Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
hi guys,
how expensive is life in usa during residency for a couple(one earning member) in philadelphia. I'm planning to expend $1550/mo for rent alone(it's a very nice place though)! will I be able to pay all the bills, grocery, food etc after the rent?
any comments will be highly appreciated.
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
Amazing! 37 viewers, no comments? come on friends!
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
I think u will manage well ..
just check median salaries in Phili that will give u a fair idea how u will fare ..
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
Very useful tip. Thanks a ton thinktek!
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
no one knows!!!! each city is different....
call your leasing office to find out how much is average utility costs... then calculate food.... for 2 people you need around 6 or 7 hundred dollars.... depends on where you get your food, and how much you buy and what you buy, and if you will ever eat out...
then car costs.... do you need a car?? if you buy a car, you need to figure out how much you will spend... eg. a car for 16 thousand dollars will be around 350 dollars a month... you can buy an older car for less, or a smaller car.... then calculate car insurance.... no one knows your driving history, so you may pay a little or a lot.... some people pay as little as 600 dollars every 6 months... others need 1500 every 6 months, depending on how much overafge you need and will buy and where you live.
then health care costs.... do you need regularly prescribed medications?? annual doctors visits.... dental costs.... some policies cover 50% of tooth filling, some pay 80% how much does your insurance pay? only you will know! are you planning on having a baby? what is yor copay for each visit?
then you need to pay for tv.... which tv pckae will you get...will you get cable? dish network? direct tv? how many channels wil you subscrbe to? do you need international channels too? ( prices range from 20 dollars to 170 dolrs depending onwhat you choose)
do you have pets? you ned vet visits, pet food...etc.
do you need cell phones? which plan with which companyt?? and make sre u dont go over your minutes or it will cost you a lot! smallest plan ...2 phones one fo you and one for your wife... will cost you about 70 dollars a month( after all the taxes and charges above the advrtised price)
do you need to buy furniture??? then you can pay it in installments if you dont have a few thousand dollars upfront...
put some money aside for entertainment... movie theaters, movie rentals, sight seeing...etc. (150 dollars)
put some money aside for clothes
do you need money for trave?
do you have debts to pay back?
expect to pay about 50 dollars for DSL ( prices vary according to where you live)
do you need a new computer?
so you see, only you can decide how much life will cost... the price ranges vary for everything, so choose within the limit of your salary...hth.
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
and dont forget gas prices.... it costs me about 50 dollars to fill my car 2 times a week, and i dont travel far.... so keep that in mind too.
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
Im a JMR in a Program in Chicago
Dont spend more than 1200 in rent if you are married. That should be your limit. You wont have enought money to go out, or pay a car. Believe me. You can do it, but you will be stress with money the whole year, and the stress of residency is enough!
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
Thanks thedoc for your reply. Can you tell me how much one takes home if the salary is $44,900 per year?
Posts: 3,675,937
Threads: 734,344
Joined: Sep 2021
Reputation:
5
Kumub:
If we're talking about one single salary and a home pay in the vicinity of 3200 per month I feel that rent is a bit on the high side. That means almost half of your salary (or one paycheck) will go to rent. I will tell you when we rented (nice 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in upstate NY) we paid $980 a month. We paid about $200 a month in utilities and $50-80 for water (heat in the winter is expensive, cooling/ac in the summer is also expensive) we almost never went out for dinner (i prefer to cook at home) that was about $300 a month in groceries. Gas was about $150 a month (we only had one car always car pooled and were very conscious about gas). Telephone/TV cable/internet is a good chunk we pay $130 a month. Car was $350 a month So adding things up (and cost of life in PA is similar if not more expensive, than in upstate NY) we paid about $1240 in regular expenses $980 a month in rent.
Therefore if we do the math for you I would say that you'll be left with about $300 a month free of charge but bear in mind that if you have to do laundry, or buy appliances or buy furniture it's very little left and save money for emergency situations.... Unless your spouse can work I think that your budget as it is may be a bit tight....but that's me.
GL
BDJ
|
