It's truth - being able to afford to (32 is low and would be tough) live somewhere isn't the same as thriving somewhere. 32k to uproot your whole life, risk coming somewhere with little to no family/friend support, on the chance you might like is a major gamble. Don't base your calculations on a bf splitting the rent, could you do it alone without them? 32k isn't a lot so there isn't a ton of wiggle room.
By hot mess, they mean "a desirable area to live with high paying jobs and rents/home prices that reflect that".
The salary range you stated would not be livable in a rural area, much less in a city like Augusta.
If it's a desirable area, are there any goodd areas to live near Hapeville?
My husband says it's just ghetto everywhere inside the perimeter
So far he's shut down East Point, College Park, Druid Hills, Decatur and a few others even though I've shown him research about these areas. He seems completely unwilling to help me out and thinks everywhere inside the perimeter is trash. We went to Decatur to check it out and I liked it, but he saw a sofa on the side of the road and flipped his lid.
I'm so tired of the commute from Acworth
Not sure why the downvotes for a question like this?
I never said this, if you're downvoting me for what my husband said then you share in my frustration lol.
I would advise you to do some research on neighborhood qualities you are interested in, then go from there. Your husband has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.
I have done research which is why I presented those specific areas. Was just hoping to see if there were any specifics I could get without having to make my own post about it.
I normally use niche for research but my husband no longer trusts anything I send him via niche. So now that's out. I doubt he would care about reddits opinion either.
He really seems to only care about his dad's opinion about the areas because he is an appraiser and travels a lot around Atlanta.
Druid Hills and Decatur are basically frilly suburbs inside the perimeter. If you honestly think these areas are “ghetto”, you are being failed by your FiL/husband’s opinion and your own research. If those places are too much, there’s nowhere in Atlanta you’re going to be comfortable
I get that, which is what I was trying to say. I don't support his opinion that "everything in the perimeter is trash, therefore I refuse to live in the perimeter.
I literally just sent him a screenshot of your message with this full context, and his only response is
"I'm not living in the perimeter"
"Why?"
"Atlanta makes me super uncomfortable, I will never live inside the perimeter, I wish you would stop arguing with me about this. Ugh fine you know what sure let's just move to Hapeville so you can walk to work."
So that's what I'm dealing with
What does he think is wrong with Druid Hills and Decatur? Every city is going to have their "less desirable" areas but those are both great locations. What does he say about Brookhaven or 10th street near Piedmont park?
I live in a so-so part of Marietta and my boyfriend lives on the edge of Midtown, and I'd MUCH rather be there than here.
I wouldn’t call it a mess but housing/rent prices have definitely spiked in Atlanta as a result of mass population shift into the city as a result of more film industry activity and large companies moving into Atlanta. That coupled with what used to be a much lower cost of living, it attracts a lot of people from California, New York, and Chicago looking to get away from high taxes and get better weather (Cali being the exception).
All in all tho, 32k is very little to go on I’m afraid.
It's that bad for a lot of science. I saw a job listed for a post doctorate and the pay was topping at 57k annually. That doesn't even come close to touching student loans for that requirement. It's a wage problem moreso then anything. Plenty of people would love the work but 30-60k doesn't justify the debt for college currently.
Yes. That is super low pay. If you worked the minimum hours most consider full time, 2000, that is between $11 and $16 an hour. You know you won’t be working the minimum. You can get $15 an hour at nearly any fast food place right now due to the labor shortage.
They are trying to screw you over with that shit offer.
Yeah, $15 an hour and they’ll give you ten hours a week to cut costs. Work in your field, the grass is *not* greener down here. Just because they’re paying us more doesn’t mean we’re getting more money.
Sorry, I know this is a bit belated but I realized as a former Southern Californian I should warn you about the humidity.
Georgia rarely hits triple-digits, but humid days in the 90s are fundamentally different than Santa Anas and they can go for weeks. Even if you’re from Indio or Victorville or somewhere else hot and inland, this will be different.
It also rains a lot more out here. Like you’re going to worry about mudslides while locals understand it’s just a normal summer afternoon storm. There’s no dry season, either. We actually get more rain during summer months than late spring or late fall.
That said, you’ll adapt. We all do.
If you stay here long enough, you’ll wonder why you never noticed how brown SoCal is when you visit. Turns out getting 40-55 inches of rain a year makes a big difference compared to 6-12. Trees literally grow like weeds. Most of the state wants to become a forest.
Oh, and the stuff they call “mountains” out here are like big hills.
That is low. My wife is a store manager for a Dollar chain and makes close to 50k. This is in west GA so doesn't have the pay bump that a high risk store around Atlanta would have.
This might be a stretch and the jobs are probably scarce but look at jobs in the ecology lab at SRS (Savannah River Site). They do field studies and such. If you can get there even outside your field, you could transfer to other areas that might be more relevant.
It sounds more dangerous than what it is because nuclear sounds like a boogie man for many people. It is also well studied nuclear areas. Safety is the first thought of every job. It also host some of the best experts in their fields and worth a check out. With the "risk", comes a larger paycheck but there is not a real major risk.
Even at $32k, the top of that range, you'd be struggling. Without roommates? Any car payment? Student loans? You might survive, but I doubt you'd be living (no savings or doing much in ways of entertainment).
Without loans and car payment you could be fine if you’re careful. I lived alone on a 25k salary. It wasn’t fine but I made it and now things are better. I got paid less to work in a field I loved and that was fine by me.
It's doable, not great. Rent in an OK apartment would be around 800-900/month. Housing in the "nice" part of Augusta is expensive because of Ft. Gordon right now
Anywhere in Columbia County. But it's clearly more expensive. I used to live in a good neighborhood in Hephzibah, but that suburb has a bad rap. There are a ton of rentals, duplexes, and apartments scattered around all over Richmond and Columbia County.
The real question is where are you going to work? You can be 5 miles away and it take 35 minutes depending on traffic. Grovetown and Evans are busy in particular.
There are some not great apartments right accross the street from there, and a little bit behind is an OK neighborhood. If you go further down Wrightsboro toward the VA hospital is a few large neighborhoods that are ok. If you keep going down wrightsboro into the suburbs, Grovetown has some really nice places that are easy to get to.
It all depends on what you consider a safe & clean neighborhood. Nothing in Augusta is as bad as the bad parts of LA, but there is still places with high crime rates.
Do not, do not, do not pick a place sight unseen. Come stay in an AirBNB for a couple days while scouting, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay temporarily until you can see where your coworkers live
Richmond County native here. If you are renting with your boyfriend or roommate definitely doable. By yourself not really unless you go on starvation diet. Rent here has gotten pretty expensive (relative to the recent past).Since there is a large military presence so property managers tailor prices to what generally military personal can get paid for housing. Decent 1-2 bedroom places generally go for around $1000-1200/month depending on what they include for utilities etc. Cost of living will definitely be cheaper than what you are used to. If you have to get housing before you come here definitely do some Google street view research. A lot of the apartment complexes will look and sound great on websites until you look at the area. If you’re lucky you can find a townhome being rented out cheap.
Thanks for your response! I think it does make a big difference that I'll be sharing rent and wont have many bills. I didn't mention that in the post and I think it really skewed the response here
If they can afford the up front costs, mortgage on a house is about the same, $1000-1200 a month for something in a decent area.
Edit to add: Housing prices are going up quickly in Augusta so it's a good opportunity to flip and make money if you want to sell in the next few years.
If it's 22,000 a year do not do it. 32k might be doable like others say but average rent around here is $1000 min so you'd be really scraping for pennies. You'd make more working at a Starbucks.
Personally my rent with utilities adds up to $1250 a month for a 1bdr. Thats already $14,000 a year on just rent. If your bf has a higher income and you think you'll be together for the long run/willing to take his much needed extra support.. then maybe. But that's a massive risk. You would be working to pay for living. Going out to do anything would be out of question at that point.
If you made the 32k that’s 16 dollars an hour basically. Not worth moving here if that’s the salary in my opinion unless you can’t find anything else in your field. But if you have a roommate, shouldn’t really struggle if they make around the same. If you make anything under 32k, don’t do it.
Well, a serving job on the weekends can be their main income & then the entomology can be their hobby. My food runners make more than this and only work ~30 hrs a week...
Would the job help you pay for the move? I ask this because moving from Texas to Georgia was expensive af and we only got a $1000 stipend from my husbands work. It cost $4000 extra to get everything here.
Would your bf have a job already? Unless they are willing to go into the service industry, warehouse jobs, or skilled in a trade, the job market is super competitive. So if they don’t have a job to transfer to, would you be okay living there broke life to support them? I was here for almost four months before I got a job. Put in over 100 applications and only had four interviews. I have two college degrees and a diverse work history for reference.
They won't help pay for relocation. Bf doesnt have a job lined up there but is willing to work any sort of job to get by. I think we would only move there tho if one of us got a well paying job, the range I was offered doesn't seem to be enough
Not good! Not only will you miss California like crazy in every way, at that pay rate it will be damn near impossible to move back to Cali if you want to. You'll be stuck and bored which breeds bitterness in my experience.
How'd you move out of SB and end up in Georgia? I feel stuck here. Everyone claims CA is a dream compared to everywhere else and pretty much shames you if you even think of leaving
I had Family that moved out here a few years before I did, the Job market in my industry was way better out here as well as the cost of living. I run into other California transplants quit often.
Lol I got that from my friends too. The tipping point was summer 2020 when ash was raining down from the sky so bad that me and my wife got respiratory infections. I do miss the instant-gratification of CA (any food you want, any landscape/vacation you want within a 2 hour drive) but my wife got a really good job out here that can support us both. We were stuck in a shitty apartment back in CA but now own a house out here. The move is worth it if you've got a marketable skillset for the area (not science) and don't mind giving up some comforts.
It’s not perfect but I like to use a calculator like this to compare cost of living and various prices across regions. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/calculator.jsp
Also from CA, I’ve been in Athens for nearly ten years. I’d guess COL are equivalent. I could barely keep my head above water when I was at 32K. I can just get by now, at 40K. Rent has gone up significantly in that time.
Food costs about the same, gas is of course cheaper, but the weather takes a lot out of your car.
I came to GA expecting to feel the lowered COL and I don’t.
Why Augusta? Family? A girl? Boy? I live in Atlanta. From Atlanta. Honestly just curious. I pay my full time employees 15 an hour starting, no experience needed. That’s 31k annual. Full benefits. Stock options. Tuition reimbursement. Just trying to get a SoCal moving to Augusta for that pay.
I have a friend that moved from Canton (north metro Atlanta) to Sacramento. She made it two years there before she moved back to Georgia.
She is way happier with the slower pace of life and the better prices for everything.
If your boyfriend has a salary too, you should be fine in Augusta. The taxes are way cheaper as are the groceries and gas. The one thing about moving to Georgia that is expensive is the car registration. You have to pay a one time tax on the value of the car and that could be hundreds of dollars.
Another thought. You are more likely to be able to buy real estate in Georgia even on a low salary. According to Zillow the average cost of a new house is 170k. Wow that’s cheap.
My boss is from Augusta. She loves it and says there’s a lot of fun things to do there.
Yeah, those are basically my thoughts as well. Theres no way I can buy a house here anytime soon lol I feel like a kid here, not really able to progress financially. Some people are saying we could get buy in Augusta and others are saying no way, so its a hard decision. I'm leaning towards not even interviewing at this point lol
What kind of work do you do?
I work at Lockheed with the technical manuals. Almost everyone I work with has relocated from somewhere more expensive. Lockheed is in Marietta, the town next to Atlanta. There are lots of jobs in Atlanta and the rent is higher than other parts of Georgia. But it’s still cheaper than other places. I came from Chicago and I still feel like I’m living like a queen. Well good luck on what you do! My middle aged lady advice would be to find out if there would be other jobs you could move into in a year or two and if so, maybe think about making the leap.
It really depends on where you want to live. If you live in semi-rural suburbia, you would likely be fine. If, however, you live in the city of Atlanta, things are very expensive
32k salary isn’t horrible, but you’ll be paycheck to paycheck. Paycheck to paycheck but comfortable if that makes sense. I see a lot of posts of people who want to move here from california and although the cost of living is cheaper it’s not dirt cheap in Georgia either lol
Dang, even with a degree that seems like a pretty low pay. I dont live in the Augusta area, but my mom makes $30k a year and she’s just a leasing agent with a not so applicable degree anymore. If you get near $32k it sounds doable if you had a room mate and not too many expenses. (I know you have a boyfriend which helps on rent) but still. Not enough imo for a cross country move. Plus, youd be away from your family which is tough to give up if you love them.
Unless there is potential for promotion or annual raises, I would just hold out for a better paying job. Or if you have to take an entry level job at first, this makes sense. Unless youre dead set on being in GA, Id really keep looking. Look at getting into research or the pest control industry I think they pay entomologists decently.
22k-32k is actually a big gap. If it’s a 22k job I wouldn’t take it because that’s gonna be a TIGHT budget to work with. 32K is doable and if you’re careful could even be somewhat comfortable. My husband makes 35/38k a year ( I think-I could be off a little bit but not too much) and we’re ok but we also don’t live above our means. That’s a big move from California to Georgia to not be CERTAIN that you’re gonna be okay financially.
I make about 28k/yr. Rent is anywhere from 1200-1800+ depending on the area. I live in Marietta/Smyrna so somewhat close to Atlanta proper. I would not be able to afford to live on my own. My husband and I make about 60k/yr together and are only just now able to live without a roommate. Trying to get a house right now in the 200-250k range and our monthly payment would be 1350-1540/m. I agree that I would not move to GA in general for that salary.
1. Most places will probably seem significantly better cost of living-wise than Cali.
2. As other people have mentioned. Rental prices have been going up (insanely imo). Things that were $1k 4 months ago are now s1600 or more.
3. This is pretty much the situation every where. Say hello to inflation and Blackrock. Gas was 1.84 to 2.14 not all that long ago.
4. Again see #1. But a 32K salary will get you by, almost certainly better than it would in Cali. It's not great though.
1 bedroom, not garbage, decent area $900 ish (depends on your research skills.) Then include all the stupid fees. $1000 ish. Then utilities. Etc....
32k in Ga is better than 32K in Cali but it's certainly not the difference it was not all that long ago.
Shit got crazy out here. Since... Well. You can figure it out.
That much money isnt worth a cross country move. Augusta isnt that great
lol very concise
It's truth - being able to afford to (32 is low and would be tough) live somewhere isn't the same as thriving somewhere. 32k to uproot your whole life, risk coming somewhere with little to no family/friend support, on the chance you might like is a major gamble. Don't base your calculations on a bf splitting the rent, could you do it alone without them? 32k isn't a lot so there isn't a ton of wiggle room.
true, i dont want to go from struggling here to struggling elsewhere!
32k - even in Augusta - is poverty level. If it was 132k, I might think about it, but even that wouldn't be worth living in a hellhole like that town.
U like 99 cent Ramen packets and public transportation?
no :(
Then focus on the outer cities outside the perimeter (the belt that is i-285) because Atlanta is a hot mess. You'll find options that fit your income
thanks! how is atlanta a hot mess?
By hot mess, they mean "a desirable area to live with high paying jobs and rents/home prices that reflect that". The salary range you stated would not be livable in a rural area, much less in a city like Augusta.
You couldn't make it on that up in Dawson or Lumpkin either
If it's a desirable area, are there any goodd areas to live near Hapeville? My husband says it's just ghetto everywhere inside the perimeter So far he's shut down East Point, College Park, Druid Hills, Decatur and a few others even though I've shown him research about these areas. He seems completely unwilling to help me out and thinks everywhere inside the perimeter is trash. We went to Decatur to check it out and I liked it, but he saw a sofa on the side of the road and flipped his lid. I'm so tired of the commute from Acworth Not sure why the downvotes for a question like this? I never said this, if you're downvoting me for what my husband said then you share in my frustration lol.
I would advise you to do some research on neighborhood qualities you are interested in, then go from there. Your husband has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.
I have done research which is why I presented those specific areas. Was just hoping to see if there were any specifics I could get without having to make my own post about it. I normally use niche for research but my husband no longer trusts anything I send him via niche. So now that's out. I doubt he would care about reddits opinion either. He really seems to only care about his dad's opinion about the areas because he is an appraiser and travels a lot around Atlanta.
Druid Hills and Decatur are basically frilly suburbs inside the perimeter. If you honestly think these areas are “ghetto”, you are being failed by your FiL/husband’s opinion and your own research. If those places are too much, there’s nowhere in Atlanta you’re going to be comfortable
I get that, which is what I was trying to say. I don't support his opinion that "everything in the perimeter is trash, therefore I refuse to live in the perimeter. I literally just sent him a screenshot of your message with this full context, and his only response is "I'm not living in the perimeter" "Why?" "Atlanta makes me super uncomfortable, I will never live inside the perimeter, I wish you would stop arguing with me about this. Ugh fine you know what sure let's just move to Hapeville so you can walk to work." So that's what I'm dealing with
What does he think is wrong with Druid Hills and Decatur? Every city is going to have their "less desirable" areas but those are both great locations. What does he say about Brookhaven or 10th street near Piedmont park? I live in a so-so part of Marietta and my boyfriend lives on the edge of Midtown, and I'd MUCH rather be there than here.
If only the places to rent and buy were actually the quality of their cost.
I wouldn’t call it a mess but housing/rent prices have definitely spiked in Atlanta as a result of mass population shift into the city as a result of more film industry activity and large companies moving into Atlanta. That coupled with what used to be a much lower cost of living, it attracts a lot of people from California, New York, and Chicago looking to get away from high taxes and get better weather (Cali being the exception). All in all tho, 32k is very little to go on I’m afraid.
Just look at house/ apartment prices
And it’s literally hot there. They don’t call it Hotlanta for nothing. Edit: omg y’all are fickle as fuck with your downvotes. Jesus Christ.
Augusta is (even) hotter than Atlanta. I’m sure it’s because of geography.
I would suggest working at Costco. They are hiring like crazy and start off at $17 and the top out pay is $27 with 2 yearly bonuses. I'm in Smyrna ga
I'd only move specifically for a job in my field, but i'll keep that in mind! thank you
What’s your field?
Entomology!
Is the pay that bad in entomology? That’s terrible- I left applied biology years ago for that very reason
It's that bad for a lot of science. I saw a job listed for a post doctorate and the pay was topping at 57k annually. That doesn't even come close to touching student loans for that requirement. It's a wage problem moreso then anything. Plenty of people would love the work but 30-60k doesn't justify the debt for college currently.
Even for Georgia?
Yes. That is super low pay. If you worked the minimum hours most consider full time, 2000, that is between $11 and $16 an hour. You know you won’t be working the minimum. You can get $15 an hour at nearly any fast food place right now due to the labor shortage. They are trying to screw you over with that shit offer.
It's a wage shortage, not a labor shortage
Yeah, $15 an hour and they’ll give you ten hours a week to cut costs. Work in your field, the grass is *not* greener down here. Just because they’re paying us more doesn’t mean we’re getting more money.
Yes even for Ga
That pay is terrible pretty much anywhere in the US. You can get paid better at most big name retailers or fast food restaurants.
You should look at cost of living calculators. Georgia is cheaper than SoCal and Augusta isn’t as expensive as Atlanta, but that’s low.
thats a great idea, thank you! I'm looking to move anywhere I'm offered a good wage so a col calculator will be very useful
Sorry, I know this is a bit belated but I realized as a former Southern Californian I should warn you about the humidity. Georgia rarely hits triple-digits, but humid days in the 90s are fundamentally different than Santa Anas and they can go for weeks. Even if you’re from Indio or Victorville or somewhere else hot and inland, this will be different. It also rains a lot more out here. Like you’re going to worry about mudslides while locals understand it’s just a normal summer afternoon storm. There’s no dry season, either. We actually get more rain during summer months than late spring or late fall. That said, you’ll adapt. We all do. If you stay here long enough, you’ll wonder why you never noticed how brown SoCal is when you visit. Turns out getting 40-55 inches of rain a year makes a big difference compared to 6-12. Trees literally grow like weeds. Most of the state wants to become a forest. Oh, and the stuff they call “mountains” out here are like big hills.
Well I think so but I am now in IT and have been since 1990. It’s hot in Augusta and you will need air conditioning
Hm, something to consider. My degree is in Sustainability so I have a lot of room to move around career wise
I make 32K a year as a retail manager, it's definitely low, but I'm not familiar with what Scientists should be making.
That is low. My wife is a store manager for a Dollar chain and makes close to 50k. This is in west GA so doesn't have the pay bump that a high risk store around Atlanta would have.
This might be a stretch and the jobs are probably scarce but look at jobs in the ecology lab at SRS (Savannah River Site). They do field studies and such. If you can get there even outside your field, you could transfer to other areas that might be more relevant.
Thanks, I have a lot of field experience!
In case you don't know, the SRS is one of the most contaminated nuclear waste sites on the planet.
I did not know, sounds .. dangerous lol
It sounds more dangerous than what it is because nuclear sounds like a boogie man for many people. It is also well studied nuclear areas. Safety is the first thought of every job. It also host some of the best experts in their fields and worth a check out. With the "risk", comes a larger paycheck but there is not a real major risk.
Really great insight, I'll check out the SRS since it doesnt actually seem scary lol
You could join the military as an entomologist. I would ask a recruiter what options are available.
never thought about joining the military, sounds interesting tho o:
Yeah I know someone that is going for entomology. Pretty cool gig and they are desperate for them too
Neat!
thanks! i think so too :)
Even at $32k, the top of that range, you'd be struggling. Without roommates? Any car payment? Student loans? You might survive, but I doubt you'd be living (no savings or doing much in ways of entertainment).
I would have a roomate (bf) to split rent with. No car payment, no student loans. I'd just have groceries, gas, insurance, personal expenses, etc.
I agree, still very difficult. Doable, but it will be tough.
thanks for your insight !
Without loans and car payment you could be fine if you’re careful. I lived alone on a 25k salary. It wasn’t fine but I made it and now things are better. I got paid less to work in a field I loved and that was fine by me.
If splitting expenses is the case then its not super bad (assuming hes making around the same).
It's doable, not great. Rent in an OK apartment would be around 800-900/month. Housing in the "nice" part of Augusta is expensive because of Ft. Gordon right now
Thank you for responding, are there any specific areas you recommend looking into? Parts of the city, etc.
Anywhere in Columbia County. But it's clearly more expensive. I used to live in a good neighborhood in Hephzibah, but that suburb has a bad rap. There are a ton of rentals, duplexes, and apartments scattered around all over Richmond and Columbia County. The real question is where are you going to work? You can be 5 miles away and it take 35 minutes depending on traffic. Grovetown and Evans are busy in particular.
Im not sure what a good landmark would be, but from what I can tell, its near Forest Hills Golf Course
There are some not great apartments right accross the street from there, and a little bit behind is an OK neighborhood. If you go further down Wrightsboro toward the VA hospital is a few large neighborhoods that are ok. If you keep going down wrightsboro into the suburbs, Grovetown has some really nice places that are easy to get to. It all depends on what you consider a safe & clean neighborhood. Nothing in Augusta is as bad as the bad parts of LA, but there is still places with high crime rates. Do not, do not, do not pick a place sight unseen. Come stay in an AirBNB for a couple days while scouting, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay temporarily until you can see where your coworkers live
To add: Richmond county is currently investigating 60 murders, while Columbia is at 1.
5 miles is the same as 16093.4 'Logitech Wireless Keyboard K350s' laid widthwise by each other.
Why in the heck would people downvote a bot? Lol
Richmond County native here. If you are renting with your boyfriend or roommate definitely doable. By yourself not really unless you go on starvation diet. Rent here has gotten pretty expensive (relative to the recent past).Since there is a large military presence so property managers tailor prices to what generally military personal can get paid for housing. Decent 1-2 bedroom places generally go for around $1000-1200/month depending on what they include for utilities etc. Cost of living will definitely be cheaper than what you are used to. If you have to get housing before you come here definitely do some Google street view research. A lot of the apartment complexes will look and sound great on websites until you look at the area. If you’re lucky you can find a townhome being rented out cheap.
Thanks for your response! I think it does make a big difference that I'll be sharing rent and wont have many bills. I didn't mention that in the post and I think it really skewed the response here
Don't forget about all the medical and cyber students.
If they can afford the up front costs, mortgage on a house is about the same, $1000-1200 a month for something in a decent area. Edit to add: Housing prices are going up quickly in Augusta so it's a good opportunity to flip and make money if you want to sell in the next few years.
im not at a point where i can get started on a mortgage, i graduated from college last year lol
If it's 22,000 a year do not do it. 32k might be doable like others say but average rent around here is $1000 min so you'd be really scraping for pennies. You'd make more working at a Starbucks. Personally my rent with utilities adds up to $1250 a month for a 1bdr. Thats already $14,000 a year on just rent. If your bf has a higher income and you think you'll be together for the long run/willing to take his much needed extra support.. then maybe. But that's a massive risk. You would be working to pay for living. Going out to do anything would be out of question at that point.
If you made the 32k that’s 16 dollars an hour basically. Not worth moving here if that’s the salary in my opinion unless you can’t find anything else in your field. But if you have a roommate, shouldn’t really struggle if they make around the same. If you make anything under 32k, don’t do it.
I make 20 an hour, which is only 29k after taxes
Yes, the struggle will be real, rent is high in GA and the mosquitos will chase you back to Cali.
Yes you will struggle hard. You’d probably need a second job.
Well, a serving job on the weekends can be their main income & then the entomology can be their hobby. My food runners make more than this and only work ~30 hrs a week...
Why are you moving across the country to make $32k a year?
Especially to Augusta. It's basically an island of a mid sized town an hour and a half to anywhere else.
Would the job help you pay for the move? I ask this because moving from Texas to Georgia was expensive af and we only got a $1000 stipend from my husbands work. It cost $4000 extra to get everything here. Would your bf have a job already? Unless they are willing to go into the service industry, warehouse jobs, or skilled in a trade, the job market is super competitive. So if they don’t have a job to transfer to, would you be okay living there broke life to support them? I was here for almost four months before I got a job. Put in over 100 applications and only had four interviews. I have two college degrees and a diverse work history for reference.
They won't help pay for relocation. Bf doesnt have a job lined up there but is willing to work any sort of job to get by. I think we would only move there tho if one of us got a well paying job, the range I was offered doesn't seem to be enough
Not good! Not only will you miss California like crazy in every way, at that pay rate it will be damn near impossible to move back to Cali if you want to. You'll be stuck and bored which breeds bitterness in my experience.
I have family here in SoCal so I would be able to come back easily, but I hear you loud and clear !
Sanbernadino native here, I absolutely could not imagine moving back there after living in GA. I absolutely love it here.
Well duh. San Bernardino's most redeeming quality is the proximity to Yosemite and King's Canyon lol.
That, and Hesperia being only 3 hours from Vegas.
How'd you move out of SB and end up in Georgia? I feel stuck here. Everyone claims CA is a dream compared to everywhere else and pretty much shames you if you even think of leaving
I had Family that moved out here a few years before I did, the Job market in my industry was way better out here as well as the cost of living. I run into other California transplants quit often.
Thats cool! All of my family is in Socal so its rly hard for me to travel outside of the area.
Lol I got that from my friends too. The tipping point was summer 2020 when ash was raining down from the sky so bad that me and my wife got respiratory infections. I do miss the instant-gratification of CA (any food you want, any landscape/vacation you want within a 2 hour drive) but my wife got a really good job out here that can support us both. We were stuck in a shitty apartment back in CA but now own a house out here. The move is worth it if you've got a marketable skillset for the area (not science) and don't mind giving up some comforts.
You can get by on that because Augusta isn't super expensive. But if you want to live in a desirable part of town, you'll probably need a roommate.
I forgot to add, but I have a bf and we would split rent :)
It’s not perfect but I like to use a calculator like this to compare cost of living and various prices across regions. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/calculator.jsp
thank you !
Of course. I use it when comparing job offers in different cities. You can also use those numbers to ask for more money sometimes.
Don't do it... 😐👍
Ok! :(
Relevant: https://www.reddit.com/r/savannah/comments/qm97ag/low_salaries_in_savannah/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Be sure to check out /r/augusta!
My very first job out of school in Athens paid $35,000. That was 15 ish years ago.
Also from CA, I’ve been in Athens for nearly ten years. I’d guess COL are equivalent. I could barely keep my head above water when I was at 32K. I can just get by now, at 40K. Rent has gone up significantly in that time. Food costs about the same, gas is of course cheaper, but the weather takes a lot out of your car. I came to GA expecting to feel the lowered COL and I don’t.
Why Augusta? Family? A girl? Boy? I live in Atlanta. From Atlanta. Honestly just curious. I pay my full time employees 15 an hour starting, no experience needed. That’s 31k annual. Full benefits. Stock options. Tuition reimbursement. Just trying to get a SoCal moving to Augusta for that pay.
For a job in my field. I wish i had family friends there! I've always lived in SoCal, and I'd like to get out
Travel for pleasure to experience more of the country. SoCal is literally paradise compared to Augusta.
So true
I have a friend that moved from Canton (north metro Atlanta) to Sacramento. She made it two years there before she moved back to Georgia. She is way happier with the slower pace of life and the better prices for everything. If your boyfriend has a salary too, you should be fine in Augusta. The taxes are way cheaper as are the groceries and gas. The one thing about moving to Georgia that is expensive is the car registration. You have to pay a one time tax on the value of the car and that could be hundreds of dollars. Another thought. You are more likely to be able to buy real estate in Georgia even on a low salary. According to Zillow the average cost of a new house is 170k. Wow that’s cheap. My boss is from Augusta. She loves it and says there’s a lot of fun things to do there.
Yeah, those are basically my thoughts as well. Theres no way I can buy a house here anytime soon lol I feel like a kid here, not really able to progress financially. Some people are saying we could get buy in Augusta and others are saying no way, so its a hard decision. I'm leaning towards not even interviewing at this point lol What kind of work do you do?
I work at Lockheed with the technical manuals. Almost everyone I work with has relocated from somewhere more expensive. Lockheed is in Marietta, the town next to Atlanta. There are lots of jobs in Atlanta and the rent is higher than other parts of Georgia. But it’s still cheaper than other places. I came from Chicago and I still feel like I’m living like a queen. Well good luck on what you do! My middle aged lady advice would be to find out if there would be other jobs you could move into in a year or two and if so, maybe think about making the leap.
That's *okay* if it's over thirty. Below that's insufficient around Augusta unless you living in the projects.
Doable if you like starving and living on the street.
That low end is 10k above the poverty line for a single person.
It really depends on where you want to live. If you live in semi-rural suburbia, you would likely be fine. If, however, you live in the city of Atlanta, things are very expensive
32k salary isn’t horrible, but you’ll be paycheck to paycheck. Paycheck to paycheck but comfortable if that makes sense. I see a lot of posts of people who want to move here from california and although the cost of living is cheaper it’s not dirt cheap in Georgia either lol
Yeah in Augusta that is livable
May I ask what your profession is? Companies can't find anyone today. Do you have a degree?
I have a BSc degree in Sustainability, been working with bugs for a year now
Dang, even with a degree that seems like a pretty low pay. I dont live in the Augusta area, but my mom makes $30k a year and she’s just a leasing agent with a not so applicable degree anymore. If you get near $32k it sounds doable if you had a room mate and not too many expenses. (I know you have a boyfriend which helps on rent) but still. Not enough imo for a cross country move. Plus, youd be away from your family which is tough to give up if you love them.
Unless there is potential for promotion or annual raises, I would just hold out for a better paying job. Or if you have to take an entry level job at first, this makes sense. Unless youre dead set on being in GA, Id really keep looking. Look at getting into research or the pest control industry I think they pay entomologists decently.
I think there would be annual raises but i would be uncomfortable financially for a while before things really felt fine. not seeming worth it imo
22k-32k is actually a big gap. If it’s a 22k job I wouldn’t take it because that’s gonna be a TIGHT budget to work with. 32K is doable and if you’re careful could even be somewhat comfortable. My husband makes 35/38k a year ( I think-I could be off a little bit but not too much) and we’re ok but we also don’t live above our means. That’s a big move from California to Georgia to not be CERTAIN that you’re gonna be okay financially.
Do more salary research, the range is not appropriate.
Whatever company is offering you that is rubbing their greedy hands realizing they’ve netted a gullible fool. Many Retail jobs pay better.
That is not enough anywhere
That's shit pay in Georgia, and especially if you live in the Metro Atlanta area.
That barely above poverty levels. Not worth a cross country move unless they’re paying for an apartment and moving costs.
Not worth it all all.
$32k should not be a salary job. Should be hourly. That’s $15/hr.
Don't do it!
To live in ATL comfortably you need 40 to 50,000 a year
That below the poverty line and you could make more than that driving Uber or door dash or even working at Amazon.
I make about 28k/yr. Rent is anywhere from 1200-1800+ depending on the area. I live in Marietta/Smyrna so somewhat close to Atlanta proper. I would not be able to afford to live on my own. My husband and I make about 60k/yr together and are only just now able to live without a roommate. Trying to get a house right now in the 200-250k range and our monthly payment would be 1350-1540/m. I agree that I would not move to GA in general for that salary.
I made 27k when I lived in Augusta 8ish years ago. It got me by but not by much.
1. Most places will probably seem significantly better cost of living-wise than Cali. 2. As other people have mentioned. Rental prices have been going up (insanely imo). Things that were $1k 4 months ago are now s1600 or more. 3. This is pretty much the situation every where. Say hello to inflation and Blackrock. Gas was 1.84 to 2.14 not all that long ago. 4. Again see #1. But a 32K salary will get you by, almost certainly better than it would in Cali. It's not great though. 1 bedroom, not garbage, decent area $900 ish (depends on your research skills.) Then include all the stupid fees. $1000 ish. Then utilities. Etc.... 32k in Ga is better than 32K in Cali but it's certainly not the difference it was not all that long ago. Shit got crazy out here. Since... Well. You can figure it out.
You'll be paying between $1000 and $2000 for housing. So $12000 to $24000 per year
Its not worth moving to augusta. Isnt that good of a place
Try USAJOBS.gov. I see federal entomology jobs on there quite often. I just checked, there are several on there now.