NY, Specifically Long Island Moms...Help!!

Look for housing in Levittown. Nice starter homes, some have been dormered. There are town pools throughout so no need for an expensive bacyard pool. There is a bus that runs through Levittown which will tske you to two railroad stations. Decent schools (although Island Trees was infamous in the 70s for trying to ban books). Good luck!

Also, you need to factor in the new york state income tax, which was 15% when we moved away.

Long Island is expensive. Property Taxes alone are huge. 9-13,000 depending where you are. Houses go for anywhere from 750,000 to 1.2 million, again depending where you are, but for the most part, these is the ball park figures. You will have good schools because of that, but I personally don't think it's worth it. Depending on where in Long Island, you have a postage stamp worth space of property, or no basements in the home or you are by water. I have relatives in Massapequa and Massapequa Park. Do your research, it is after all New York you are moving to and it is one of the most expensive states on the eastern seaboard. The extra money he makes will go to the things you will now need.......a car, as you will need one to get around as a SAHM. You will either need a 2nd car for him to drive in or 300.00 a month for LIRR and possible parking of the car. So do your homework, 'cuz all those little extra's add up right quick and before you know it there is no extra cash where you thought there might be. Good luck.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/19/real_estate/highest_prope...

I guess it depends on housing. What kind of mortgage do you think you can handle monthly and go from there. Taxes are really high out there. Not sure what they are like where you are now, but Long Island and Westchester have some of the highest taxes nationwide. Something to think about.

Mom, we have turned down jobs in NYC because of the cost of living there. I know Long Island is cheaper than, say, the financial district, but honestly? No, don't take the job or the move...

There is a website you can try. Bankrate.com. We used this when we were moving from the TX to PA. It will give you a good idea of the cost of living difference. I've lived in LI and I have family there and I just want to warn you that housing and taxes are sky high there. My husband actually turned down a job in the same salary range as you because of the high cost of living there. Good luck with your decision!!

I used to live in that general area but it's been too long for me to comment on costs. I will say though that traffic is something else to consider. It was years ago I lived there and even then, constant complaints about traffic. I'd think it's worse now. The beaches are great though. Offset is it's in general a high cost, high pressure kind of area... I lived in NYC and it seemed like the people who chose LI did so bc of family and roots there. I know that salary in westchester, NJ or CT 45 min from the city would not be great at all. So logically the radius of cost should be similar in long island's direction.

I live on the east end of Long Island, where the property taxes are low, but the cost of goods and services can be high.

I think getting by on a salary of $110K-$120K is going to be tough. I make a little south of that, but I bought my house when prices were still relatively affordable and I only have me and a son to support.

You might be able to look out in the Manorville/Commack areas and those might be slightly cheaper than further west, but that makes for a big commute. Do you have to live on L.I. or can you look in other areas too? A lot of people I know live in Jersey.

I know this isn't scientific but found this:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-island/1578584-how-mu...

For what it's worth my kids live in Long Island, a family of 3. He's a carpenter and a pastor, she's a SAHM who's homeschooling, their income is far below $110,000. They have nice cars, but rent, they're saving to buy a home, have just my grandson but are planning to adopt another child. My understanding is it's expensive there.

You may have to research each item on it's own to come up with a tally...housing costs, utilities, etc., plus have your husband ask his employer what info they have that can help.

we left long island 4 months ago. thank god. on top of high property taxes, we still had to pay tuition for private school because public schools are not good. living on 120k is not going to work. the place is just too expensive.

I would be hard pressed to move to NY. I live in southern FL and there are many New Yorkers down here. All I ever hear is how expensive it is in NY. To the point that SoFla seems relatively cheap (and it's not!).

That being said, there is nothing like NYC. What an amazing place to explore.

Is it possible for you guys to vacation there for a week? I would visit neighborhoods, grocery stores, schools, the works. See if you can pick up a vibe about it.

Good luck.

My husband and I live on Long Island. We are a little east of Hicksville. We make approximately $160,000 COMBINED and we get by. We have one daughter, a dog, have our daughter in activities, etc. Do we wish for more? Sure, sometimes. But Long Island has a lot to offer and there are ALOT of good, quality school districts (contrary to some other posts). The cost of living is definitely high and there have been times when I wish we lived somewhere cheaper! PM me for more info if you want. Good luck!

I suggest that you can get helpful information by googling New York, NY, Long Island, etc. I've used Chamber of Commerce sites for info on cities and they have contained cost of living descriptions.

Have you looked at rentals or house sellers? Rent/house payment should be no more than 30% of your take home salary. Use a budget planning site and fill in the numbers to give you help.

Perhaps your husband could talk with someone with whom he'll be working to find out what it costs them.