Atlanta cost of living (Mableton, Buckhead: coupons, apartments, to rent)

[wolf77]

Hey,
I´m a Spanish 32 single white male who has received a proposal to go, live and work in Atlanta, no less than 2 years.
As you all can imagine, it is a huge change from my european way of live to the american, and I have tons of questions!
3000$/month is the nett income I have been offered and I would like to know if that is enough. For sure this depends on the kind of living I would have there and here are some clues of what I would like to have there in order to know if those 3000$ would suffice or not: I would prefer to live in city center (no suburbs please, I am a single straight man!) in a modern apartment/condo (please, what´s the difference between apartment and condo?) with reasonable comodities (pool, garage). I shall be working in the city centre and have car, though I dont know the area yet! I like socializing and would not like to worry about the money when choosing a restaurant, pay the entrance to a club, or take a plane and go to NYC, for example...
What I mean is that I would like to have a GOOD life there and sincerely dont know if those 3000$ are enough. Save money is not my target and if I have to live 3800 miles away from my home, friends, everything... I want to live well without worrying about the money!!

thanks everybody (and apologies for my bad English)

[SW30303]

The salary you mention is OK and somewhat average for a single person to live in Atlanta. You can live in-town, but you will have to budget. If you can get a roommate, that would help keep your costs down considerably.

In-town in Atlanta generally means Buckhead or Midtown. I know there are plenty of others, but I mention the 2 most "popular" areas right now.

If you want to live in-town in a decent apartment, you will pay pretty good for that. Efficiency to 1 bedroom in-town will cost over $850-950 a month for something decent. You additionally may have to pay for utilities, etc, this cost could vary, a lot too, I would add an extra $150-300 not knowing where you will live. Some apartments include some of these costs, but upfront they want a deposit which is roughly what your rent will cost per month. Food would cost at least $150-300 a month if you eat in all the time and what you like to buy. You can budget and enjoy going out, but not often.

You mention having a car, so you will purchase car insurance, so maintenance for your car will cost more, too. That cost could vary considerably, too.

Condos (condominiums) are like apartments but are individually owned. Many are intown and many owners owe more than they are worth, so you could easily rent one intown (Buckhead or Midtown).

This CNN page gives you some averages across the US (in comparing US city to US city) Cost of living: Compare prices in two cities - CNNMoney.com

The good part is you can live in Atlanta as a single person on the salary you indicated, but in many US cities, you would be broke. The cost of living in Atlanta is mostly on average with most of the US.

Good luck to you and welcome to Atlanta!

[wolf77]

Thanks SW!
Just want to add some info to my question.
I would have a car, but insurance, maintenance, gasoline etc would be paid by my company. So having a car would not be an expense, putting aside the fact that I would be looking for an apartment with a parking space and this would make that apartment more expensive.
I am not considering having a roommate. I have never shared a house and I think I am a little too old to start sharing now.
In-town areas I have been told to look for are Midtown and Virginia Highlands because these are supposed to be close to bars, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets and have good apartments as well. I think the area around Piedmont Park is "the" area that would suit me more. What do you think about that zone?
Other things that takes my attention when reading other threads are the fact that crime and race are often mentioned. Are these items so important that have to be taken account of? Is crime rate in Atlanta important? are there no-go areas due to crime rates? Is it worth to look for a security complex of condos to live? Also, are there areas for white people and other areas for black people to live?

thanks very much for your help from a Spaniard!

[BobKovacs]

$3k/month, even net, will not afford you the life of luxury you seem to be seeking. You mention "would not like to worry about the money when choosing a restaurant, pay the entrance to a club, or take a plane and go to NYC, for example...", which would not be the case, IMO, after paying the for a safe, modern apartment, food, utilities, etc. You'll have money left over, but not enough to just decide to hop on a plane to NYC on a moment's notice or decide to eat at a high-end restaurant.

[Caleb Longstreet]

3k huh.....hmmmmmm.....well, based on the lifestyle you want, you might want to change your mind on a few things....here's some top 10's aka David Letterman Style, from yours truly, Caleb.....


10) Like home, Mopeds may become strangely alluring to you as will girls named Pat, Sheila, and Alfonse who ride them too....sure...
9) You have as much chance of living in a nice place as I do in talking my wife into me taking on a girlfriend....it just ain't gonna' happen...
8) Bones and Chops are restaurants that will mean nothing to you....
7) McDonald's Dollar "Menu" will mean everything to you....
6) Coupons.com....nuff' said
5) Going Dutch may look good on paper but......
4) Why work one job when you can work two!!!
3) Flea Markets are the Nordstroms of 2010...practice this in a mirror...over and over again....
2) The Goodwill store has great hours....
1) NYC will be whatever you can make it to be......from a brochure....

All that aside...3k is preeeetyyyyy lean my friend.....might work in Mableton....mid-town??? uh....nope....

Mid-town has more credit-card-eating-bimbos per square mile than you can ever imagine...they never met a piece of plastic they didn't like....if you are like me, you will don your best Jon Lovitz stance as known in SNL circles and make the best of it.....

Atlanta's wealthier parts like Mid-Town and Buckhead are like a lot of upper crust areas in America....kind of like a Merry-go-round....10% get to ride, the other 90% pay to see the show....

All together now....weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

[davidov]

Hi
Please i want to study in atlanta I want to know the living costs there coud you help me
thanks

[davidov]

hi
living costs as
housing food transportation health insurance montly
thats to show my bank statement to tha embassy te get a visa
thank you

[tonygeorgia]

Is your company paying for your rent?

[davidov]

no i wiil support my expences personally
how much per month

[stvincent]

You can live in Midtown without a roommate and not feel poor. The Piedmont Park area is a pricey area but sure you can find a lower than average priced condo around there to rent because of the recession, which hit the Midtown condo market especially hard.

Below is a sample budget, very doable:

Rent: $1000(the going rate on the low end for a modern one bedroom in a superb intown safe location)
Utilities: $300(electric, water and sewer, gas, cable and internet, phone bill)
Food: ~ $300 a month
Grooming, : $120 i.e. haircuts and hygene products
Savings:$400 a month, you have to save something, you just never know what happens in life.

Total: $2120.00

That nets you about $220 a week for spending money. You certainly could not fly off to New York on a whim like others stated but you could live comfortably. Not having to worry about expenses related to your car will help you out a great deal. If you like clubs, Crescent Ave in Midtown has become a new mini version of the old Buckhead club district. Another popular, vibrant, young, and safe neighborhood would be Inman Park.

And just to add, race relations are not bad in Atlanta and this city grows more diverse everyday(people that are not just white and black). Atlanta has an undeserved reputation in this department. I am sure once you get here you will notice that.