Anonymous wrote:I don't mean live lavishly, just be able for afford expenses, pay mortgage, etc.
It depends. Do you already own a house? We bought in 1997, so our costs are much less than others.
Are you foodies?
DC can be very cheap to live in the first few years. There are tons of free things to do, but they fade as the years go by. I mean how many times can you look at the same dinosaur bones or Apollo space craft?
How long will you be staying? Do schools matter? Generally the better schools are in the more expensive neighborhoods.
Are you willing to wash your clothes and iron and not use dry cleaners?
Are you generally frugal people or do you tend to spend more?