Your budget will determine a lot.
Lots of dogs in DC, even good dog parks. I was a volunteer for the Washington Humane Society and walked dogs at one of their shelters. We don't know why you chose American University and what your other options were. There are, of course, several good law schools in DC, MD and VA, but there are also good ones in California. If it's AU for sure, and you want to have housing lined up before you start school (and I could see that, especially with dogs), I assume you would make an exploratory trip and investigate various places.
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,020,596 times
Reputation: 794
Quote:
Originally Posted by movinghere
Just curious, is $2 a box for macaroni supposed to be cheap? Safeway usually has generic for around $1 by me, and often it is on sale for $0.50 - $0.75 per box. I'd actually consider $2 to be kind of expensive for macaroni.
My bad, I meant the GOOD stuff. It was $4 - $5 in California. $2.50 here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
