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I have recently been offered an entry level position in Long Island, I've been browsing the boards and come to the conclusion that the job will most likely not pay enough (only about 48k/year) to live comfortably in LI. I would really like to take the job, but I dont wish to live in an unpleasant nieghborhood (read: I have a wife and child). Im wondering if I may have come to the wrong conclusion, that living in LI on 48k is possible, or if anyone may have some suggestions as to a more affordable place to live. I would be willing to commute up to 2 hrs. How much do groceries cost, how about gas, what is the sales tax, what are the utilities bills like for someone who likes the room about 80 degrees, and keeps the computer on all the time.
Whats car insurance like. If I were to live in long island, would it be possible to bike to work (under 20 miles), are there sidewalks or bike lanes. More importantly, what kind of mass transit options do I have.
I hope thats not to many questions at once. Thanks in advance for any replies.
It would really help to know, even in a general way, what part of LI you'll be working in. For starters, Nassau County or Suffolk? North shore, south shore, or central?
("orange and blue" suggests you're either an Islanders or a Knicks fan, btw! )
Btw, IMHO motoracer51 is exaggerating. I live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood and don't make half of what he/she says is the minimum.
Anyway, to quickly answer some of your questions:
How much do groceries cost: Depends where you shop and for how many people. If you go to King Kullen and Stop&Shop you'll be fine. If you go to Whole Foods you'll pay more.
how about gas: Today I saw Regular for $2.42 and Super for $2.69
What is the sales tax: Slightly over 8% depending on which county. That includes State and County tax.
what are the utilities bills like for someone who likes the room about 80 degrees, and keeps the computer on all the time: Depends on size of house. If people never turn off a light, you have central air, 3 tvs, etc... figure $75-$100/mo for electric. Heating bill will depend on gas or oil, how big your house is, etc. I have a price-fix for oil with Slomins at $2.64/gal and use about 150 gal/mo but that is for heat and hot water and a large house with lots of laundry/showers/baths/dishwashing.
Whats car insurance like: highly depends on neighborhood. My 2002 Lexus costs me $1200/yr with Liberty Mutual, with no glass coverage and a $1000 deductible.
If I were to live in long island, would it be possible to bike to work: Not unless you live less than 2 miles from your office, realistically.
are there sidewalks: Totally depends on the neighborhood. You can have a development with sidewalks and 1/4 mile down the road another one with no sidewalks.
or bike lanes: There are some bike lanes through parklands or along parkways but not many. No dedicated "bike lanes" on the roadways themselves.
More importantly, what kind of mass transit options do I have: that's easy, you have two: the Long Island RR which runs east and west only. Then various bus systems which are the most convoluted mess ever seen. The odds of being able to go directly from Point A to Point B is totally a matter of luck.
As far as transportation on LI goes, five words sum it up: You Really Need A Car.
Last edited by OvertaxedOnLI; 01-15-2007 at 09:46 PM..
Reason: spelling
The job is in North central LI, suffolk co. Its good to finally hear someone that doesnt believe I'd need over 100k to live well. Im still in the starving student phase so I dont expect much. I really just want to be able to find a relatively cheap area to reside that doesnt have people shooting eachother in the streets. I've lived in places like that before, I wont subject my family to that again. Because Im a starving student, I know how to budget on a small income, for food, luxuries, and the like. I cant imagine why people have more than one TV, it seriously blows my mind. I perfer quiet neighborhoods, actually I perfer a rural enviroment but I doubt I'll find that given the proximity to new york. One thing I forgot to ask is what is the income tax. Im sure I will have more questions later, thank you all for your information so far.
NY has five income tax brackets. For Married Filing Jointly with an income of, let's round it to $50K, the tax rate for 2006 is 6.85%. There is a $1000 personal exemption per child.
Hm, north central LI and in Suffolk County... suggests your job offer may be in or near Melville or Hauppague? The trick here is to figure out if it's in an actual town that the LIRR has a station in. If so, you may be able to live farther east, bike to the RR station, then walk from the RR station to your job.
Neither Melville nor Hauppague have LIRR stations set up like that (there is no "town center" in either). For instance the nearest LIRR station to Melville would be either Farmingdale to the south or Huntington Station to the north. Huntington Station would be much too far and too risky to bike (risky because of the heavy traffic on Route 110). Farmingdale is closer but still not anything you'd really want to bike, and much too far too walk.
If you'd like to PM me with the name of the town your job offer is in, I could let you know what, if any, non-auto options there are.
Another very important question is whether you're planning to buy or rent. The LI apartment rental market is not like most other areas of the country.
I suggest checking out neighboorhoods like Holbrook, Lake Grove, Ronkonkoma and Bohemia (which is very nice). They are all in central Suffolk County and somewhat affordable. (compared to the north and south shores). Also I think it's almost impossible to bike to work. There are new bike lanes along Veterans Highway and I think they are dangerous with trucks doing 60 mph 5 feet away. What town is your job located?
If your job is located in what is called the RTE 110 corridor, there is a bus that runs fairly frequently from Huntington to Amityville - the S-1. It picks up at the Huntington and Amityville train stations.
Another place to consider is the village of Farmingdale. It has an actual Main street with shopping that you can walk to, just like they do back in Civilization, as well as a LIRR station and some bus service.
It is possible to do without a car out here, but you have to plan everything most carefully.
but don't think you are going to be watching your bucks either.
I believe you should be ok to look for a small home or condo in Hauppauge (taxes are lower due to the industrial park) or Holbrook, Lake Grove, Ronkonkoma and Bohemia
These areas are ok.
Biking to work? NO. Unless you plan to live right next to your job location.
Are you planning to rent or own?
You may be able to rent a condo at a decent price without worrying about taxes.
Good luck
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