Thomas

When it comes to CC, particularly if you rent, the costs are not dramatically different than that of a nicer suburbs IMO. This is true as long as you accept the give and take involved in living in the city. Sometimes I come across people and they have the weird expectation that they should be able to get the same size place and park two cars for the same price in the city as they would in suburbia. The trade off for convenience of walking everywhere and having great transit access results in smaller living spaces and expensive car costs if you have one. So if you cling to suburban standards, yes, it will be very expensive. If not, you’ll do great. The whole city is your front yard!

If you need a car, insurance is very steep compared to most of the country – get a quote. Parking on the street is very doable if you don’t move your car often. If you drive every day, you will probably want a parking space in a lot/garage. That cost is usually between $200-$250 monthly.

Not to mention, PhillyCarShare and ZipCars... If you happen to need a car or truck for a day, these programs are great and save people tons of money. You can pick them up in many convenient locations, the gas is free, and you're doing the environment and city congestion a favor, as well. And I'm pretty sure there is no monthly fee. You just pay for what you use.

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"We’re all so different
Though we seem the same
Through the native eye we look so vain"

As long as you don't spend $1100 a month on Amtrak you should be fine ... don't need a car but PCS is free to join (right) in case you want to haul stuff from IKEA or some such ...

http://www.phillycarshare.org/

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There are more old drunkards than old doctors.

~Benjamin Franklin


http://www.pagrandlodge.org/2be1ask1.html

if you're going to put together a budget-- keep in mind that you will probably be paying more in taxes here on your $70,000 than you might otherwise think. others will correct me if i'm wrong on this, but the city wage tax takes over 4%!

i moved from new york a few years ago and ended up paying a higher overall tax rate here than in NYC, despite the fact that I took a 50% pay cut!

I make, well, a lot less than $70,000 per year (f*ing nonprofit sector...) and live pretty decently in Center City. At your income level, you should be able to find a very nice apartment in just about any neighborhood and still enjoy lots in the way of urban amenities: restaurants, shopping, walkability, etc.

That is, if you're single. As HGurl mentioned, if you're supporting a family where you'd need housing-food-clothing-entertainment for four or five, then $70k is stretching it. But if it's just you then you can totally be a baller.

I'd recommend ditching your car if you won't need it for the commute (subway, bus, trolley, and commuter rail are quite extensive here) and getting a roommate unless you're set on having your own place. Budget well and you're gold.

So for those of you who live in center city and don't drive, does that make dating a little tougher???

For dating you can splurge and take a cab with all your extra $ when you ditch the car.


Good luck on your move.

Note also that PCS has a fee-free membership plan while Zipcar does not.

If you don't anticipate having to use a car all that often for errands in town, PCS is clearly the way to go, and even if you do, their fee-based plans generally offer competitive rates or a wider selection of cars or both.

If you anticipate making frequent leisure trips by car to nearby vacation destinations (e.g., the Poconos, the Jersey Shore, Rehoboth Beach, Long Island), then it might be worth paying the annual fee for a no-other-commitment-required Zipcar membership, for Zipcar shares include 180 miles per day in the hourly or daily rate.

As of July 1, the Philadelphia resident wage tax will dip below 4% -- barely -- for the first time in at least a quarter century. The rate for the coming fiscal year will be 3.98%.

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Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
“Basically I figure guns are like gays: They seem a lot more sinister and threatening until you get to know a few; and once you have one in the house, you can get downright defensive about them.” --Theresa Neilson Hayden

I think the "housing costs should not excedd 1/3 of salary" rule talks about net wages, not gross. (It also includes all housing costs, not just rent/mortgage.)

A person making around $70K a year has take home pay of about $36 - $40K a year. Geez, that's an awful lot of deductions! But anyway, that would leave you with take home pay of about $3,000 - $3,250 per month. 1/3 of that should cover your housing costs, so look for a place around $1,000 a month.

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Call me an urban snob but I'd rather not date people from outside the city (somehow suburban and snob-urban attitudes don't mix). And I do have a car.