What do you pay a month in Rent/Mortgage? - Page 3

CarolinaDG · #31 10-05-2004, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KLPDaisy
Haha I know what you mean. A lot of the rents that people have posted on here wouldn't even get you a cardboard box in a prime location in Central Park.

But, on the other hand, y'all get paid more because of cost of living, and you don't need cars! It's all relative. I have two friends up there, now, one going to Columbia and one going to NYU, and I have NO CLUE how they pay rent off of what they were making in SC. I guess TONS of student loans.

My rent, btw, is $599+$19 water fee. It's a one bedroom with a walk-in closet, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, pantry/laundry room, HUGE patio, and an outdoor storage space. I live in a lake-front apartment complex (though my apartment building doesn't look out onto the water... just onto a pond) with pool, putt-putt, tennis courts, free security system, and it's a gated complex, so you can only get in with an invitation from a resident (although sometimes they randomly leave the gates open). Market rent for my apartment is $750, but since they're trying to fill the complex (it's only a couple of years old) they're offering low rent. The other apartment complex in town is $575 (I don't know what their water fee is) but it's a lot older and not as nice (as well as being occupied by some rather, er, redneck people). The houses in this city (Lake Wylie, SC) range from about $80,000 (for a really small townhouse with no air... I looked into buying it, then wised up) to the millions of dollars. Larry Johnson, ex-Charlotte Hornet, used to live across the lake from where I live now, if that gives you any clue what kind of community I live in. I moved here because the country club that I work at is in this town, but it's really nice and safe and because of the economy here, there are a lot of really classy people who live here. Plus, my parents live in Clover, which is about 20 minutes away (technically Lake Wylie is part of Clover, but that's a whole other story), so they're close enough that I can go visit them for whatever, but far enough away that I can lead my own life.

winneythepooh7 · #32 10-05-2004, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KLPDaisy
Haha I know what you mean. A lot of the rents that people have posted on here wouldn't even get you a cardboard box in a prime location in Central Park.

Definately. My apartment is ghetto looking to me and all my family from upstate where everyone who has a small home looks like a huge sprawling estate by NYC standards. It is disgusting. And then try to find someone on a very limited income a place to live? It is damn near impossible. For clients on SSI that get accepted to Supported Housing Programs for example, they are only supposed to pay 30%of their income towards the rent and the state and the program is supposed to pick up the rest. But the state and the program can't afford to pick up the rest on NYC going-rents and they are not going to pay for "affordable" apartments where "the rest of us" live because they are considered "illegal". (ie. my basement apartment). OK, I'll stop before this turns into yet another NYC rant thread and we get all the other non-NYC GC'ers pissed off!!

tunatartare · #33 10-05-2004, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
But, on the other hand, y'all get paid more because of cost of living, and you don't need cars!

Keep in mind we also pay more taxes than anyone else- federal, state, and city, and things cost a lot more in NYC. For example, a single movie ticket is $10.50. Oh and we have taxes on literally EVERYTHING, even clothing. A pack of cigarettes costs around $7 I think here. Not 100% sure because I don't smoke.

chideltjen · #34 10-05-2004, 03:12 PM

I pay $695 a month for a 1 bedroom one bath. It's pretty nice and a good size. Kitchen is a little small but I don't cook often.

amycat412 · #35 10-05-2004, 03:33 PM

I pay $1240 for a 1100 SF one bedroom rent controlled apartment in L.A. with 7 closets.

jharb · #36 10-05-2004, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by amycat412
I pay $1240 for a 1100 SF one bedroom rent controlled apartment in L.A. with 7 closets.

You're paying for the closets

...although I'd rather have a small apartment with a ton of closet space than a huge apartment with no closets.

valkyrie · #37 10-05-2004, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jharb
You're paying for the closets ...although I'd rather have a small apartment with a ton of closet space than a huge apartment with no closets.

See, I'd rather have an extra bedroom to use as a closet.

XOMichelle · #38 10-05-2004, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ZTAngel
I pay $550 for 1.5 bedrooms and my own bathroom. (my roomie and I share one of the bedrooms as an office) It's in a house rather than an apartment so it's a little more expensive.
It's not cheap to live in Orlando. A one bedroom apartment in the good part of town runs about $700-800 per month.

One bedroom for $700? No mistake: that's cheap! I pay $712.50 to share a 2 bed 2 bath apartment with old kitchens and bathrooms. I think I'm getting a pretty good deal for the location. It's a safe town, although I am a hop skip and a jump away from EPA, and it is very close to where I work.

XOMichelle · #39 10-05-2004, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KLPDaisy
Keep in mind we also pay more taxes than anyone else- federal, state, and city, and things cost a lot more in NYC. For example, a single movie ticket is $10.50. Oh and we have taxes on literally EVERYTHING, even clothing. A pack of cigarettes costs around $7 I think here. Not 100% sure because I don't smoke.

My neighbor and her friend from college did a NYC- California comparison a few years back and figured out that SF/LA was more expensive becuase you can't NOT have a car. Now, that was in the Sillicon Valley hayday, and rent has gone down quite a bit (I think my place used to go for 2300-2400, and we pay 1425). I'm glad it's not that expensive anymore! I have two friends who are living in NYC who pay 1400 each for a 800sf 2 bedroom place (although I think it is in a very nice area and has a doorman). It's NUTS!

PhiPsiRuss · #40 10-05-2004, 04:47 PM

I pay $499.09/month (including utilities) for a large studio, with lots of closet space, in TriBeCa.

WCUgirl · #41 10-05-2004, 05:01 PM

Mr. AXiD670 and I pay $660/month for an 1100-foot 2br, 2bath apt. here in Charlotte. Water is very inexpensive, like $17/month. Our big expenses are our digital cable/dvr and our electric, b/c we have both of our computers on all the time. And Mr. AXiD670 likes to keep it cold in there and freezes me out!

CarolinaDG · #42 10-05-2004, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AXiD670
Mr. AXiD670 and I pay $660/month for an 1100-foot 2br, 2bath apt. here in Charlotte. Water is very inexpensive, like $17/month. Our big expenses are our digital cable/dvr and our electric, b/c we have both of our computers on all the time. And Mr. AXiD670 likes to keep it cold in there and freezes me out!

I wouldn't think your computers being on would make that big of a difference. Mine's only a laptop, though, so maybe I'm not the best example, but my monthly electric is $25/month. Granted, I think Charlotte may be slightly higher, because one of the girls at work pays $50/month and she probably uses her electric about the same amount as me. Point being, I always turn off ALL my lights when I don't need them (open windows whenever I can, etc...) and keep my air off until I get uncomfortable. But I do keep my computer on all the time, and it is charging unless I'm watching a DVD, when I move it to the coffee table. Obviously your utilities will be higher b/c you don't live in a small one bedroom apartment, though.

All right... WAY too much information.

AchtungBaby80 · #43 10-05-2004, 09:36 PM

I just got a new apartment, and I was feeling really bad and poor until I read what some of you all have to pay! Lordy! That's high! I pay $395 a month (all utilities paid) for a 1 bedroom apartment in an older house in a sort of chi-chi part of town. The other places I looked at cost about that much, but they were in these really cheap new apartment complexes and I just didn't like the look of them. I wanted a good location, too, and nice neighborhood where I wouldn't be afraid to park my car. I mean, I'm still really poor now, but at least I'm not paying $500 a month, which is the going rate on a lot of places around here.

_Lisa_ · #44 10-05-2004, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
I wanted a good location, too, and nice neighborhood where I wouldn't be afraid to park my car.

I live out @ the Resort & I pay a whole lot more than a lot of people my age living on their own but having a safe place to park my car was key.

You really should PM me & we should get together after I get back to the US!

AchtungBaby80 · #45 10-05-2004, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by crzychx
I live out @ the Resort & I pay a whole lot more than a lot of people my age living on their own but having a safe place to park my car was key.

You really should PM me & we should get together after I get back to the US!

The Resort is great...I would've looked into it if it were in my budget. But my apartment is in Chevy Chase, so I feel pretty good about it (the landlord promised that they'd never had any problems with vandals, too).

When do you get back?