Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

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Anonymous wrote:N one. Instead, we're all living in condos, smaller houses, budgeting. The amenities are just too good here. Some talk about leaving though, but no one has.

This is overwhelmingly the case for us. There's some moving around within DC and the surrounding area looking for a fix, but only two friends moved away. Both are cautionary tales. Friend #1 moved to a lower cost Midwestern City and found that you have to pay for culture. No free world class museums and zoos. They can't afford the memberships so their kids are bored when it's too cold to be outside. Lots of tv. Friend #2 bought a huge house in the burbs of a mid-size mid-Southern city. There is no diversity. Few folks who aren't white, Protestant, and straight. Even the few Jewish people and POC all have the same bland culture as everyone else. It's very isolating.

This area is rapidly headed that way with all of the CVS, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Panera, & Potbelly within all of the new condos being built.

But there are still Judiaca shops, bodegas, Ethiopian cafes, Italian delis, old men selling paletas from a hand cart, halal grocers, and African braiding salons.

Most of that is now in the suburbs instead of in the city

It depends on where in the city you live.

They will be gone when $15 an hour arrives in 2020

Is that because you assume only poor people drink good coffee and get their hair braided?

Anonymous wrote:A friend of our family just recently left the area after finally receiving an out of state transfer after 4 years of waiting.
She estimates in the 4 years she has been living here she has spent close to 100k just in rent alone.
A few months after relocating here she realized this area was not for her but by then it was already too late.

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Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

1. yes, the lower real estate prices make a huge difference. We have a much nicer house (4k sf, architect designed, land) here and our mortgage is $1,100/month. You can't rent a conveniently located studio for that in DC.

2. Food is cheaper here, generally speaking. Farmer's market prices for terrific locally grown food, instead of rivaling Whole Foods in cost, are more like Aldi (cheaper than grocery stores).

3. plane tickets are more expensive, marginally but only by a bit -- we have a few discount airlines serving local airport

4. cars -- I don't know, I don't have expensive car taste but here, there seem to be more Subarus and fewer BMWs.

5. gas is cheaper -- last time I was in DC, by 60 cents per gallon. That depends on state taxes on fuel though, won't be true everywhere.

6. taxes are much less expensive for more here but that is location-dependent.

7. How often do you buy a refrigerator? but I gather that is comparable. Movies are slightly less expensive (a couple dollars) but I haven't been to a theatre movie in years. Netflix is the same and affordable in either location.

8. things like handymen/small project contracting are much less expensive. I have a guy that can do basically anything for $35 an hour, I supply parts. He's also reliable and will come right away when I have a problem. I am sure these kinds of people are available in DC but I didn't have one there. Also we have fewer rules which means reduced permitting costs. I built a large barn on my property and didn't have to have any kind of permit at all.

9. DAYCARE FEES! we have awesome child care facilities run by Early Ed centers in our university and it is, full-pay, $1200/month. My friends in DC can't find anything halfway professional and reliable for under $2k a month.

Sports/activities/camps are also cheaper here.

The salary is not that much lower for the same job -- 10-15k. We save that much just on the mortgage.

I agree as well. It's definitely not just real estate that is expensive in this area. Even the hair salon prices are double in this area as compared to my hometown down south. Food and home renovation work are also definitely more expensive here. Living here has truly made me more of DIY person also, since my home is older and the cost of handymen here is crazy. The only thing that I haven't noticed a difference in price is on the gas.

When I initially moved here out of college 4 other friends also got jobs in the area. Three of them have left. Only one is still here primarily because her husband is from this area. I have another friend that moved here 6 months ago and is already looking to leave because of the cost of living.

Bc this is a major city/metro area, not a secondary market down south. I don't get why people don't get that and why they complain so much about it. Major metro areas are more expensive than minor metro areas/non metro areas. Is this so utterly shocking?

No. But I think many people arrive in D.C. with the idea that it is temporary, it gets a little depressing after a while; and especially when they realize it is not temporary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

1. yes, the lower real estate prices make a huge difference. We have a much nicer house (4k sf, architect designed, land) here and our mortgage is $1,100/month. You can't rent a conveniently located studio for that in DC.

2. Food is cheaper here, generally speaking. Farmer's market prices for terrific locally grown food, instead of rivaling Whole Foods in cost, are more like Aldi (cheaper than grocery stores).

3. plane tickets are more expensive, marginally but only by a bit -- we have a few discount airlines serving local airport

4. cars -- I don't know, I don't have expensive car taste but here, there seem to be more Subarus and fewer BMWs.

5. gas is cheaper -- last time I was in DC, by 60 cents per gallon. That depends on state taxes on fuel though, won't be true everywhere.

6. taxes are much less expensive for more here but that is location-dependent.

7. How often do you buy a refrigerator? but I gather that is comparable. Movies are slightly less expensive (a couple dollars) but I haven't been to a theatre movie in years. Netflix is the same and affordable in either location.

8. things like handymen/small project contracting are much less expensive. I have a guy that can do basically anything for $35 an hour, I supply parts. He's also reliable and will come right away when I have a problem. I am sure these kinds of people are available in DC but I didn't have one there. Also we have fewer rules which means reduced permitting costs. I built a large barn on my property and didn't have to have any kind of permit at all.

9. DAYCARE FEES! we have awesome child care facilities run by Early Ed centers in our university and it is, full-pay, $1200/month. My friends in DC can't find anything halfway professional and reliable for under $2k a month.

Sports/activities/camps are also cheaper here.

The salary is not that much lower for the same job -- 10-15k. We save that much just on the mortgage.

I agree as well. It's definitely not just real estate that is expensive in this area. Even the hair salon prices are double in this area as compared to my hometown down south. Food and home renovation work are also definitely more expensive here. Living here has truly made me more of DIY person also, since my home is older and the cost of handymen here is crazy. The only thing that I haven't noticed a difference in price is on the gas.

When I initially moved here out of college 4 other friends also got jobs in the area. Three of them have left. Only one is still here primarily because her husband is from this area. I have another friend that moved here 6 months ago and is already looking to leave because of the cost of living.

Bc this is a major city/metro area, not a secondary market down south. I don't get why people don't get that and why they complain so much about it. Major metro areas are more expensive than minor metro areas/non metro areas. Is this so utterly shocking?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

1. yes, the lower real estate prices make a huge difference. We have a much nicer house (4k sf, architect designed, land) here and our mortgage is $1,100/month. You can't rent a conveniently located studio for that in DC.

2. Food is cheaper here, generally speaking. Farmer's market prices for terrific locally grown food, instead of rivaling Whole Foods in cost, are more like Aldi (cheaper than grocery stores).

3. plane tickets are more expensive, marginally but only by a bit -- we have a few discount airlines serving local airport

4. cars -- I don't know, I don't have expensive car taste but here, there seem to be more Subarus and fewer BMWs.

5. gas is cheaper -- last time I was in DC, by 60 cents per gallon. That depends on state taxes on fuel though, won't be true everywhere.

6. taxes are much less expensive for more here but that is location-dependent.

7. How often do you buy a refrigerator? but I gather that is comparable. Movies are slightly less expensive (a couple dollars) but I haven't been to a theatre movie in years. Netflix is the same and affordable in either location.

8. things like handymen/small project contracting are much less expensive. I have a guy that can do basically anything for $35 an hour, I supply parts. He's also reliable and will come right away when I have a problem. I am sure these kinds of people are available in DC but I didn't have one there. Also we have fewer rules which means reduced permitting costs. I built a large barn on my property and didn't have to have any kind of permit at all.

9. DAYCARE FEES! we have awesome child care facilities run by Early Ed centers in our university and it is, full-pay, $1200/month. My friends in DC can't find anything halfway professional and reliable for under $2k a month.

Sports/activities/camps are also cheaper here.

The salary is not that much lower for the same job -- 10-15k. We save that much just on the mortgage.

I agree as well. It's definitely not just real estate that is expensive in this area. Even the hair salon prices are double in this area as compared to my hometown down south. Food and home renovation work are also definitely more expensive here. Living here has truly made me more of DIY person also, since my home is older and the cost of handymen here is crazy. The only thing that I haven't noticed a difference in price is on the gas.

When I initially moved here out of college 4 other friends also got jobs in the area. Three of them have left. Only one is still here primarily because her husband is from this area. I have another friend that moved here 6 months ago and is already looking to leave because of the cost of living.

Bc this is a major city/metro area, not a secondary market down south. I don't get why people don't get that and why they complain so much about it. Major metro areas are more expensive than minor metro areas/non metro areas. Is this so utterly shocking?

Its shocking because the only other place you need to drop 1 million plus on real estate is SF and Downtown NY. There are no other places in the US where real estate is that nuts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

1. yes, the lower real estate prices make a huge difference. We have a much nicer house (4k sf, architect designed, land) here and our mortgage is $1,100/month. You can't rent a conveniently located studio for that in DC.

2. Food is cheaper here, generally speaking. Farmer's market prices for terrific locally grown food, instead of rivaling Whole Foods in cost, are more like Aldi (cheaper than grocery stores).

3. plane tickets are more expensive, marginally but only by a bit -- we have a few discount airlines serving local airport

4. cars -- I don't know, I don't have expensive car taste but here, there seem to be more Subarus and fewer BMWs.

5. gas is cheaper -- last time I was in DC, by 60 cents per gallon. That depends on state taxes on fuel though, won't be true everywhere.

6. taxes are much less expensive for more here but that is location-dependent.

7. How often do you buy a refrigerator? but I gather that is comparable. Movies are slightly less expensive (a couple dollars) but I haven't been to a theatre movie in years. Netflix is the same and affordable in either location.

8. things like handymen/small project contracting are much less expensive. I have a guy that can do basically anything for $35 an hour, I supply parts. He's also reliable and will come right away when I have a problem. I am sure these kinds of people are available in DC but I didn't have one there. Also we have fewer rules which means reduced permitting costs. I built a large barn on my property and didn't have to have any kind of permit at all.

9. DAYCARE FEES! we have awesome child care facilities run by Early Ed centers in our university and it is, full-pay, $1200/month. My friends in DC can't find anything halfway professional and reliable for under $2k a month.

Sports/activities/camps are also cheaper here.

The salary is not that much lower for the same job -- 10-15k. We save that much just on the mortgage.

I agree as well. It's definitely not just real estate that is expensive in this area. Even the hair salon prices are double in this area as compared to my hometown down south. Food and home renovation work are also definitely more expensive here. Living here has truly made me more of DIY person also, since my home is older and the cost of handymen here is crazy. The only thing that I haven't noticed a difference in price is on the gas.

When I initially moved here out of college 4 other friends also got jobs in the area. Three of them have left. Only one is still here primarily because her husband is from this area. I have another friend that moved here 6 months ago and is already looking to leave because of the cost of living.

Bc this is a major city/metro area, not a secondary market down south. I don't get why people don't get that and why they complain so much about it. Major metro areas are more expensive than minor metro areas/non metro areas. Is this so utterly shocking?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

1. yes, the lower real estate prices make a huge difference. We have a much nicer house (4k sf, architect designed, land) here and our mortgage is $1,100/month. You can't rent a conveniently located studio for that in DC.

2. Food is cheaper here, generally speaking. Farmer's market prices for terrific locally grown food, instead of rivaling Whole Foods in cost, are more like Aldi (cheaper than grocery stores).

3. plane tickets are more expensive, marginally but only by a bit -- we have a few discount airlines serving local airport

4. cars -- I don't know, I don't have expensive car taste but here, there seem to be more Subarus and fewer BMWs.

5. gas is cheaper -- last time I was in DC, by 60 cents per gallon. That depends on state taxes on fuel though, won't be true everywhere.

6. taxes are much less expensive for more here but that is location-dependent.

7. How often do you buy a refrigerator? but I gather that is comparable. Movies are slightly less expensive (a couple dollars) but I haven't been to a theatre movie in years. Netflix is the same and affordable in either location.

8. things like handymen/small project contracting are much less expensive. I have a guy that can do basically anything for $35 an hour, I supply parts. He's also reliable and will come right away when I have a problem. I am sure these kinds of people are available in DC but I didn't have one there. Also we have fewer rules which means reduced permitting costs. I built a large barn on my property and didn't have to have any kind of permit at all.

9. DAYCARE FEES! we have awesome child care facilities run by Early Ed centers in our university and it is, full-pay, $1200/month. My friends in DC can't find anything halfway professional and reliable for under $2k a month.

Sports/activities/camps are also cheaper here.

The salary is not that much lower for the same job -- 10-15k. We save that much just on the mortgage.

I agree as well. It's definitely not just real estate that is expensive in this area. Even the hair salon prices are double in this area as compared to my hometown down south. Food and home renovation work are also definitely more expensive here. Living here has truly made me more of DIY person also, since my home is older and the cost of handymen here is crazy. The only thing that I haven't noticed a difference in price is on the gas.

When I initially moved here out of college 4 other friends also got jobs in the area. Three of them have left. Only one is still here primarily because her husband is from this area. I have another friend that moved here 6 months ago and is already looking to leave because of the cost of living.

Bc this is a major city/metro area, not a secondary market down south. I don't get why people don't get that and why they complain so much about it. Major metro areas are more expensive than minor metro areas/non metro areas. Is this so utterly shocking?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is one thing I don't understand about moving to a lower COL city. If you move to a "lower" COL city, aren't you still paying same/more for cars, plane tickets, gas, groceries, taxes, refrigerators, movies, clothes? Does the cheap real estate prices offset all that even with a lower salary?

1. yes, the lower real estate prices make a huge difference. We have a much nicer house (4k sf, architect designed, land) here and our mortgage is $1,100/month. You can't rent a conveniently located studio for that in DC.

2. Food is cheaper here, generally speaking. Farmer's market prices for terrific locally grown food, instead of rivaling Whole Foods in cost, are more like Aldi (cheaper than grocery stores).

3. plane tickets are more expensive, marginally but only by a bit -- we have a few discount airlines serving local airport

4. cars -- I don't know, I don't have expensive car taste but here, there seem to be more Subarus and fewer BMWs.

5. gas is cheaper -- last time I was in DC, by 60 cents per gallon. That depends on state taxes on fuel though, won't be true everywhere.

6. taxes are much less expensive for more here but that is location-dependent.

7. How often do you buy a refrigerator? but I gather that is comparable. Movies are slightly less expensive (a couple dollars) but I haven't been to a theatre movie in years. Netflix is the same and affordable in either location.

8. things like handymen/small project contracting are much less expensive. I have a guy that can do basically anything for $35 an hour, I supply parts. He's also reliable and will come right away when I have a problem. I am sure these kinds of people are available in DC but I didn't have one there. Also we have fewer rules which means reduced permitting costs. I built a large barn on my property and didn't have to have any kind of permit at all.

9. DAYCARE FEES! we have awesome child care facilities run by Early Ed centers in our university and it is, full-pay, $1200/month. My friends in DC can't find anything halfway professional and reliable for under $2k a month.

Sports/activities/camps are also cheaper here.

The salary is not that much lower for the same job -- 10-15k. We save that much just on the mortgage.

I agree as well. It's definitely not just real estate that is expensive in this area. Even the hair salon prices are double in this area as compared to my hometown down south. Food and home renovation work are also definitely more expensive here. Living here has truly made me more of DIY person also, since my home is older and the cost of handymen here is crazy. The only thing that I haven't noticed a difference in price is on the gas.

When I initially moved here out of college 4 other friends also got jobs in the area. Three of them have left. Only one is still here primarily because her husband is from this area. I have another friend that moved here 6 months ago and is already looking to leave because of the cost of living.