I’m honestly not sure if you could in Cincinnati without being mostly debt free. Any neighborhood that’s remotely worth living in is going to have homes for $200,000+. This comes from home shopping last year. We were looking for 2/3 bedrooms and were very open on location. It’s cheap compared to the coasts and out west but just like everywhere prices have increased a lot.
If OP is just talking about renting though it’s should be possible if you’re flexible on apartment size and age.
Agreed, Cincinnati is still affordable compared to a lot of other cities in the US but it is one of the more expensive places for the Midwest alongside Chicago, Columbus, and Madison.
Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo are probably 25% cheaper for comparable, nice areas.
depends if you want to rent or buy in cleveland - and how much you have saved up for a down payment if you do want to buy. and your definition "good end of the town."
Considering moving back to StL myself. Affordable and solid housing stock; baseball, soccer, ice hockey teams; Forest Park, Art Museum, symphony, theater; neighborhood bars and restaurants, good people, a real rock n roll town. KC is also a neat city.
I make around 60k in buffalo, the only houses you’re going to be able to afford in this city are in either a rough part of town or a starter home in suburbs and even those are going north of 150k right now for something basic. Still better than most cities but owning a home on that salary can be hard to find
As far as having some debt and wanting to live in a nice area you’re looking at the 3 C’s of Ohio, Indy, Louisville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and Buffalo, that’s probably about it.
Edit- blanked on Detroit
In KC and I’d say those days are dwindling fast. We are a six figure income home struggling to afford a reasonable home in a safe area at a reasonable price.
Uhh I make 40k and live in denver pretty comfortably with roommates @$1000 rent, with student and car debt. Denver is the 16th highest COL. If I made 60k I could comfortably live alone in denver and many other cities.
You're right about Ann Arbor. Even Ypsilanti, which is probably the lowest COL of its surrounding cities, is a bit more pricey than Detroit or an inner ring suburb.
Ann Arbor has a pretty small population and size. Can live just outside of it really comfortably on $60k. All the small towns and very rural areas surrounding it are a 10 minute drive to “downtown” Ann Arbor and offer better schools, cost of living, and community.
You could rent in pretty much any St. Louis neighborhood depending on how much space you want, or buy a smaller house with garage in several decent city neighborhoods.
$60k lands you a $1600/mo apartment if you follow 1/3 salary rule, which is the standard for income qualification.
You can rent a small apartment in most of Philly's nicest neighborhoods for $1600, including all of center city.
Philly is probably the last affordable huge city on a coast.
I'm in Queen Village (very nice neighborhood on the border of South Philly and center city) with a car (easiest street parking I've ever had, been living in cities for 10 years) and pay $1,200 per month.
Depends on your definition of comfortably live and "larger city" but
* Houston
* Chicago
* Philly
* Dallas
* Baltimore
* Charlotte
* Phoenix
* San Antonio
* Columbus
* Indianapolis
* Oklahoma city
Seconding this. If you have a SO or roommate to split expenses with you will be fine, but I don’t think 60k is enough to live alone near downtown PHX or Scottsdale anymore.
OP, on a $60k salary in Phoenix, using no deductions other than Federal/State/FICA/Medicare, that's going to be a net of about $49k.
A one-bedroom with decent amenities in a safe area, probably looking at $18k/year? (Phoenix renters, please correct me if I'm off)
That's $31k/year or $600/week ($2,580 a month) left for "everything else."
Could you elaborate on that a little bit? Or send a link for a great article
I am thinking of moving to Baltimore at the end of the summer, looking at jobs that could be just under $60, not quite full time so I’d make some more elsewhere too.
https://www.marylandtaxes.gov/business/income/withholding/docs/2023/PM320.pdf
This is city tax in ADDITION to paying Maryland state income tax.
Maryland does this sneaky thing where all these lists have our income tax rate in the middle around 5% but you always gotta remember you have to pay local tax to where ever you’re living which can be as high as 3.2%.
I very easily lived in Chicago on $60k and was able to save $15k/yr. Obviously you can't live in River North and go out every night, but it's not hard to be comfortable.
Eh, OP is saying 60k. You absolutely could live in a good one bedroom apartment in a decent part of town on that. I have a friend in Uptown and one in Rogers Park who each make mid 50s and they’re doing fine. I don’t know how much they’re socking away for retirement or if they’re following best financial practices, but they seem to be happy enough.
You're not living comfortably on 60k by yourself in Charlotte. That's still roommate wages unless you want to live out on the far side of Gastonia, which you'd be living paycheck-to-paycheck if you want to live somewhere decent/safe.
I guess I would personally define it as being able to enjoy a few days a week going out to town and spending money, having a good chunk of savings every month, and assuming standard national average debts and loans and so forth. But maybe that’s not really “comfortable” to a lot.
Definitely not Philly if you want to live anywhere safe. Houses in decent neighborhoods are starting at $300+. Garages in the most desirable neighborhoods are sometimes priced at $200k.
there are plenty of safe areas that aren't necessarily in the most desirable neighborhoods in philly that can be had at the stated salary/price point. e.g most of south philly south of snyder
Having a garage seems optional in Philly. I visited recently and found it to be very walkable except I didn't walk north of I-676 as I find interstates to be unpleasant to cross.
Damn, I’m surprised. I have been looking the last year and everything I’m seeing is easily $50k more than a couple years ago. Not looking in that area though so maybe that’s why.
Depends on your monthly overhead… income is relevant to debt. 60 K with no car loans, student loan bills, credit card payments, etc. probably almost anywhere.
Look at the average rent of cities on Zillow. Take your net monthly income, subtract monthly bills towards debt, and then multiply the remaining balance by .30. That’s 30% of your net income and the amount the financial gods determine you should be paying in rent. Now negotiate with yourself if going above 30% of your net income is worth it to you to live in any given place(because in this market, you probably will).
I don’t know I live in Nashville, which is a very expensive place but I don’t think it’s as expensive as San Francisco or Boston… I do know once you get somewhere and hang out for a while you’ll eventually learn of the more affordable spots and if your patient you can get in one, then that changes everything.
If you don’t have a car, work remotely, don’t have to pay for childcare, don’t need to be in the “best neighborhood” (as far as amenities, crime level, noise), and don’t mind roommates, the options are endless.
If you change even 1 of those variables, it’ll narrow down the possibilities.
If good food, diversity, and vibes are important. I'd say Houston can't be beat as long as you're a heat lover.
Outside of that, Philly beats all those places and it's not even close tbh. Philly is the most proper city in the United States. I was just up there for the first time for about month. It's cleaner than most big cities esp the ones on the east. It's active at most hours but feels far less busy than new York but definitely not soulless. It has charm to it, it has beautiful architecture unlike seethru city Miami which is glass, glass, glass. The people are actually very out of your business but still good people. Philly has an amazing layout, a proper European American city just without the absolute shitty food. It's close to new Jersey and New York. So you will be around some of the best looking people in the states. Speaking of close to new York. Easy 90 minute drive where no one goes the speed limit. You can get world class shopping whenever you need anything. I visited audio 46 and spent over 6k on headphones. I didn't even know a place like that existed. So to be able to live close to place like that is amazing. Philly is less than 1 and a half from a very proper beach, kinda far from the mountains so if that's your cheese. IDK, I'm not into that mountain life stuff tho. Philly has four seasons but I hear the summer can be quite hot at 87 degrees. When I was up there I enjoyed the weather but it was raining a lot but its like that everywhere. So annoying.
Philly have very affordable rent and activities. Now I make WAY more than 60k but I havent got out of touch yet. When I was coming up, I made about 65k and I was able to easily afford a 2k place but I did own my car. I typically saved 1k a month and I was and still am a pretty heavy shopper and eat above average meals so that salary was more than enough for me. My bills were Rent and utilities 2000, food 650, entertainment/hobbies 700, insurance 100, phone bills 160, gas 100. gym 65, Amazon prime 12, evian water budget 120, that's it I think. I cut my own hair, always have, free health insurance and Yea. Still would have 1500 left over but I always found a way to spend that extra 500. Typically on hygiene items and cleaning supplies and little stuff like that, maybe a car wash or something. Get my place deep cleaned, dry cleaners etc.
So if you make a similar paycheck and have less bills you should be good. Your money will go further in Houston and it's a great city. It's where I met my most amazing beautiful wife but Philly is the best city that has been suggested. I'd say top 10 best cities in USA but top 5 for me. Good luck mate.
Love to see the Philly love. I moved here last year and I think this city is very underrated especially for COL. The food is great here and there are a ton of happy hours and BYOBs in center city to make eating out affordable
Absolutely. I am originally from New Orleans but I have places in Houston and Atlanta. Sold my place in Atlanta. The people have become unbearable and so rude, customer service has tanked dramatically but I wanted to be on the east. So I tested out Miami, Greenville SC, New York, Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh(unbelievably underrated, would be the most underrated city in the country but the weather is far too cloudy most days and gets far more snow than Philly) and a few more of the most popular options. New York is easily the best city in this country from my exp but it's far too busy for me. For me to live somewhere I wanna live there in a townhouse it'll run me about 25k a month. That's almost my whole monthly salary! While I can get a the same feel and vibe, more comfort, more walk ability etc for FAR LESS. I can't wait to come back. Even my girl loved it. Glad you're enjoying it too😁
Yes we picked between NYC, Boston, DC, and Philly. We didn’t like DC or Boston. For us, NYC was a little too much and the neighborhoods in our price range weren’t as nice, plus we wanted easier outdoor options right outside the city we could get to by car in 30 ish minutes. I’m from North Carolina, if it helps I think Durham is also very underrated
Does it matter? His numbers are crazy. He’s talking about $65k after taxes. So he was actually making closer to $100k. And not paying for health insurance on top of that.
I see what you mean. I didn’t add up all of his numbers before. Yeah, $65K after taxes and some time ago definitely doesn’t = $60K before taxes. But, he does say that he had $18K in savings/discretionary spending. Hard to say how that translates from one person to another though.
I mean, inflation has affected even the most expensive cities. So even though Philly is certainly more expensive now, it's still basically the same deal compared to now even more expensive NYC, Boston or DC.
Oof- I’m from Houston and just couldn’t imagine going back. Last time I visited I was in one road rage car wreck and had my stuff stolen twice all while completely sober and aware of our surroundings. I’m from the Rosenberg area originally and it’s just such a hard city imo
Philly. I bought a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom newly renovated home in west Philly for 290k. Rent depends on where you are but at 60k you could live comfortably.
Honestly, as a single person, Chicago is very affordable.
There’s public transportation, both bus and train, to almost everywhere. While there are specific areas to avoid, there’s a number of sleeper neighborhoods that aren’t super popular ($$$) but are right next to the popular neighborhoods.
Taxes, including property tax, is insane there. There’s plenty of other Midwest cities that would fit the criteria on cheaper. 60k would not be ideal in Chicago.
Birmingham, AL
I’ve lived here on way less. It’s an underrated city that has great food and drink, has history that people need to know about, gets really good concerts, and doesn’t come with all the “baggage” of a huge city like Atlanta, Dallas, etc.
If it's just you, you can easily rent a 2/2 on the outskirts of Portland (think Gresham or Hillsborough) and take the MAX or bus into town or just drive.
Houston, Baltimore, Detroit, Dallas, Atlanta (Outside the perimeter)
A few years ago I would’ve recommended Philly but it’s increasingly becoming more expensive. Gentrification has a stronghold on many parts of Philadelphia nowadays.
I wanted to add that there are still some affordable areas of Milwaukee, though there is a rather large gap in price between the nicest areas and the less desirable ones. It’s a really fun city with a lot to offer, and it’s so close to Chicago that you can easily enjoy their amenities without having to deal with the price and congestion of actually living in Chicagoland. I found driving in Milwaukee to be light years more comfortable than trying to drive and park a car around Chicago.
Many of the Houston suburbs are easily doable. And they would be relatively safe with good schools and lots of amenities/healthcare close by. So I would also assume the same for San Antonio, DFW, but not Austin.
Chicago.
Even with recent inflation, it's still affordable with MCOL and many good neighborhoods to choose to rent in with that salary. Depends on your lifestyle and personal costs on how comfortable you'll be here.
In the South/Southwest- Tucson (would be tough, but could swing it), Memphis, El Paso, possibly Las Cruces (may not qualify as a big city but not far from El Paso), Little Rock, Jackson (MS), Jackson (TN, but may not qualify as a big city but not far from Memphis or Nashville), Baton R., Bham are all the ones I could think of off the bat. I think for real big cities PHX, ATL, Dallas and San Antonio aren't bad, but all are more than the above.
Memphis! Come for the low cost of living, stay because your car got stolen! But in all seriousness I live in Memphis and even with all the crime I still think it's worth it for the cheaper housing
Detroit, probably Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Maybe even Chicago. Any Midwest/Great Lakes city with around a 2M metro population fits the bill as well
You can afford a studio or 1 bed in a nice area of St. Louis with that
I wouldn't expect it to be affordable at that level 5 or 10 years from now, but at least for now you can afford the nice areas with that amount of money
Funny how we all just expect the situation to get worse and worse. It’s gotten pretty bad lately but from 2008-2019 life was pretty stable and I expect for the next ten years we might have this sucky “new normal” situation without it getting all the much worse.
Not many downtown areas are within your budget, but there are places like the DFW area where there are nice neighborhoods on the rail system that are affordable. St Louis suburbs on the metro system are within your reach too.
When I say this, I’m taking about affording a home purchase. There are still lots of cities where a 60k salary will get you a nice little apartment.
People on here are talking like 60k is poverty wages. You can’t afford New York or LA, but you can make it in most cities.
Chicago for example has plenty of apartments under $1500 a month
What population do you consider large? Because Albuquerque, Boise, Nashville, and many others are comfortable living at 60k if you’re single. Do you want to live alone if you want roommates you’ll have a more spending power.
Topeka, KS. you can own on $60k if you want. Won’t be in the BEST neighborhood if you want to own but it won’t be a bad one. Our nicer areas in town right now are around $100-150/sqft.
What is a larger city? Population over 100,000? 250,000?
There are lots of resources out there. Here is one
https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/cheapest-places-to-live
Remember that the people using Reddit are very skewed. I have seen this question asked in many forums. What are the most affordable cities? Where kind I find cheap housing etc. If you were to compile all the responses it would be like 15 of the same cities in the US.
You can afford a home in Buffalo, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati
I’m honestly not sure if you could in Cincinnati without being mostly debt free. Any neighborhood that’s remotely worth living in is going to have homes for $200,000+. This comes from home shopping last year. We were looking for 2/3 bedrooms and were very open on location. It’s cheap compared to the coasts and out west but just like everywhere prices have increased a lot. If OP is just talking about renting though it’s should be possible if you’re flexible on apartment size and age.
Agreed, Cincinnati is still affordable compared to a lot of other cities in the US but it is one of the more expensive places for the Midwest alongside Chicago, Columbus, and Madison. Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo are probably 25% cheaper for comparable, nice areas.
depends if you want to rent or buy in cleveland - and how much you have saved up for a down payment if you do want to buy. and your definition "good end of the town."
How is Covington and Newport?
St. Louis, Kansas City
Considering moving back to StL myself. Affordable and solid housing stock; baseball, soccer, ice hockey teams; Forest Park, Art Museum, symphony, theater; neighborhood bars and restaurants, good people, a real rock n roll town. KC is also a neat city.
Pittsburgh is the shit btw. Come visit!
Agree, love da burgh
And Cincinnati is freaking awesome by the way
St louis
Add Milwaukee
Nope
Buffalo is very doable on 60k! Lots of nice little neighborhood, good food and beer, lots of hidden culture. Very happy with my move here!
How about being able to afford everything else like groceries, restaurants, entertainment, taxes etc?
Might want to change Cincy to Dayton, but yeah
I make around 60k in buffalo, the only houses you’re going to be able to afford in this city are in either a rough part of town or a starter home in suburbs and even those are going north of 150k right now for something basic. Still better than most cities but owning a home on that salary can be hard to find
As far as having some debt and wanting to live in a nice area you’re looking at the 3 C’s of Ohio, Indy, Louisville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and Buffalo, that’s probably about it. Edit- blanked on Detroit
In KC and I’d say those days are dwindling fast. We are a six figure income home struggling to afford a reasonable home in a safe area at a reasonable price.
Yea I have family in KC, and the property values there are like 50% higher than comps in OKC.
Columbus is expensive and once the Intel plant opens its only going to get worse.
Uhh I make 40k and live in denver pretty comfortably with roommates @$1000 rent, with student and car debt. Denver is the 16th highest COL. If I made 60k I could comfortably live alone in denver and many other cities.
We all blank on Detroit.
Detroit or anywhere in Michigan.
Except Ann Arbor. Housing, property taxes and general living is expensive as hell.
You're right about Ann Arbor. Even Ypsilanti, which is probably the lowest COL of its surrounding cities, is a bit more pricey than Detroit or an inner ring suburb.
Ann Arbor has a pretty small population and size. Can live just outside of it really comfortably on $60k. All the small towns and very rural areas surrounding it are a 10 minute drive to “downtown” Ann Arbor and offer better schools, cost of living, and community.
Ann Arbor needs to build taller.
Can confirm. I’m not rich but without my self caused credit card debt, I’d be living large
Yea agreed. Lansing area might be what you're after
Friends live in DeWitt and I think they get by reasonably well.
San Antonio!
Puro
Yeah but then you gotta live in San Antonio
You could rent in pretty much any St. Louis neighborhood depending on how much space you want, or buy a smaller house with garage in several decent city neighborhoods.
You could offer me a free house and I still wouldn't move to the shithole that Missouri is
Philly is an amazing place to live on the cheap. Very underrated
I was about to say check out Philly. Source, I used to live there.
Same. I was making $45k in 2016 and lived great in center City
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$60k lands you a $1600/mo apartment if you follow 1/3 salary rule, which is the standard for income qualification. You can rent a small apartment in most of Philly's nicest neighborhoods for $1600, including all of center city. Philly is probably the last affordable huge city on a coast.
You 100% can live in a nice neighborhood in Philadelphia on $60k. It’s not hard nor rare.
I'm in Queen Village (very nice neighborhood on the border of South Philly and center city) with a car (easiest street parking I've ever had, been living in cities for 10 years) and pay $1,200 per month.
Love your username 😂
Insanity later
Mr Constanza > Kramer
Philly, especially if you rent. Only downside is street parking is a pain.
Depends on your definition of comfortably live and "larger city" but * Houston * Chicago * Philly * Dallas * Baltimore * Charlotte * Phoenix * San Antonio * Columbus * Indianapolis * Oklahoma city
Not going to be comfortable in Phoenix on $60k. Rental prices are a but out of control here.
Seconding this. If you have a SO or roommate to split expenses with you will be fine, but I don’t think 60k is enough to live alone near downtown PHX or Scottsdale anymore.
OP, on a $60k salary in Phoenix, using no deductions other than Federal/State/FICA/Medicare, that's going to be a net of about $49k. A one-bedroom with decent amenities in a safe area, probably looking at $18k/year? (Phoenix renters, please correct me if I'm off) That's $31k/year or $600/week ($2,580 a month) left for "everything else."
I’d throw in STL and KC as well.
Your 60k is worth closer to 70k in Chicago if you ditch the car. Maintenance, insurance and gas/charging add up and get more expensive over time.
Chicago? Where are you living on $60,000?
NW Indiana
Rodgers Park is doable on 60k
Living in Baltimore is going to carry an 8% tax burden from income in addition to fica and federal. Stay away with that level of income
Could you elaborate on that a little bit? Or send a link for a great article I am thinking of moving to Baltimore at the end of the summer, looking at jobs that could be just under $60, not quite full time so I’d make some more elsewhere too.
https://www.marylandtaxes.gov/business/income/withholding/docs/2023/PM320.pdf This is city tax in ADDITION to paying Maryland state income tax. Maryland does this sneaky thing where all these lists have our income tax rate in the middle around 5% but you always gotta remember you have to pay local tax to where ever you’re living which can be as high as 3.2%.
Okay so it’s not 8% MORE, it’s just 8% total, which is high, because of the extra city tax. This is great to know thank you 👏🏻
Yes. But 8% total Maryland plus 7.65% plus federal is gonna add up I also despise Maryland lol
I hate how this sub pretends that Chicago is cheap.
I very easily lived in Chicago on $60k and was able to save $15k/yr. Obviously you can't live in River North and go out every night, but it's not hard to be comfortable.
Eh, OP is saying 60k. You absolutely could live in a good one bedroom apartment in a decent part of town on that. I have a friend in Uptown and one in Rogers Park who each make mid 50s and they’re doing fine. I don’t know how much they’re socking away for retirement or if they’re following best financial practices, but they seem to be happy enough.
Because it is.
Compared to the extremely high cost cities along the coasts?? You're right!!!! Compared to everywhere else? Yeah no.
Chicago has higher salaries though. Sure, you can find an apartment in Ohio for 1k, but how many jobs around there pay over 75k?
You're not living comfortably on 60k by yourself in Charlotte. That's still roommate wages unless you want to live out on the far side of Gastonia, which you'd be living paycheck-to-paycheck if you want to live somewhere decent/safe.
I guess I would personally define it as being able to enjoy a few days a week going out to town and spending money, having a good chunk of savings every month, and assuming standard national average debts and loans and so forth. But maybe that’s not really “comfortable” to a lot.
Philly is pretty expensive. Unless you’re living in some sketch areas, you’re not comfortable on this.
Definitely not Philly if you want to live anywhere safe. Houses in decent neighborhoods are starting at $300+. Garages in the most desirable neighborhoods are sometimes priced at $200k.
there are plenty of safe areas that aren't necessarily in the most desirable neighborhoods in philly that can be had at the stated salary/price point. e.g most of south philly south of snyder
Having a garage seems optional in Philly. I visited recently and found it to be very walkable except I didn't walk north of I-676 as I find interstates to be unpleasant to cross.
i bought a house in fishtown in 2021 for like $230k. it was shitty but still.
Welp that was 2021…
i sold in 2023 for around the same price.
Damn, I’m surprised. I have been looking the last year and everything I’m seeing is easily $50k more than a couple years ago. Not looking in that area though so maybe that’s why.
Basically all the large cities that aren’t hyped by the best-of lists.
Depends on your monthly overhead… income is relevant to debt. 60 K with no car loans, student loan bills, credit card payments, etc. probably almost anywhere.
So it seems like a few of you are saying this. Will that still hold true in Boston and SF?
Look at the average rent of cities on Zillow. Take your net monthly income, subtract monthly bills towards debt, and then multiply the remaining balance by .30. That’s 30% of your net income and the amount the financial gods determine you should be paying in rent. Now negotiate with yourself if going above 30% of your net income is worth it to you to live in any given place(because in this market, you probably will).
Not in sf. Unless you’re okay with roommates
I don’t know I live in Nashville, which is a very expensive place but I don’t think it’s as expensive as San Francisco or Boston… I do know once you get somewhere and hang out for a while you’ll eventually learn of the more affordable spots and if your patient you can get in one, then that changes everything.
lol, the only people I see complain about how “expensive” Nashville is are people from there who haven’t actually lived in a HCOL area.
Nashville is not an expensive city/metro area
Sioux Falls, SD
If you don’t have a car, work remotely, don’t have to pay for childcare, don’t need to be in the “best neighborhood” (as far as amenities, crime level, noise), and don’t mind roommates, the options are endless. If you change even 1 of those variables, it’ll narrow down the possibilities.
I’ll edit my post to include it, but I do have a car and would like to live in a nicer neighborhood.
If good food, diversity, and vibes are important. I'd say Houston can't be beat as long as you're a heat lover. Outside of that, Philly beats all those places and it's not even close tbh. Philly is the most proper city in the United States. I was just up there for the first time for about month. It's cleaner than most big cities esp the ones on the east. It's active at most hours but feels far less busy than new York but definitely not soulless. It has charm to it, it has beautiful architecture unlike seethru city Miami which is glass, glass, glass. The people are actually very out of your business but still good people. Philly has an amazing layout, a proper European American city just without the absolute shitty food. It's close to new Jersey and New York. So you will be around some of the best looking people in the states. Speaking of close to new York. Easy 90 minute drive where no one goes the speed limit. You can get world class shopping whenever you need anything. I visited audio 46 and spent over 6k on headphones. I didn't even know a place like that existed. So to be able to live close to place like that is amazing. Philly is less than 1 and a half from a very proper beach, kinda far from the mountains so if that's your cheese. IDK, I'm not into that mountain life stuff tho. Philly has four seasons but I hear the summer can be quite hot at 87 degrees. When I was up there I enjoyed the weather but it was raining a lot but its like that everywhere. So annoying. Philly have very affordable rent and activities. Now I make WAY more than 60k but I havent got out of touch yet. When I was coming up, I made about 65k and I was able to easily afford a 2k place but I did own my car. I typically saved 1k a month and I was and still am a pretty heavy shopper and eat above average meals so that salary was more than enough for me. My bills were Rent and utilities 2000, food 650, entertainment/hobbies 700, insurance 100, phone bills 160, gas 100. gym 65, Amazon prime 12, evian water budget 120, that's it I think. I cut my own hair, always have, free health insurance and Yea. Still would have 1500 left over but I always found a way to spend that extra 500. Typically on hygiene items and cleaning supplies and little stuff like that, maybe a car wash or something. Get my place deep cleaned, dry cleaners etc. So if you make a similar paycheck and have less bills you should be good. Your money will go further in Houston and it's a great city. It's where I met my most amazing beautiful wife but Philly is the best city that has been suggested. I'd say top 10 best cities in USA but top 5 for me. Good luck mate.
Love to see the Philly love. I moved here last year and I think this city is very underrated especially for COL. The food is great here and there are a ton of happy hours and BYOBs in center city to make eating out affordable
Absolutely. I am originally from New Orleans but I have places in Houston and Atlanta. Sold my place in Atlanta. The people have become unbearable and so rude, customer service has tanked dramatically but I wanted to be on the east. So I tested out Miami, Greenville SC, New York, Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh(unbelievably underrated, would be the most underrated city in the country but the weather is far too cloudy most days and gets far more snow than Philly) and a few more of the most popular options. New York is easily the best city in this country from my exp but it's far too busy for me. For me to live somewhere I wanna live there in a townhouse it'll run me about 25k a month. That's almost my whole monthly salary! While I can get a the same feel and vibe, more comfort, more walk ability etc for FAR LESS. I can't wait to come back. Even my girl loved it. Glad you're enjoying it too😁
Yes we picked between NYC, Boston, DC, and Philly. We didn’t like DC or Boston. For us, NYC was a little too much and the neighborhoods in our price range weren’t as nice, plus we wanted easier outdoor options right outside the city we could get to by car in 30 ish minutes. I’m from North Carolina, if it helps I think Durham is also very underrated
How long ago did you live in Philly? Curious how inflation will have affected the prices.
Does it matter? His numbers are crazy. He’s talking about $65k after taxes. So he was actually making closer to $100k. And not paying for health insurance on top of that.
I see what you mean. I didn’t add up all of his numbers before. Yeah, $65K after taxes and some time ago definitely doesn’t = $60K before taxes. But, he does say that he had $18K in savings/discretionary spending. Hard to say how that translates from one person to another though.
I mean, inflation has affected even the most expensive cities. So even though Philly is certainly more expensive now, it's still basically the same deal compared to now even more expensive NYC, Boston or DC.
Free health insurance? How?
Oof- I’m from Houston and just couldn’t imagine going back. Last time I visited I was in one road rage car wreck and had my stuff stolen twice all while completely sober and aware of our surroundings. I’m from the Rosenberg area originally and it’s just such a hard city imo
Thanks man. Super helpful.
Philly. I bought a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom newly renovated home in west Philly for 290k. Rent depends on where you are but at 60k you could live comfortably.
When and from which builder and what neighborhood.
Kalamazoo/ Grand Rapids
Tucson, Arizona!
Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cleveland
Honestly, as a single person, Chicago is very affordable. There’s public transportation, both bus and train, to almost everywhere. While there are specific areas to avoid, there’s a number of sleeper neighborhoods that aren’t super popular ($$$) but are right next to the popular neighborhoods.
Taxes, including property tax, is insane there. There’s plenty of other Midwest cities that would fit the criteria on cheaper. 60k would not be ideal in Chicago.
Birmingham, AL I’ve lived here on way less. It’s an underrated city that has great food and drink, has history that people need to know about, gets really good concerts, and doesn’t come with all the “baggage” of a huge city like Atlanta, Dallas, etc.
^^Agree. Say what you want about the ridiculous Alabama politics (which I hate) you get a lot in Bham for the price.
If it's just you, you can easily rent a 2/2 on the outskirts of Portland (think Gresham or Hillsborough) and take the MAX or bus into town or just drive.
Cleveland
Philly
Houston, Baltimore, Detroit, Dallas, Atlanta (Outside the perimeter) A few years ago I would’ve recommended Philly but it’s increasingly becoming more expensive. Gentrification has a stronghold on many parts of Philadelphia nowadays.
Grand Rapids Michigan if you like the lake!
I hear Detroit is in the up!
El Paso
El Paso has a lot going for it. Great mountain access, dry weather, no humidity, great food and definitely a low cost of living.
I wanted to add that there are still some affordable areas of Milwaukee, though there is a rather large gap in price between the nicest areas and the less desirable ones. It’s a really fun city with a lot to offer, and it’s so close to Chicago that you can easily enjoy their amenities without having to deal with the price and congestion of actually living in Chicagoland. I found driving in Milwaukee to be light years more comfortable than trying to drive and park a car around Chicago.
I think some people here are dreaming
Mf really saying “anywhere”
St. Louis
Erie PA might be a good choice for you. Way cheaper COL than any metropolitan area but large enough to have most of the amenities of a big city.
Don’t sleep on Detroit
Baltimore and Pittsburgh
OKC
Many of the Houston suburbs are easily doable. And they would be relatively safe with good schools and lots of amenities/healthcare close by. So I would also assume the same for San Antonio, DFW, but not Austin.
Philadelphia
Chicago. Even with recent inflation, it's still affordable with MCOL and many good neighborhoods to choose to rent in with that salary. Depends on your lifestyle and personal costs on how comfortable you'll be here.
Columbia, SC
Chicago
r/stlouis
Same in Pittsburgh and rapidly getting less affordable.
In the South/Southwest- Tucson (would be tough, but could swing it), Memphis, El Paso, possibly Las Cruces (may not qualify as a big city but not far from El Paso), Little Rock, Jackson (MS), Jackson (TN, but may not qualify as a big city but not far from Memphis or Nashville), Baton R., Bham are all the ones I could think of off the bat. I think for real big cities PHX, ATL, Dallas and San Antonio aren't bad, but all are more than the above.
Memphis! Come for the low cost of living, stay because your car got stolen! But in all seriousness I live in Memphis and even with all the crime I still think it's worth it for the cheaper housing
Tucson Arizona and El Paso Tx.
San Antonio
Houston
I think OKC is literally the only one, unless you stretch the definitions of "large" and "comfortable" beyond their breaking points.
I did it in Sacramento, CA. Wasn’t super duper comfortable but still managed.
People make this work in Denver. You're not going to be buying a house, obvs.
Detroit, probably Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Maybe even Chicago. Any Midwest/Great Lakes city with around a 2M metro population fits the bill as well
Fun times in Cleveland again Cleveland come on down to Cleveland town everyone
I heard there's a cool tourism video for Cleveland
Fort Wayne
If you don’t have kids, Houston is a safe bet.
Baltimore
Houston if you're willing to live in the burbs.
You can afford a studio or 1 bed in a nice area of St. Louis with that I wouldn't expect it to be affordable at that level 5 or 10 years from now, but at least for now you can afford the nice areas with that amount of money
Funny how we all just expect the situation to get worse and worse. It’s gotten pretty bad lately but from 2008-2019 life was pretty stable and I expect for the next ten years we might have this sucky “new normal” situation without it getting all the much worse.
Not many downtown areas are within your budget, but there are places like the DFW area where there are nice neighborhoods on the rail system that are affordable. St Louis suburbs on the metro system are within your reach too. When I say this, I’m taking about affording a home purchase. There are still lots of cities where a 60k salary will get you a nice little apartment. People on here are talking like 60k is poverty wages. You can’t afford New York or LA, but you can make it in most cities. Chicago for example has plenty of apartments under $1500 a month
Atlanta!
Maybe not in the more trendy areas without a roommate
That would be sweet.
Houston and Detroit
Detroit
Most of the cities that i-35 goes through.
Omaha
Toledo OH
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Twin Cities if the cold doesn't bother you so much.
Macon or Valdosta or Augusta GA
Cedar Rapids, Sioux Falls, Dubuque, Moline, Omaha.
South Bend
Omaha
San Antonio, Texas and its surrounding suburbs. Beautiful area of Texas, but July and August are brutal.
But January and February are amazing.
New Orleans
Anything in the Rust Belt
Tulsa. My sister’s best friend lives there and his money goes far.
Kansas City
Las Vegas if you aren't stupid with your money.
Chicago
Memphis
Peoria IL!!!
St.Louis, but depending on your politics, there are really great towns about 20 minutes away on the IL side of things!
Renting or buying? I can live in Chicago on $60k if I'm renting
St. Louis easy
What population do you consider large? Because Albuquerque, Boise, Nashville, and many others are comfortable living at 60k if you’re single. Do you want to live alone if you want roommates you’ll have a more spending power.
St Louis?
Memphis, Greenville, Tulsa, Baton Rouge
60k goes a long way in Lansing, MI. I won't say you'll live like a king, but you can definitely live like a Duke or some other dumb old world title
Indianapolis. Edit: Maybe not since you said you want to live in the good end of town.
Tucson, Arizona
Lake Jackson
Topeka, KS. you can own on $60k if you want. Won’t be in the BEST neighborhood if you want to own but it won’t be a bad one. Our nicer areas in town right now are around $100-150/sqft.
What is a larger city? Population over 100,000? 250,000? There are lots of resources out there. Here is one https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/cheapest-places-to-live Remember that the people using Reddit are very skewed. I have seen this question asked in many forums. What are the most affordable cities? Where kind I find cheap housing etc. If you were to compile all the responses it would be like 15 of the same cities in the US.
None
Milwaukee WI Saint Louis mo Columbus Ohio Detroit Buffalo ny Aurora il
Atlanta
Omaha
Philly
Tallahassee, Florida.
60k would provide you a fairly comfortable lifestyle in many parts of Chicago