Good places to rent in Ohio with low rent? (Columbus: sales, apartment)

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by MrRational

... all of which correlates with the incomes in that market.
Can't get get blood from a turnip.

I wouldn't be surprised if wages in Greater Cleveland are comparable to many places in NJ, especially as there is a labor shortage in Greater Cleveland (but perhaps also in NJ). Anyway, I've provided the OP with an easy road map on how to compare housing affordability by community. Certainly, he also can investigate wages in any community given his job skills. WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM (do you work for a NJ government)?


Your turnip analogy doesn't apply. We're talking about apples and oranges.


Some more info, with Youngstown ranked 10th cheapest place to live by U.S. News & World Report in 2022-23. Cincinnati, very surprisingly (I'm doubtful) is 22nd on the list.



https://realestate.usnews.com/places...places-to-live

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by WRnative

I wouldn't be surprised if wages in Greater Cleveland are comparable to (perhaps)...
...with Youngstown ranked 10th cheapest place

Which is it that the OP is looking at? What sorts of work?

WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM ...

Just a pet peeve.
People looking to relocate far away from everyone and everything they know...
desperately believing that their location is the problem they need to solve.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Just a pet peeve.
People looking to relocate far away from everyone and everything they know...
desperately believing that their location is the problem they need to solve.

Good point, but the OP didn't mention this concern.



Sometimes, a new beginning away from family and friends is very beneficial. And cost of living and housing affordability certainly are major concerns and determinants of quality of life.

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Is there any reason to believe they'll earn the same outside of the high wage NJ area?
Any way you slice it ... the 'live alone' thing is the real problem.

Yes, even in Ohio’s Rust Belt cities fast food is paying $12-15/hr because of lack of workers. Real estate is cheaper here because of a lack of demand (people dying or moving to the Sunbelt, low immigration) compared to a place like NJ (higher immigration, dense population, proximity to NYC & Phila). It will be a more ideal situation for OP.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Yes, even in Ohio’s Rust Belt cities fast food is paying $12-15/hr because of lack of workers. Real estate is cheaper here because of a lack of demand (people dying or moving to the Sunbelt, low immigration) compared to a place like NJ (higher immigration, dense population, proximity to NYC & Phila). It will be a more ideal situation for OP.

American born people are absolutely fleeing the northeast, including/especially NJ. There have been a lot moving to Ohio actually.

https://njbia.org/federal-tax-data-r...-outmigration/

Ohio is a vastly preferable state to New Jersey for many, many reasons. New Jerseyans largely agree.

[JJgalaxy]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Is there any reason to believe they'll earn the same outside of the high wage NJ area?
Any way you slice it ... the 'live alone' thing is the real problem.

I work remote, so I'll be making the same income in Ohio (I've already checked with my job that Ohio is one of the states we can work from). And I recognize that having roommates would make things easier, but I am very, very tired of being responsible in anyway, shape, or form for other people. I could stay where I am and pay virtually nothing in rent, but my only ambition is have a nice little place where I can just worry about me and not have to negotiate with other people. It's the whole point of moving.

Thank you, WRnative, for the information! That's very helpful.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Just a pet peeve. People looking to relocate far away from everyone and everything they know...desperately believing that their location is the problem they need to solve.

So essentially your advice should not be universally-applied but is rather just you airing your grievance about a pet peeve? Thanks. That makes more sense now.

I moved from skipping meals making ~$50,000/year in Northern Virginia (uber-expensive) to making less money in a MUCH cheaper city (Pittsburgh) and have been IMMENSELY happier overall as a result. My dollar stretches SO much further up here. I only make $18/hr. here, but with an all-in housing payment of $378/month (less once my PMI falls off my mortgage) you can live very comfortably in a place like Pittsburgh or New Castle or Youngstown or Akron or Sharon or other "flyover places" supposedly nobody wants to dwell within, even if you're only making $15/hr.-$20/hr. (as MANY in this country who don't sit around playing bongo drums at home while updating software apps do).

I have limited patience on social media for my Millennial peers whining about struggling to survive in SF or Seattle or NYC or NoVA or Miami or wherever who then "haha" react any suggestion of uprooting and moving to a cheaper area where a nominally cheaper salary/wage will stretch MUCH farther. If the OP is making $16/hr. in NJ (uber-expensive) and will keep making $16/hr. in OH (dirt cheap), then why NOT move? Places like PA and OH are IMPLODING demographically because everyone of value is moving OUT, and the left behind bitter old Trumpers are just dying off.

Anyone who doesn't try to find the highest possible wage in the cheapest possible area to maximize their quality-of-life is a fool, in my opinion.

OP, look into the good/safe parts of Youngstown and/or a cheap suburb of Youngstown. Easy day-trips to Cleveland or Pittsburgh for sports, nightlife, culture, etc. DIRT cheap (cheaper than Pittsburgh, and it is pretty cheap to live over here already).

[ferraris]

I don't want to argue against Youngstown, but I do want to point out that Akron, Toledo, and even parts of metro Cleveland are in the same ball park and may offer a bit more opportunities for upward career trajectory and aren't quite as economically depressed as Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

Additionally, Wheeling, WV is worth considering too. There's a lot of hidden character there.

[JR_C]

Originally Posted by ferraris

I don't want to argue against Youngstown, but I do want to point out that Akron, Toledo, and even parts of metro Cleveland are in the same ball park and may offer a bit more opportunities for upward career trajectory and aren't quite as economically depressed as Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

Additionally, Wheeling, WV is worth considering too. There's a lot of hidden character there.

As with so many things, it depends. I haven't dug into the statistics, but I'd guess the neighborhoods in Akron, Toledo, or Cleveland that are equivalently priced to Youngstown neighborhoods, would be sketchier. I'm also not so sure upward career mobility would be limited. One of my former mentees recently started their own architecture practice, and I think they're still in their mid 30s. But again, it depends.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by JR_C

As with so many things, it depends. I haven't dug into the statistics, but I'd guess the neighborhoods in Akron, Toledo, or Cleveland that are equivalently priced to Youngstown neighborhoods, would be sketchier. I'm also not so sure upward career mobility would be limited. One of my former mentees recently started their own architecture practice, and I think they're still in their mid 30s. But again, it depends.

Yeah it is definitely situational. Some of it will depend how you define sketchiness; for example I'd expect Youngstown to have the most vacant lots and properties, having experienced such a steep population loss. Of course the flip side of that is what makes it a great contender -- housing is now quite cheap!

I just saw the thread kind of zero-ing in on Youngstown as the answer, and wanted to pull back the conversation to point out there's no shortage of options throughout the state. Depending on the OP's industry and career aspirations, some other area may or may not make more sense.