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People who are making six figures and complaining about living below the poverty line in DC are just not smart, hands down. They are among the masses of people who have no control over their money and probably drive luxury cars and live in posh apartments furnished by high-end vendors. Makes sense, right?
You seem to have a grasp on how to live a good life. Not being wrapped up in status and material possessions. You will be just fine in DC. My girlfriend makes slightly less than you and lives in a studio apartment in a great neighborhood, she gets by fine.
Don't get me started on the flocks of people who have their priorities all wrong in life. They are the ones honking at me on my bike from inside their BMW, knowing that I'll get home before them and they are trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic and getting angrier by the second. I can't figure out why people invest so much money in nice cars, isn't it ironic that they are miserable while they are inside these "luxuries"?
OP, if you are interested in Clarendon, maybe you will get better insight on the NoVa forum. If you are working in VA, it makes sense. But if not, I would take a look at tax rates too. They vary a bit from DC to VA. I think Virginia is a little cheaper in general but there may be additional city or county tax on top of what you pay to the state. Also, there is a car tax in VA. But again, something to discuss on the VA forum.
I just got a new job and will most likely be moving to the DC area next year. I'm really excited about moving to a major metro area (especially DC since it seems like a great fit for me) and am thankful to have a job, but I'm also getting a bit nervous about living here after looking at rent prices. I feel as though 55k is solid for someone my age, but DC is certainly not a cheap place to live and I know that I'm not going to be making a lavish salary by any standard out there. To compound the issue, I will almost certainly need a car because my line of work requires me to travel to client sites frequently, so that's another expense to add on. I don't have any debt, which should make things easier, but I was wondering what my maximum budget could be for rent with my salary and the added expense of a car, and whether it's reasonably possible to find such a place in either DC Proper or Arlington.
Aside from that, I'm just wondering if I can also have a good time in DC with only that much. I have a fairly minimalist lifestyle (don't buy a ton of clothes, don't need lots of space, will most likely cook from home most of the time instead of eating out, etc.), so I think it's doable, but I've heard so much complaining from people who earn 6 figures my age (yes you read that correctly) that say they are "living below the poverty line" in that city, so I'm a little bit perturbed as I'll be making half of what they are.
If anyone has any insight with regards to this, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
I make it on a situation similar to yours. I get to go out too. I am not saving a ton, but that is being young in the city. If someone is making six figures they be default arent living below the poverty line. For a single person you have to make less than $12,000, or some low number, and they are making $100,000+ so if they are complaining they are living beyond their means.
DC>>>>>>>>> VA especially Arlington. Arlington is not even that much cheaper than DC.
OP, if you are interested in Clarendon, maybe you will get better insight on the NoVa forum. If you are working in VA, it makes sense. But if not, I would take a look at tax rates too. They vary a bit from DC to VA. I think Virginia is a little cheaper in general but there may be additional city or county tax on top of what you pay to the state. Also, there is a car tax in VA. But again, something to discuss on the VA forum.
False! Virginia has the cheapest payroll taxes in the DMV by a significant amount. There are no local taxes on your pay. The car tax does suck though.
Why does every transplant insist on bringing a car?
Here is my advice-- look in Columbia Heights, Petworth, etc. Leave the car at home. You can get most anywhere in the area on public transit, or your employer may provide a car. Ask if your employer offers a subsidy for public transit (many do). That will leave you a few hundred extra in your pocket each month that you can use on the occasional cab when you are out too late for the train or are too tipsy to wander home safely.
I, too, have to visit clients. I have no car and live in the city. We have shuttles and government vehicles we can use, as well as subsidies for transit. I can train/cab/bus or walk anywhere I need to go. Food for thought.
I don't think you understand man. I don't want to have a car in this dense of a city. I don't like dealing with traffic or paying exorbitant amounts for gas/insurance and being the one who has to drive everyone home/pay for parking. However, my job REQUIRES the use of a car. I will be traveling to clients' sites frequently as part of my work, and they could be HQed anywhere in the DMV area or even a bit further out (hell I could even get staffed on something in Baltimore if the client/firm requires it). The metro in DC is already inconvenient unless you live close to it and there's no way in hell I could rely on it to get to wherever my clients may need me to be.
So it sounds like Arlington is out (may as well live in DC proper since it's not much cheaper). I definitely want to stay in the Virginia area if possible (or DC proper, but it sounds as if my car bill will be huge if I move there), so are there areas further out that still provide relatively easy access to DC on the weekends? I'd be open to Alexandria or some other areas as long as there is a way for me to get to the city without driving necessarily, although I'd also be open to park and ride options as I mentioned before.
I don't think you understand man. I don't want to have a car in this dense of a city. I don't like dealing with traffic or paying exorbitant amounts for gas/insurance and being the one who has to drive everyone home/pay for parking. However, my job REQUIRES the use of a car. I will be traveling to clients' sites frequently as part of my work, and they could be HQed anywhere in the DMV area or even a bit further out (hell I could even get staffed on something in Baltimore if the client/firm requires it). The metro in DC is already inconvenient unless you live close to it and there's no way in hell I could rely on it to get to wherever my clients may need me to be.
So it sounds like Arlington is out (may as well live in DC proper since it's not much cheaper). I definitely want to stay in the Virginia area if possible (or DC proper, but it sounds as if my car bill will be huge if I move there), so are there areas further out that still provide relatively easy access to DC on the weekends? I'd be open to Alexandria or some other areas as long as there is a way for me to get to the city without driving necessarily, although I'd also be open to park and ride options as I mentioned before.
Nope, you've got it backwards. It's Virginia that has the car tax, not DC.
There are many good neighborhoods in DC proper where it is quite easy to keep a car and park it on the street for free. For example, check out the Glover Park neighborhood, which is just north of Georgetown. It's less dense than neighborhoods like Dupont or Georgetown so it is easy to find street parking on the residential streets. There is no metro stop there, so it tends to be a little cheaper than comparable neighborhoods. You can find a studio apartment for like $1000 to $1200. It has lots of young people and a bunch of bars and restaurants. It's also a short cab or bus ride to many of the happening parts of DC.
I'd recommend you do DC proper. If you want to be around lots of people in their 20s with a good social scene, there really is no nowhere in Virginia that has this in spades outside of Clarendon.
I would also recommend DC proper or Alexandria. Try it for a year, and see if the commuting aspect of it works out for you. I started feeling comfortable living in DC at $45k. I more or less did what I wanted and didn't have to worry about bouncing a check, and put a few hundred in the bank every month. $55k was just that much better.
On the tax issue being debated: as an individual car owner (using 10k appraisal) making 55k in taxable income, your tax burden/marginal rate would be.
Virginia: $3405/6.19% (slightly less in Alexandria)
DC: $3475/6.31%
Maryland: $4320/7.85%
It's really a toss-up between DC and VA on that front in my opinion.
False! Virginia has the cheapest payroll taxes in the DMV by a significant amount. There are no local taxes on your pay. The car tax does suck though.
x2
VA has cheaper gas, smokes, liquor, food tax, clothes tax, car insurance (big thing - VA state law states that your deductible has to be $200 or $250, but the cost of insurance is lower than MD $200 deductible), and people are more diverse here, family oriented, and not as snobby (in my opinion).
So, with everything, you save a lot of money. Plus, the places you can live for relatively "normal" rent, that's nice, are within 10 miles from DC, instead of 20+.
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