遷往生活成本高昂的城市

雷切爾·斯利夫卡

Moving to a high cost of living city？ Or considering a move to one？ Heres how you can prepare and budget for the move without breaking the bank. Two years ago， I moved from Charleston， South Carolina to Seattle， Washington.

While I didnt 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 didnt really know what to expect.

I had never been to Seattle before we moved there， so I was really in the dark1 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.

Dont do what I did—if youre considering a move， plan a loose budget before you go.

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， youll need to increase your housing budget. How much home can you realistically afford？

Dont forget to budget in those additional expenses， such as parking， HOA2 fees， and utilities. If youre 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.

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 dont 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 wouldnt 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. If youre 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.

Shop around

Everything from apartments to internet service providers to car insurance can vary in cost. If youre not certain if youve been offered a good rate， ask around or check out AreaVibes3， which will help you estimate the cost of living in any given city.

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 didnt really expect upon moving， but after a few months of living in Seattle， we were able to eliminate a lot of expenses we thought wed need， but didnt.

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.

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 didnt want to downsize our lives， we realized it was a necessary thing to do in order to afford to live in the city.

Save in advance

While my husband was offered a great promotion， they didnt 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 youre moving to a high cost of living city， even if you do have a job lined up， youll want to make sure you have plenty in savings. No matter how much you research the cost of living in a city in advance， youre 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 youre having a difficult time saving money， you can always consider starting a side hustle to earn extra cash.

正要遷往一座生活成本高昂的城市，或正有此打算？下述方式可幫你為移居做好準備，制定預算，以免掏空家底。兩年前，我從南卡羅來納州的查爾斯頓移居到華盛頓州的西雅圖。

移居之前，我沒空找工作，可我知道，我的專業在西雅圖能派上大用場。我和丈夫把行李裝上車，開始了橫穿全國的漫長行程。新的節奏，新的環境，令我們喜形于色，但我們不知道接下來到底會怎樣。

移居之前，我從未去過西雅圖，對這樣一座大城市的生活開支一無所知。另外，在我找工作期間，兩人僅靠一份收入生活（外加我自由寫作的收入）。

可別像我這樣！如果你打算移居，動身之前還是做一份寬裕的預算吧。

做好房屋預算

住房很可能是你最大的一筆支出，所以首先說一說這個。

如果遷往生活成本高昂的城市，你或許有必要增加房屋預算。你實打實能負擔起什么價位的房子？

別忘了算上額外的支出，如停車費、物業費和水電費。如果從生活成本低的城市搬離，你可能意識不到這些支出會增加得特別快。所以，在簽訂租約之前，一定要問明白這些費用。

調研工作機會和薪資

如果你在工作沒有安排好的情況下打算搬往生活成本高昂的城市，一定要提前做好功課。

搬遷可能會像恐怖電影一樣可怕，收入不穩定的時候尤其如此。但只要規劃合理，如實評估實際情況，就可以順利過渡。

我們搬遷在先，后來我才找的工作，所以事先知道租房支出方面必須緊縮，因為不知道我會有多少收入。

搬家之前，我還做了深度市場調研。我很清楚我想申請工作的公司、他們的薪酬標準以及就業市場狀況。我了解到當時的市場行情很好，憑我的資歷能夠輕而易舉地找到一份工作。

我很快搞定了一份工作，薪酬比猜想的要高一些，讓人喜出望外。另外，我們的生活開銷預算得挺謹慎，所以還能拿我的收入來償還兩人的學生貸款。

簡而言之，對你自己、你的能力和你所處的環境要實事求是。如果你一個人遷往生活成本高昂的城市，可能需要做出更多的調整。找人合租或采取其他辦法分擔支出，就會大幅降低高消費城市的生活成本。

購物貨比三家

從公寓到互聯網服務商再到汽車保險，收費都可能有所不同。如果不確定是否享受了優惠，可以四下了解或者上AreaVibes網站查詢，這有助你預估任一特定城市的生活成本。

剔除不必要的開支

移居大城市的好處是，可做的事特別多，便利設施不勝枚舉。盡管搬家的時候我沒有想到這些，但在西雅圖生活了幾個月之后，我們就省去了許多原以為需要但實際上沒必要的開支。

例如，我們一直計劃在西雅圖買兩輛車，但意識到停車費（每輛車一個月約需150美元）、車險費、牌照稅和汽油漲價，便覺得實在沒有必要。因此，我們沒有再買一輛汽車，而是給我丈夫買了一輛二手摩托，可以在天氣好的時候騎。天氣不好的時候，他坐公交上班，一個月只要30美元，還能享受員工補貼。

除此之外，我們還大大減少了其他方面的開銷。我們降低了旅游預算，因為我們就是喜歡多待在西雅圖。夏季，我們取消了健身房的會員資格，因為天氣宜人，可做的戶外運動不少。我們還取消了一些流媒體服務，因為我們發現在大城市更加忙碌。

立足現實，學會妥協

移居大城市令人興奮，但也的確要因此做出一些調整。

例如，在挑選房子時，我和丈夫意識到我們根本負擔不起想要的公寓，所以只能妥協，分清主次。我們意識到位置比什么都重要，因而選擇了面積較小的一居室，也好付得起房租。

盡管并不想降低生活水平，但我們明白，為了維持大城市里的生活，我們只能如此。

提前存錢

我丈夫雖然得以升遷，但公司不承擔安置費。好在我們有足夠的存款，可以負擔起搬家費用，還留有一筆錢以備不時之需。

如果你遷往一座生活成本高昂的城市，就算找好了工作，也要確保自己有不少存款。即使你提前事無巨細地調研了當地的生活開支，也一定會有差池。例如，我們就嚴重低估了華盛頓州的汽車牌照稅和注冊費（將近2000美元！）。幸好我們有存款，可以支付賬單。

儲蓄能夠讓你有更多的選擇。如果你存錢有困難，隨時可以考慮開始一份兼職，賺點外快。