Where in the country can a family live comfortably on $70k?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| Family is one adult and one child. Total income $70k. If there’s a place in Virginia we can live, that would be first choice to stay near family, but we can move anywhere if we need to. School quality matters. |
Anonymous
| Is the child the same sex as the parent? Or will you need two bedrooms? |
Anonymous
|
The tough part is going to be getting good school quality along with good quality of life for 70K.
If it were me I would look for a low / moderate income restricted apartment in our region and stay local. Having family nearby is very helpful. |
Anonymous
|
It depends on your spending habits.
$70 k is more than enough, or nowhere near enough. If you own a home and paid a lot upfront and low interest rate, your mortgage is likely to be 1/3 of what people pay for rent. Buy a used car with cash. Reduce spending….its what you don’t spend that counts. If you live in PA you can go to a public charter school for free that rivals a $$$ private. |
Anonymous
|
So many places in the Midwest
Also some towns in central or western Connecticut and western MA Parts of PA Maybe Gainesville area |
Anonymous
| Look at some suburbs of Pittsburgh - Bethel Park or Dormont in Allegheny County. Canonsburg or further south in Washington County (Washington County property taxes are lower). These areas are south of the city. I am not as familiar with areas north of the city but I’m sure there are places. I am not mentioning any city neighborhoods bc of Pittsburgh Public Schools. There are some good schools but they tend to be in pricey neighborhoods. There are also some very good charters but I do not know the logistics of how to enroll - could be worth looking into if the actual city interests you. |
Anonymous
|
Max rent = $1750, which should get you a decent 2BR in many places.
Do you have a car, or will you use public transit? |
Anonymous
|
Honestly I'm trying to work this out as a fed wondering if we can live on my spouse's similar teacher income, and it mainly depends on the cost of health insurance and housing. I am good at living cheaply and could potentially make this work in many locations, definitely cheaper parts of Virginia, but cost of health insurance is job and location specific, and housing also depends on if you have equity or a down payment, or will be starting from scratch to rent or buy. So more info might help.
Also what does "school quality" mean to you? Highest ratings? Strong advanced or special education programs? A particular demographic profile? |
Anonymous
| Not western ct. my parents live near Danbury and there’s no way you can buy a house for under 500,000 in their town anymore. Rent is terrible and there’s hardly any rentals. |
Anonymous
|
what's your housing budget? For Virginia, I would suggest far west end of Richmond (glen allen, short pump, etc), renting or buying a 2 bedroom condo. Look into wyndham, wellesley, short pump, west tuckahoe/gayton road areas. Very good elementary, middle and high schools (deep run, godwin, glen allen high). There are other areas in greater Richmond with good schools as well: Hanover county also good as well but a different vibe (bit more rural/conservative).
2 bd rental will run 1800-2300 depending on amenities. tons of new construction means older condos can be a decent find. growth in richmond means your value will likely hold/increase. |
Anonymous
|
immediate PP here, maybe rents are a little less. Here's one example.
https://www.apartments.com/wellesley-terrace-at-short-pump-richmond-va/rlb6bf2/? msockid=2c03e182a1226376218cf299a0df6281 |
Anonymous
Seriously? You don't need to be the same sex to use the same bathroom in a family, SMH. |
Anonymous
| I spent $72k cash this year in DC for two people. I'd say almost anywhere as DC is fairly expensive. |
Anonymous
Bedroom. |
Anonymous
I did not mention bathrooms- I was assuming one. Some places won’t rent a one bedroom if the child is opposite sex. |