Battle of the towns, best/worst towns in residency

Ok, SOOO who thinks they've made it out the best or worst living wise (finacially) in residency.

I'll go with a guess: Best town maybe Atlanta ,GA (seems like low cost of living, new homes under 150), good schools

Worst town: hummmm I'll guess Sanfransico or New York


I'm guess cause I ain't there yet

Anyone else what to play. Defend/or trash your town


eta: I assume though that this doesn't mean it'd be your pick when out of residency, I'm hoping for Vail Colorado j/j

[Vishenka69]

I think NY scares many, but it's really not bad. I guess it's not doable if there are kids involved and neither spouse is working, but totally doable if there's at least one income. All NY'ers on this board have done it (or in the process) on only one income. You may have to rent while you're here, but at least you're not adding mortgage to the already high pile of student loans. I'm sure San Fran or any other expensive town is the same.

What is it like renting in NYC? I visited a friend in the East Village, who was paying $1500 a month in 2001, let me say I was not impressed, graffity all over her apt, old as can be with 3 layers of flooring as you made your way up to her place, she had to stuff news paper in the windows to keep it insulated, and it was well, small - to be expected. Now on $40 or even $48 how could one afford that? Do these residencies have special housing?

Just mystified how ones survives!

[rainbabies]

the residency program here has housing for students and residents. they have two apartment complexes (nice) and they own houses....all within walking distance to one of the hospitals. nice neighborhood, decent prices and a great little "community feel"

we dont live there ....no pets allowed.

[Vanquisher]

Coulmbia is very low cost of living. You can get a house here for less than 150K. In fact, you can get a new 3 bedroom (1500 sq. feet) single home for 120K. Our house is 2200 sq. ft, 4 beds, 2.5 baths, and we paid well, well below 200K. Residents are also compensated better than in most programs around the country. Even the single residents here own their own home. Starting pay for interns is 44K+ and goes up every year. You also get a cost of living raise every year as well as a pay raise of about 3K per year. Health care is free for the whole family. Parking is free. Food at the hospital is free (3 meals a day). They also have a stocked resident lounge. You get a $1000 moving expense paid. Also, we get large allowances for books and other expenses. It really is one of the best compensation packages in residency. We make more money than most of our other resident friends especially considering the cost of living.

Our food (with the exception of milk) is cheap. Gas is cheap. Come live by me!

[Lo]

Chicago isn't too bad, though DF and I aren't living together yet. But we have started to just research real estate for next year and have found NUMEROUS 2br 2bath townhouses for under 200K in really nice western suburbs (some in the suburb we both grew up in, Naperville and others in a few towns over, Downer's Grove...)

As far as the city living goes, I am paying $1250/mo for a 600 (if that) SF, convertible apartment in the West Loop...pretty expensive...but if you go farther north in the city or farther west (and want to go down a little bit in neighborhood quality) then you can get something for much cheaper.

[ides]

nyc isn't as bad at people think. Most programs have subsidised housing or give some stipend to help with rent. Yes, the apt's are small, but I guess it depends on what you're willing to live with and without. For us, it's worth it, for others it's not. We are in a subsidised 400sqft studio about 1/2 a block from the hosptial in a nice neighboord, a nice clean building with an elevator and the super is great. Yes, I'd rather own a home/apt but dh and I knew that if we ended up here that wouldn't be an option. I'm okay with that. We don't have a car and can put money aside for tax free reimbursements on subway fare. We love the city and it's home for us. As well, I am looking for work, but we've been subsisting fine on dh's pay for the past few months, so it's not impossible. Granted, the more money you have coming in, the more comfortable you will be. Regarding other cities, if we ended up in any other city on our list (like Chicago or Phili) we were planning on buying.

Heidi: I can't believe your cushy package. It's so awesome!

[Vishenka69]

What is it like renting in NYC? I visited a friend in the East Village, who was paying $1500 a month in 2001, let me say I was not impressed, graffity all over her apt, old as can be with 3 layers of flooring as you made your way up to her place, she had to stuff news paper in the windows to keep it insulated, and it was well, small - to be expected. Now on $40 or even $48 how could one afford that? Do these residencies have special housing?

Just mystified how ones survives!

Most residents in NYC get $50+, all med schools and residencies/fellowships have subsidized housing or allowance. While DH was in med school we lived on UES in a large 1 bedroom with a doorman for $1300 (electricity was also subsidized and we didn't pay for gas). During internship we moved to Brooklyn to another large 1 bedroom for $1000. Because I didn't like the location of the housing provided by the program we got $200 a month towards our rent. Right now, we live in a 2 bedroom (with a big balcony) in Bronx and pay once again $1000. We got housing (which would have been $800) but I thought it was too small and there wasn't enough closet space, so we chose to rent on our own.

We could have certainly bought an apartment instead of renting, but then we'd be house poor and wouldn't be able to afford vacations or going out. There was no immediate need for us to own real estate, so I didn't see a reason to buy just yet.

As Heidi mentioned, we also have free medical (including prescriptions) and dental, all DH's meals are covered and he gets a large book allowance annually. He also has a "Doctor on-call" sign for the car, so we can park in Doctor-only spots in NY. Since there are lots of hospitals and few parking spaces, this comes very handy.

[Tenacious_D]

NYC is totally doable. I think some people in NYC live in apartments that aren't so great because the neighborhood is awesome and close to a lot of what they want and need. We have a pretty large apartmnet and pay ~$1500 and everyone loves our apt because of the size (we are also in Universtiy housing). DH is in med school so we are on one salary and still maintain a pretty good social life (movies, shows, dinners out). We also don't have any kids so that makes a difference. Once DH is done with med school, I think we will likely move to a more suburban community so we can raise kids in a more calm and slower paced environment.

Coulmbia is very low cost of living. You can get a house here for less than 150K. In fact, you can get a new 3 bedroom (1500 sq. feet) single home for 120K. Our house is 2200 sq. ft, 4 beds, 2.5 baths, and we paid well, well below 200K. Residents are also compensated better than in most programs around the country. Even the single residents here own their own home. Starting pay for interns is 44K+ and goes up every year. You also get a cost of living raise every year as well as a pay raise of about 3K per year. Health care is free for the whole family. Parking is free. Food at the hospital is free (3 meals a day). They also have a stocked resident lounge. You get a $1000 moving expense paid. Also, we get large allowances for books and other expenses. It really is one of the best compensation packages in residency. We make more money than most of our other resident friends especially considering the cost of living.



Our food (with the exception of milk) is cheap. Gas is cheap. Come live by me!

DH has a interview at Palmetto Health/USC is this where your DH's program is at? I'd love to come live by you, you sound fun

[Vanquisher]

Yes! If he needs a place to stay, and/or you are interviewing with him, we would love to have you! I sent you a PM with my phone number. Please don't feel like you would be intruding.

[alison]

Duplicate post!

[alison]

I think New York is do-able and I say this after having lived in rather expensive cities, Seattle and Chicago, and after only having visited NYC a couple of times. Seattle and Chicago are, in my opinion, overpriced. Stuff costs more in NYC, but let me put it this way, I'm more willing to pay for a $20 soup and sandwich from Dean and Deluca than $12 for the stuff at Potbelly.

Plus, we wouldn't have needed a car at the NY program. That sucks plenty out of us in gas and parking in Chicago.

Chicago isn't bad as far as housing. We're looking to buy in the next year or two. I'm scouting neighborhoods like Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park.

DH just started his residency in Long Island. We live in a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment that is highly subsidized ($400/month). Rent is taken out of his paycheck on a before-tax basis (which saves on our taxes), and no need to worry about paying th super. We do not pay for heat, electric, water, etc. The hospital takes care of that. We just have to pay for our cable and phone. We live about 5 blocks from the hospital in a very nice community setting. In addition to our apartment, our hospital owns homes and apartment buildings that surround the area. It makes it very convenient for all in residency! In addition, parking is free, and DH gets 3 free meals a day. Yes, it is expensive to buy a house on Long Island, but we couldn't beat this deal anywhere!

[Lo]

Chicago isn't bad as far as housing. We're looking to buy in the next year or two. I'm scouting neighborhoods like Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park.

I would HIGHLY recommend looking at the West Loop...it is a very "hot" neighborhood and if your DH is going to be working the medical district then he will be extremely close to work...

I am a Chicago native, so if you have any questions about the city that you need answered feel free to ask!