What are your housing expenses?

[thecrazyscot]

We're moving this summer from near Greenville, SC to just outside of Washington, DC.

The cost of living difference is huge.

We're paying for a 2BR/2BA apartment right now for $697/mo, and a comparable unit where we're looking runs at least $1650/mo. We're renting, although I would much prefer to buy. Unfortunately not in a position to do so yet.

Got me curious, how much does CFCers' housing cost around the world?

 

[warpus]

I pay about $980 Canadian ($760 US or so) for my mortgage, for a duplex with 3 bedrooms, 3 stories, a finished basement, attached garage, and decently sized backyard, not including any bills or property taxes. in 2.5 years my payments are going to drop by $200 or $300, so that is going to be sweet.

Mind you I took a big risk and bought the place in 2008, during the financial crapstorm. Back then I was paying $1150 or so a month, before taxes, etc. And 2 hours away lies Toronto, where you have to spend like a million to buy a house these days. Or something crazy like that.

 

[sophie]

Probably moving into a room in an apartment for the summer which will run me $900/mo. Gotta love that Bay Area cost of living.

 

[Zelig]

12% of my income.

Renting, no plan on ever buying, I'll be making enough from investments to pay for my rent before most of my peers have paid off their mortgages.

 

[Kennigit]

I spend way too much for my needs (i rent a 2 br 1 bath for just me) but i like my place.

I spend 1.25 weeks of take home salary a month

 

[warpus]

12% of my income.

Renting, no plan on ever buying, I'll be making enough from investments to pay for my rent before most of my peers have paid off their mortgages.

Offtopic, but what sort of investments? Easy to get started?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I do odd jobs and household maintenance in return for a roof over my head.

 

[jackelgull]

I do odd jobs and household maintenance in return for a roof over my head.

I always pictured you more as a mobile vagabond. Just a man and his trailer truck making his way around the USA.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I always pictured you more as a mobile vagabond. Just a man and his trailer truck making his way around the USA.

I sort of started out that way, but the trailer requires registration and runs afoul of parking restrictions and gets one involved with people who designate themselves as authorities, so I divested myself of the trailer.

 

[Antilogic]

At the moment I rent for around $1,330 per month for a 312 sq. ft. studio in downtown Boston, all utilities included.

Will be moving to a new job in a few months, don't have a figure for that yet.

 

[Zelig]

Offtopic, but what sort of investments? Easy to get started?

Canadian Couch Potato is my standard recommendation for Canadians looking to get started.

I trade somewhat more actively, but need to review which broker I'm going to use going forward, so can't give recommendations for that at the moment.

 

[thecrazyscot]

Interesting article.

In New York City's borough of the Bronx, the typical household spends nearly 66% of their monthly income to rent a three-bedroom house -- by far the highest percentage of any U.S. county, RealtyTrac found.

...[R]enters have been getting squeezed on another front: Real income -- income after inflation is taken into account -- has fallen some 14% over the past six years, according to Chris Herbert, the research director at Harvard's housing studies center.

In a report released in December, the center found that nearly one in four renters were devoting more than 50% of their income toward rent, forcing some to make "dire" cutbacks in spending on food, health care and retirement.

 

[Borachio]

I paid £52,000 for a 3 bed semi-detached house in 1994, and I've lived here ever since.

I don't have a clue what my housing expenses are. When something needs repairing, I repair it. Eventually.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

$575/mo 2bd/1.5ba

 

[Cutlass]

At the moment I rent for around $1,330 per month for a 312 sq. ft. studio in downtown Boston, all utilities included.

Will be moving to a new job in a few months, don't have a figure for that yet.

My last apartment was $425/month with heat and water for just under 500 sqft.

Where and what's the new job?

 

[really]

€0 per month.

My wife and I moved into a small house owned by my parents. We are saving to build ouour own house at some point in the next few years.

 

[Antilogic]

Where and what's the new job?

Still figuring that part out.

 

[The_J]

830€ exclusive gas/water/electricity, which is 45% of my salary, for 2 bedrooms, 1 living room/kitchen, 1 bath, 1 toilet, 95m², in a small Dutch university city.
Which is way more than I should be paying (what's the average number...like 33% of your salary), but finding something cheaper is difficult here, and I'm too lazy to move all that crap.

 

[Tahuti]

830€ exclusive gas/water/electricity, which is 45% of my salary, for 2 bedrooms, 1 living room/kitchen, 1 bath, 1 toilet, 95m², in a small Dutch university city.

Let me guess, you live in either Delft, Groningen or Wageningen?

Anyway, I pay slightly over €300 for a 15m² room with a kitchen. Only thing I have to share with some-else are the bathrooms. When I am on a gig, the piece of the pie that goes into rent costs is pretty much non-existent.

 

[illram]

$2,500/month for a 2BR 2 Bath apartment. San Francisco. Rent controlled. Big place sunny place (for the city anyways) with a nice view about a mile and a half from Ocean Beach. This is waaay under market though, especially for this particular square footage. Big enough for two kids; my wife and I joke that we will be leaving this place feet first. (Morbid Social worker joke for in a coroner's body bag).

Our prior tiny 1 bedroom was $1,600/month when we rented it in 2010-ish; when we left asking price in our building for the same tiny little 1BR apartment was over $3,500. Our kid's first "bedroom" in that place was... a closet. There was a Facebook and Google bus stop nearby and Target moved into an old abandoned shopping center which made rent prices go bananas. The San Francisco rental and housing market is beyond crazy.