Two years ago, I moved from Charleston, South Carolina to Seattle, Washington.
Not only are these two cities literally on the opposite side of the country, but the cost of living is substantially different. In Charleston, my husband and I lived in a two bedroom apartment for $1100 a month. In Seattle, we were looking at a one bedroom loft for over $2000 – and that didn’t include parking or utilities, which were another monstrous cost.
While I didn’t have time to line up a job before we moved, I knew Seattle was a great area for my field. My husband and I packed up our cars and began the long cross-country drive. We were obviously excited for the change of pace and going to a new city, but we didn’t really know what to expect.
I had never been to Seattle before we moved there, so I was really in the dark about the costs associated with living in such a large city. Plus, we were relying on just one income (plus my income from freelance writing) while I was job searching.
Don’t do what I did – if you’re considering a move, plan a loose budget before you go.
1) Budget for Your Apartment or Home
Housing will likely be your biggest expense, so start with it first.
Chances are, if you move to a high cost of living city, you’ll need to increase your housing budget. How much home can you realistically afford?
Don’t forget to budget in those additional expenses, such as parking, HOA fees, and utilities. If you’re moving from a low cost of living city, you may not realize just how quickly these can add up. Be sure to ask about such expenses before you sign a lease.
2) Research Job Opportunities and Pay
If you are considering moving to a high cost of living area without a job lined up, do your homework ahead of time.
It can be a scary movie, especially if you don’t have an income source secured. However, with proper planning and realistic assessments of circumstances, you can make the transition as smooth as possible.
Since we moved before I had a job lined up, we knew we had to be conservative in our housing costs, since we wouldn’t know for sure what my income might be.
I also researched the market in depth before we moved. I had a good idea of what companies I wanted to apply for, how much they would pay, and whether it was a hot or cold job market. I knew the market was good, and I could fairly easily find a job with my experience.
Once I landed a job, it was amazing because I was actually offered higher than I would have guessed. Plus, we had budgeted our living expenses so conservatively, so we were able to put my income towards paying off our student loan debt.
In short – be honest with yourself, your skills, and your circumstances. I realize I had a lot of advantages because we have two incomes in my household (plus my side hustle income!) which afforded us a lot more flexibility. If you’re single and moving to a high cost of living city, you may have to make further adjustments. Finding roommates and other ways to share expenses can drastically help lower the cost of living in an expensive city.
3) Shop Around
In a large city, the options are limitless, so don’t be afraid to spend time shopping around.
Everything from apartments to internet service providers to car insurance can vary in cost. If you’re not certain if you’ve been offered a good rate, ask around or check out AreaVibes, which will help you estimate the cost of living in any given city.
4) Eliminate Expenses You No Longer Need
The nice thing is, once you move to a large city, there is a ton to do and so many amenities. This was something I didn’t really expect upon moving, but after a few months of living in Seattle, we were able to eliminate a lot of expenses we thought we’d need, but didn’t.
For instance, we were planning to have two cars in the city. But we realized that between parking (approximately $150 a month per car), insurance, licensing, and the higher cost of gas, that it was really unnecessary. Instead of getting a second car, we purchased a used motorcycle for my husband, which he drives when the weather is nice. The rest of the time, he takes the bus to work, which is only $30 a month and is discounted through his work.
We also were able to substantially lower some of our other expenses. We lowered our traveling budget, since we simply enjoy staying in our city more often. We cancel our gym memberships in the summer because the weather is so nice and there is so much to do outside. We cancelled a few of our streaming services because we found we were just busier in a larger city.
5) Be Realistic and Compromise
Moving to a city is exciting, but it does take some adjustments.
For example, my husband and I realized there was no way we could afford everything we wanted in an apartment, so we had to compromise and prioritize. We realized location was what was most important to us, so we downsized to a one-bedroom in order to afford that.
As much as we didn’t want to downsize our lives, we realized it was a necessary thing to do in order to afford to live in the city.
6) Save in Advance
While my husband was offered a great promotion, they didn’t pay for relocation expenses. Fortunately, we had ample savings so we were able to afford the actual move and still have an emergency fund.
If you’re moving to a high cost of living city, even if you do have a job lined up, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty in savings. No matter how much you research the cost of living in a city in advance, you’re bound to get some things wrong. For example, we drastically underestimated how much it would cost for us to license and register our car in Washington State (approximately $2000!). Fortunately, we had savings and could pay the bill.
Saving is a great way to be able to afford options. If you’re having a difficult time saving money, you can always consider starting a side hustle to earn extra cash.
Do you live in a high cost of living city? Or have you considered moving to one? What advice do you have?
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