[Poll] Living expense
 

How much do you spend a month on rent utility's food and all..

(would really like to get some info from single US guys.. as I got a job offer in NJ and tho the money will be pretty good, I need to know how much I can expect to spend..)

You dont have to post saying how much.. I can totally understand people not wanting to say, but you can just comment and vote.. or just vote.. would be a great help..

well ...
for me ... if i add evythign up .... im not even spending 200 bucks on myself or whatever i do :\ ....

im living with parents tho :?

:wink: no need for a :arrow: :? I do too for now.. and not spending even $200 as well..
and believe me I'm in no rush to spend an extra 1000 just so i could live alone.. but if I'll take this job.. well.. I don't really have an option I'm afraid.. :wink:

what job? :P ... im ready to get into the local A1 GP team as a driver ... i wouldnt mind spending $5000 then :mrgreen: ... onlyy if :| ..

Still living at home..

But as from September Ill live by myself so living expense will go up

What part of NJ? I'm not from there so I can't comment too much, but compared to other parts of the USA its probably not very representative; i.e. its much more expensive. Any guys who live up there correct me if I am wrong on this...

^NJ is significantly more expensive then the southern parts of the US. Where in NJ also has a significant cost of living difference. If you live out in farm country in central NJ the price isnt that bad.. Near Philly is decently pricey with some of the highest car insurance.. Near NYC is close to the most expensive in the nation.
For reference I live in Delaware, about the same as south Jersey. Below are some general estimates from what Ive seen (not myself as my living expenses are atypical).
Living on your own rent should be 800-900 month. Food will be at least another 100-200. Electricity and heat 100-200 a month. Car insurance 150-200 a month.
health insurance at least 200 if company doesnt provide (many do if its professional work). Id say absoulte frugality is 1600 maybe a month.. You can drop that down to about a 1000 if you get a roomate.

NJ is expensive although cheaper than NYC where Everso stays.

Rent:
A couple of my friends live there - I think they pay about $1100 for a 1 bedroom apartment (I guess it could cost anywhere between $800-1200 depending on the howe upmarket the area is).

Meat, Veggies and dairy products from supermarkets is very cheap in the US compared to Europe. If you eat out a lot, it is still quite cheap if you stick to fast food. If you start eating out at proper restaurants it get more expensive. So your food bills would range from $100-200 depending on where you eat.

Electricity, water and heating would be around $150 p.m. on avg - I think NJ is a pretty energy intensive place all year round.

Then budget $200-400 for discretionary expenses.

As mentioned by greywolfe - the big ticket item is the rent. If you can share it with someone then it really saves a bunch.

Car insurance will be expensive

mortgage 3,678.87 a month...
should i continue?

^Damn.. did you put 0 dollars down or do you own a mansion.. 3300 over 30 years is over a million dollars.

nah 15 year, i have 9 years left, and i put down 40%

^^ Too true - when first married, we made do with $1000 a month for all expenses, now we piss away almost $10,000 a month on frivolous trinkets and junk ;) :P

RC - can I come over and live at your mansion. Piss away some money my way bud! Your broke friend - Sameer

money comes, but goes much faster....much much faster.

^ Isn't that the truth. :)

I don't who typed that message - but it must have been someone who did not have access to my maxed credit cards and overdrawn bank account :P ;)

thanks for all the comments guys!
I'm not really sure what part of NJ it is.. but as for health insurance, I'm covered from here, and i cost me like $30 a month ( :P ) ,thats at lest for the first six months, after that I'm not sure yet... but we'll cross that bridge when we get there..
as for housing, at first, I think I'll go with the option I was offered, living with some roommates there (should be cheap as hell, and sounds like a good solution till I'll get my shit together and rent my own apartment, then maybe get a roommate.. maybe)
thanks for the food figures, I'm not what you call a big fellow (if the converter is right then I'm ~145 pound) :lol: but I sure like my snacks :wink:
as for the most important part ( :mrgreen: ), car and car insurance, unfortunately I can't think about any of both for now.. at least till I'll see what what, and is my license good there for just 6 months and then I have to get a US one etc.. :(

thanks again! and keep the votes coming :mrgreen:

PS- any additional info you think I could use would be GREAT!
:wink:

Oh yeah, keep in mind that I have to rent a furnished apartment, and I know some come with Cable Internet and utility's included.. (which is probably what I'll be looking for..) :D

Well... I live with my parents, and I spend around 600$-500€ per month.
I do every day 60km to go work and back, but my car is diesel. I don't pay dinner, and at lunch eat at the restaurant but I spend between 6€-8€ per lunch. I do some kart races every month, but they're 60€ - 1 hour races.
Then there are all the other things...

I think we don't earn much money here in Portugal, but the living costs isn't very high either, so I think it's ok. It's just bad because cars and electronics here are at the same cost... only the "essencials" are cheaper! :D

In a few months I'm thinking in marrying, and then I'll have to pay some 500€ month for the house. (Kitchen, Living Room, Bathroom, 2 bedroms),
some 50€ for the internet and cable TV, and so on.....

Over 3000 G's, BIG family :D

still living at home, so i spend about 300 CHF (not euros) because i am studying in switzerland. i hope to be able to move to Basel next semester, and then i expect it will go up to about 1000-1200 CHF :?

I live with roommates so expenses are low.

When you are on a student loan every penny counts...

Awesome to hear you might be coming over to the east coast!

Renting an apartment in NJ (depending on where you'll be living) should be around $1000 a month, give or take a few hundred. And that's just for rent, not necessarily including water/heat/electricity. And on top of that you got cable tv/internet and phone bills, which will add another $1000 or so. As for food, learn how to cook and shop at the grocery store, you'll save tons.

Living in Boston isn't the cheapest area, I pay $1215 for a [larger] room in a 2 bed apartment (with living room) I share with my friend, as well as a parking space. Heat and water is included, we just have to pay for the gas stove and electricity.

Going out to the bars and restaurants throughout the month definitely add up and you can easily spend $100 in just one night out.

As mentioned before, it really depends on where you are in NJ. The NYC area is expensive, but you can find great deals in Brooklyn.

:D

I'll find out what area it is.. so that you guys can help me even more ;) (tell me if its a good area, or should I look for another, and commute more ;) I'm not looking for anything fancy... but I don't wanna get mugged either :lol: ) and that we'll see if a little get together or something is possible ;) (in about a month I'll be alcohol free for 6 months, and I could sure a beer ;) )

@BACR - at least you have such a thing as a student load.. here there nothing like it.. and you have to pay CASH each year, which is way many people here work before, or mainly during school.. (full time..)

I live at home, so my main expenses are confined to bus trips and lunch at uni. Theoretically, my parents pay for everything else.

Yep living expenses here in Oz are fairly high too and I dont even live in Sydney where its 10 times worse

Yeah man, would be great to meet up and get a drink. Keep us updated.

^ Will do :wink:

:P selling the scale models? :lol: J\K ;)

^^ That sucks but glad to hear you won't get into any financial problems..

Sad that the 911 will have to wait, but obvious.. :(

.....anyone knows an area\city in Jersey name Perlon or something like that?
(the dude is on vacation at the moment..)

Hmm, never heard of it and after a few searches I'm pretty sure that isn't the name of a city in NJ.

http://www.state.nj.us/nj/govinfo/co...ocalgov.html#P
http://www.50states.com/city/newjerse2.htm

That should be a list of all the cities in NJ that start with P.

Palisades Park Palmyra Paramus Park Ridge Parlin Parsippany Passaic Passaic Park Paterson Paulsboro Peapack Pedricktown Pemberton Pennington Penn's Grove Pennsauken Pennsville Pequannock Perrineville Perth Amboy Phillipsburg Picatinny Arsenal Pilesgrove Pine Beach Pine Brook Pine Hill Pine Valley Piscataway Pitman Pittsgrove Pittstown Plainfield Plainsboro Pleasantville Pluckemin Plumsted Point Pleasant Point Pleasant Beach Pomona Pompton Lakes Pompton Plains Port Elizabeth Port Monmouth Port Murray Port Norris Port Reading Port Republic Pottersville Princeton Princeton Junction Prospect Park


Maybe you misheard him?

^ yeah its kinda of a broken phone, my mom talked to his brother actually.. so it could very much be way off.. :lol:
thanks for the list! if can just as easy be a Ferlon or something.. :lol:

well it could be Parlin NJ.. :hmm:

If it is, you're only about an hour away from my home in NY and going out to NYC will be a regular thing as you are only bout 30 mins. Not to sure about that area though, might be pricey.

Although you have yet to confirm this so.. :D

just for the hell of it i checked a few online rental sites.. pretty nice 2bdr places for about 1600.. just need to find a roomie and 800 is pretty sweet.. :wink:

Yeah just by having one other roommate to split the expenses like cable tv/internet and other utilities makes it a lot cheaper.

Do you know anyone in the area that you might be able to live with? Or do you think you're gonna have to find some random dude or dudette to live with?

probably will look for someone from the new job, as a few other new guys will come..
but I'm not sure.. if I was to looks else where will that be like in ads? I'm new to this world.. :hmm: how do you find a normal person to live with when you dont know him\her..

the only roommates I ever had was in the army :lol: me and 2 guy I knew a little at first, but we soon became very good friends.. and it was fun ;) but we all "worked" together.. so we were together like 80% of the time..

The newspapers will have the classified adverts with the title "Roommate needed" etc. In some cases, you could be a paying guest - E.g. a family may want to let out a room in their house. In which case all you need to know is "Do they have pretty daughters?" ;)

^ :lol: and a high speed internet connection :wink:
but I'm not a local guy, wouldn't it be weird\harder ?