Os preços da gasolina em média 2,634 um galão na área de Los Angeles-Riverside-Condado de Orange em agosto de 2016, o Bureau de Estatísticas do Trabalho dos EUA informou hoje. O Comissário Auxiliar para Operações Regionais, Richard Holden, observou que os preços da gasolina na área foram 1.050 menos do que em agosto passado, quando a média era de 3.684 por galão. Em agosto de 2016, os lares da região de Los Angeles pagavam em média 21,0 centavos por quilowatt-hora (kWh) de eletricidade, superior aos 20,5 centavos por kWh pagos em agosto de 2015. O custo médio do gás utilitário (tubulação) em 1,381 por term Mais do que os 1.275 por termostato do ano passado. 160 Em 2,634 um galão, os consumidores da área de Los Angeles pagaram 18,8% a mais do que a média nacional 2,218 em agosto de 2016. Um ano antes, Os consumidores na região de Los Angeles pagaram 34,2 por cento mais do que a média nacional por um galão de gasolina. O preço local de um galão de gasolina variou de 8,1 a 34,2 por cento acima da média nacional no mês de agosto nos últimos cinco anos. (Veja o gráfico 1). Os 21,0 centavos por kWh de Los Angeles compraram electricidade em agosto de 2016, 51,1% a mais do que a média nacional de 13,9 centavos de dólar por kWh. Em agosto passado, os custos de eletricidade foram 44,4 por cento maior em Los Angeles em comparação com a nação. Nos últimos cinco anos, os preços pagos pelos consumidores da área de Los Angeles para a eletricidade excederam a média dos EUA em 44,4% ou mais no mês de agosto. Os preços pagos pelos consumidores da área de Los Angeles para gás de utilidade pública, comumente referidos como gás natural, foram 1,381 por term., Ou 46,4% a mais em relação à média nacional em agosto de 2016 (0,943 por term.). Um ano mais cedo, os consumidores da área pagaram 36.8 por cento mais por o therm para o gás natural comparou à nação. Na área de Los Angeles, nos últimos cinco anos, o custo do gás natural em agosto variou entre 11,7 e 46,4 por cento acima da média dos EUA. A área metropolitana de Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, na Califórnia, é composta pelos condados de Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino e Ventura, na Califórnia. Nota técnica Os preços médios são estimados a partir dos dados do Índice de Preços no Consumidor (IPC) de determinadas séries de produtos para apoiar as necessidades analíticas e de investigação dos utilizadores de dados do IPC. Os preços médios de eletricidade, gás de utilidade pública e gasolina são publicados mensalmente para a média urbana dos Estados Unidos, as 4 regiões, as 3 classes de tamanho populacional, 10 classificações cruzadas de região / classe de tamanho e as 14 maiores áreas de índice local. Para a eletricidade, os preços médios por quilowatt-hora (kWh) são publicados. Para gás de utilidade pública (tubulação), os preços médios por therm, são publicados. Para a gasolina, o preço médio por galão é publicado. Os preços médios das classes de gasolina disponíveis são publicados, bem como o preço médio em todos os graus. Todos os preços elegíveis são convertidos para um preço por quantidade normalizada. Estes preços são então utilizados para estimar um preço para uma quantidade fixa definida. O preço médio por quilowatt-hora representa a factura total dividida pelo consumo de quilowatts-hora. A factura total é a soma de todos os itens aplicáveis a todos os consumidores que aparecem numa factura de electricidade, incluindo, mas não se limitando a, taxas variáveis por kWh, custos fixos, impostos, sobretaxas e créditos. Este cálculo também se aplica ao preço médio por termómetro para gás de serviço público. As informações contidas neste comunicado serão disponibilizadas a pessoas com deficiência sensorial mediante solicitação. Telefone de voz: 202-691-5200 Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339. Tabela 1. Preços médios de gasolina, eletricidade e gás de utilidade pública, Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County e Estados Unidos, agosto de 2015 a agosto de 2016, não corrigido de sazonalidade Gasolina por galão Eletricidade por kWhComo é uma energia elétrica Bill Judy Hedding tornou-se residente da área metropolitana de Phoenix em 1979. Desde sua mudança para o Arizona, shes viveu em várias comunidades diferentes: Phoenix (dois bairros diferentes), Tempe, Mesa e Chandler (dois bairros diferentes). O Vale do Sol - o apelido pelo qual a área da Grande Fênix é amplamente conhecida - é enorme, e Judy assistiu a esta cidade ocidental descomplicada se transformar em uma das maiores áreas metropolitanas do país. Atualizado em 17 de maio de 2016. Meu uso de uso de eletricidade mais alto é tipicamente mais de 300 em agosto, mas menos de 125 em maio. Isso não é incomum nós vivemos no deserto. Com mais de 5 meses de altas temperaturas. Algumas pessoas que estão pensando em se mudar para cá podem estar preocupadas com o quanto custa arrefecer uma casa típica. O problema é que não há casa típica Nossas casas são tamanhos diferentes, diferentes idades, feitas de diferentes materiais, alguns de nós temos muitas pessoas em casa, alguns de nós têm piscinas. Continue lendo abaixo Eu pedi a meus leitores para compartilhar o que eles pagam para a eletricidade. Pedi-lhes que incluíssem: Metragem quadrada da casa ou do apartamento Piscina, spa ou outro equipamento principal usando electricidade Casa de bloco ou casa de quadro Todos os eléctricos ou eléctricos / gás Quantas pessoas vivem na casa Cliente SRP ou APS (ou outro) Qual cidade Ou cidade Quantidade da factura de energia média mensal Qualquer outra informação pertinente Aqui estão as respostas que recebi. As submissões estão agora fechadas, mas eu incluo estas no caso de elas serem úteis ou instrutivas. Eu não editei as respostas de forma alguma, nem nenhuma das informações foi verificada. 2300 St Ft Vaulted Teto Temos 13 SEER AC unidades (2) e nós pagamos 370 em julho. Ago, fomos capazes de obter no plano elétrico Easy-3, abaixando 60 / mo. 2300 St Ft 2004 Início, protetores de sol e telas de sol. Guest South Mountain Coolcat Bem, eu possuo uma casa de tijolos de 3000 pés quadrados no lado leste de Tucson tem 2 cada 3 unidades de tonelada de 1 tonelada. Uma vez que a tecnologia HVAC aqui são ripoff artista eu uso unidade de janela separada para resfriar a casa para cerca de 74 mesmo este agosto que pagamos apenas 390 total baseline inverno é apenas 70 por isso, pagamos apenas 320 para todos os bom fresco 74 F ar. Continue lendo abaixo Usamos 7 lêndeas de janela que são todas pré-resfriadas através de almofadas de resfriamento evaporativo e nós média mais de 16 a 17 SEER nas unidades wiindie. Google condensador refrigerado por evaporação e PGampE você vai ver o quão bem pré-resfriamento reduzir usado a energia necessária unidade de CA Guest Tomcat Eficiência Diminishing de unidades A / C Em relação a 34For sem motivo óbvio, nosso uso elétrico em quilowatts horas aumentou significativamente ao longo do mesmo tempo Em anos anteriores.34 Acredito que as unidades centrais de a / c se tornam menos eficientes à medida que envelhecem, exigindo assim que elas funcionem mais tempo para proporcionar a mesma eficiência de resfriamento. Eu sei que isso é verdade para o gás central de aquecimento de ar forçado. Quando uma nova unidade é instalada é em seu pico de eficiência / menor custo de eletricidade e gradualmente se deteriora à medida que envelhece. Talvez se qualquer leitores são engenheiros HVAC eles poderiam pesar dentro. Convidado TomT evitar AC tanto quanto possível pago cerca de 225 em agosto de 213. Nós não usamos AC sobrecarga, mas salto na piscina (18 pés Intex bebê piscina 8 pés de diâmetro) e Caminhar pela casa em trajes de banho, ficar bem durante todo o verão. 135 para junho ACGuest pooldweller Custos são variáveis Em Tucson, gastamos menos do que nossos vizinhos e amigos na área porque escolhemos para gerenciar nosso uso elétrico principalmente no resfriamento. Nós don39t segurar em cozinhar, lavar ou equipamentos de computador, basta usar os fãs em vez do A / C 90 do tempo. Nossa última conta desde meados de maio até meados de junho foi 95. Anterior 3 meses foram 78-88. Concedido que vivemos em um 2005 bem construído 1700 pés quadrados única história 3 bdrm casa. Usamos ventiladores de teto e manter o termostato entre 81-83 permitindo temperaturas entre 81-85. E nós viemos do Midwest. Também desligar luzes ao sair de quartos. Nosso equipamento de computador usa discos rígidos SSD. Nós abraçamos o calor e apreciá-lo. TuacaTom muito Estou mimado com baixa eletricidade no norte da Califórnia por 9 meses fora do Pagamento 300,00 um mês em Scottsdale parece como descarga de dinheiro, Desejo que não havia um verão em Scottsdale. Como um negativo, mas amor o deserto. Quando a economia é ruim você quer repensar suas decisões para se mudar para Scottsdale. Convidado glen APS I39m em Phoenix, em 1/2 de um bloco duplex (não é um duplex legal, mas tem seu próprio serviço elétrico). Metragem quadrada é aproximadamente 1250 sf sem piscina ou spa ou outro aparelho principal. Ele tem uma lavadora e secadora e lava-louças o calor / AC é uma unidade de bomba de calor no telhado, eo secador é elétrico o aquecedor de água eo fogão são de gás, que a senhoria paga fora do aluguel. Eu tenho fãs de caixa em casa. Um funciona durante todo o dia no quarto de uso principal do dia outro no quarto é apontado para mim durante toda a noite. Circulando o ar ajuda a fazer a temperatura parecer muito menor. Eu moro aqui sozinho a maior parte do tempo, mas no verão, 2 dos meus netos estão aqui por 6 semanas. Como mostrado no título da resposta, eu tenho APS. Eu mantenho meu termostato em torno de 67 no inverno, e 82 no verão. A minha factura de electricidade total para 2011 foi de 1076 a mais elevada em Agosto foi de 203 e a mais baixa em Abril foi de 37. A minha factura de pagamento mensal médio é de 83, que na verdade não cobriria o total anual, mas eles tinham definido muito mais alto até recentemente , E eu ainda tenho um saldo de superávit grande antes de eles reduziram o pagamento. Nastij Electric Bill Alta foi 564,53 menor 85,82 Eu tenho uma piscina e uma casa 3800 pés quadrados. Tenho grandes janelas e árvores jovens, então não sombra real. Convidado Jean Electricity Nós movemo-nos de um clima mais frio último assim que para nosso primeiro verão em Phoenix nós mantivemos o a / c em 76. Nós vivemos em uns 3000 pés quadrados stucco de madeira do frame, casa de dois andares. Estar em casa o dia todo com crianças pequenas, a nossa mais alta conta foi pouco mais de 500. Convidado Katy Duas pessoas. 1500sf A conta média para últimos dois anos é 83. Elevado era 227 e baixo era 36.64. Têm apenas um mês mais de 100 fora do típico Jul-Sept Guest Jim P Eletricidade Minha casa é um 2200 pés quadrados bloqueado único quadro história com 16-18 metros tectos abobadados, muitas janelas grandes e uma piscina. Tudo é elétrico, exceto para o aquecedor de água. I ao vivo com meu marido e 3 crianças, 2 de que são meninos que estão sempre em e. Eu moro em Peoria e tenho APS. A maioria das minhas janelas estão para o oeste e sul para que eu recebo toneladas de sol que eu tinha as janelas tintado no verão passado e penso que ajudou muito. Eu mantenho minha casa em 80-82 durante os meses de verão e 78 na noite. Minha conta mais alta no ano passado foi 425 e menor foi de 120. Convidado Amanda. M Electric Eu moro em um apartamento de 1.000 pés quadrados, todos um andar e mais velho com janelas de tijolo e payne único e tapete. Eu vivo com uma outra pessoa e 2 gatos. Nós somos clientes de APS em Central Phoenix com calor elétrico e de gás. Nossa conta mais baixa foi de 65 e mais alto 275. Vivemos para ser confortável e nós defini-lo cerca de 78 graus no verão. I ammegiam I39m no faturamento do orçamento Meu provedor de eletricidade é SRP, e eles me fornecem uma conta de uso mensal médio para que eu não tenha picos e vales em minhas contas. Eu gosto de ser capaz de prever o que eu vou ter que pagar Eles reavaliar a cada três meses. Agora eu estou pagando 170 por mês. A casa é bloco, exposição norte / sul, relativamente novo e eficiente de energia, sem piscina, cerca de 2200 pés quadrados. Dois trabalhadores por conta própria vivem aqui com animais de estimação, por isso nunca pode ficar muito quente ou muito frio aqui It39s um tudo - Casa elétrica, sem gás. Capítulo 2: O que é eletricidade A eletricidade figura em toda parte em nossas vidas. A eletricidade ilumina nossas casas, cozinha nossa comida, alimenta nossos computadores, televisores e outros dispositivos eletrônicos. A eletricidade das baterias mantém nossos carros funcionando e faz com que nossas lanternas brilhem no escuro. Heres algo que você pode fazer para ver a importância da eletricidade. Dê uma caminhada através de sua escola, casa ou apartamento e anote todos os diferentes aparelhos, dispositivos e máquinas que usam eletricidade. Você será espantado em quantas coisas nós usamos cada dia que dependem da eletricidade. Mas o que é eletricidade De onde ele vem Como funciona Antes de entender tudo isso, precisamos saber um pouco sobre os átomos e sua estrutura. Toda a matéria é formada por átomos, e os átomos são formados por partículas menores. As três partículas principais que compõem um átomo são o próton, o nêutron eo elétron. Os elétrons giram ao redor do centro, ou núcleo, dos átomos, da mesma forma que a lua gira ao redor da terra. O núcleo é composto de nêutrons e prótons. Os elétrons contêm uma carga negativa, prótons uma carga positiva. Os nêutrons são ndash neutro eles não têm nem uma carga positiva nem uma negativa. Existem muitos tipos diferentes de átomos, um para cada tipo de elemento. Um átomo é uma única parte que compõe um elemento. Existem 118 diferentes elementos conhecidos que compõem cada coisa Alguns elementos como oxigênio que respiramos são essenciais para a vida. Cada átomo tem um número específico de elétrons, prótons e nêutrons. Mas não importa quantas partículas um átomo tem, o número de elétrons geralmente precisa ser o mesmo que o número de prótons. Se os números são os mesmos, o átomo é chamado equilibrado, e é muito estável. Assim, se um átomo tivesse seis prótons, ele também deveria ter seis elétrons. O elemento com seis prótons e seis elétrons é chamado carbono. Carbono é encontrado em abundância no sol, estrelas, cometas, atmosferas da maioria dos planetas, eo alimento que comemos. Carvão é feito de carbono assim são diamantes. Alguns tipos de átomos têm elétrons vagamente ligados. Um átomo que perde elétrons tem mais prótons que elétrons e é positivamente carregado. Um átomo que ganha elétrons tem partículas mais negativas e é carga negativa. Um átomo carregado é chamado um íon. Os elétrons podem ser feitos para se mover de um átomo para outro. Quando esses elétrons se movem entre os átomos, uma corrente de eletricidade é criada. Os elétrons se movem de um átomo para outro em um fluxo. Um elétron é anexado e outro elétron é perdido. Esta cadeia é semelhante às brigadas de balde de bombeiros nos tempos antigos. Mas em vez de passar um balde desde o início da linha de pessoas para a outra extremidade, cada pessoa teria um balde de água para derramar de um balde para outro. O resultado foi uma grande quantidade de água derramada e não água suficiente para apagar o fogo. É uma situação que é muito semelhante à eletricidade que passa ao longo de um fio e um circuito. A carga é passada de átomo para átomo quando a eletricidade é passada. Cientistas e engenheiros aprenderam muitas maneiras de remover os elétrons dos átomos. Isso significa que quando você adiciona os elétrons e prótons, você acabaria com mais um protão em vez de ser equilibrado. Uma vez que todos os átomos querem ser equilibrados, o átomo que foi desequilibrado vai procurar um elétron livre para preencher o lugar do que falta. Dizemos que este átomo desequilibrado tem uma carga positiva () porque tem muitos prótons. Desde que foi lançado, o elétron livre move-se à espera de um átomo desequilibrado para dar-lhe uma casa. A carga de elétrons livres é negativa, e não tem proton para equilibrá-la, então dizemos que ela tem uma carga negativa (-). Então, o que as cargas positivas e negativas têm a ver com a electricidade Cientistas e engenheiros encontraram várias maneiras de criar um grande número de átomos positivos e livres elétrons negativos. Desde que os átomos positivos querem elétrons negativos assim que podem ser equilibrados, têm uma atração forte para os elétrons. Os elétrons também querem fazer parte de um átomo equilibrado, então eles têm uma forte atração para os átomos positivos. Assim, o positivo atrai o negativo para equilibrar para fora. Os átomos mais positivos ou elétrons negativos que você tem, mais forte a atração para o outro. Uma vez que temos ambos positivos e negativos grupos carregados atraídos uns aos outros, chamamos a taxa de atração total. A energia também pode ser medida em joules. Joules soa exatamente como a palavra jóias, como em diamantes e esmeraldas. Mil joules é igual a uma unidade térmica britânica. Quando os elétrons se movem entre os átomos da matéria, uma corrente de eletricidade é criada. Isto é o que acontece em um pedaço de fio. Os elétrons passam de átomo em átomo, criando uma corrente elétrica de uma extremidade para outra, como na imagem. Eletricidade é conduzida através de algumas coisas melhores do que outros. Sua resistência mede quão bem algo conduz a eletricidade. Algumas coisas mantêm seus elétrons muito apertados. Os elétrons não se movem muito bem neles. Essas coisas são chamadas de isoladores. A borracha, o plástico, o pano, o vidro eo ar seco são bons isoladores e têm a resistência muito elevada. Outros materiais têm alguns elétrons frouxamente prendidos, que movem através deles muito fàcilmente. Estes são chamados de condutores. A maioria dos metais ndash como cobre, alumínio ou ndash de aço são bons condutores. Eletrões, eletricidade, eletrônica e outras palavras que começam com electr. Todos originam da palavra grega elektor, que significa sol radiante. Em grego, elektron é a palavra para âmbar. Âmbar é uma pedra muito bonita goldish marrom que brilha laranja e amarelo na luz solar. Âmbar é realmente seiva de árvore fossilizada Seu o material usado no filme Jurassic Park. Milhões de anos atrás, os insetos ficaram presos na seiva da árvore. Insetos pequenos que tinham mordido os dinossauros, tinham sangue com DNA dos dinossauros nos corpos dos insetos, que agora eram fossilizados no âmbar. Os gregos antigos descobriram que o âmbar se comportou estranhamente - como atrair penas - quando esfregado por peles ou outros objetos. Eles não sabem o que foi que causou este fenômeno. Mas os gregos descobriram um dos primeiros exemplos de eletricidade estática (ver Capítulo 3). A palavra latina, electricus, significa produzir a partir de âmbar por fricção. Assim, nós começamos nossa palavra inglesa eletricidade das palavras gregas e Latin que eram sobre o âmbar. No próximo capítulo leia sobre Resistência Eletricidade estática. Quanto você deve planejar para utilitários Nossos leitores muitas vezes perguntam o quanto eles devem orçamento para utilitários, por isso pensamos wed dar um breve curso de atualização. Weve alistou algumas categorias usuais da utilidade e alguns pensamentos / preço para cada um. No final, você encontrará o custo total estimado por mês. (As estimativas de custo são para um típico de um a dois BR primeiro apartamento de tamanho.) Aquecimento O custo do aquecimento pode variar descontroladamente, e pode fazer ou quebrar o custo de um apartamento. Então deixe-me quebrá-lo para baixo por tipos: Aquecimento à base de radiador em Edifício Multi-Unidade: se você estiver em uma multi-unidade, edifício com base em radiador, quase certamente não haverá nenhum custo extra pelo calor. Isto é porque não há nenhuma maneira para que o landlord determine que unidade usou quanto calor, e conseqüentemente, o landlord pagará a conta de aquecimento dos edifícios no total. Nesta situação, o custo do aquecimento é construído no aluguel. Calor baseado em radiador em uma casa: se você e alguns amigos decidiram se unir e alugar uma casa inteira, você pode estar no gancho para o calor baseado em radiador. Aquecimento de uma casa inteira poderia custar mais de 300 por mês, embora isso provavelmente seria dividido três ou quatro maneiras. Aquecimento a gás ou ar forçado. Nos meses de inverno, isso pode ser bastante caro. Orçamento pelo menos 100 por mês no inverno profundo, embora o custo pode variar com base no tamanho do apartamento, a qualidade do isolamento, ea eficiência do mecanismo de aquecimento. Uma boa maneira de descobrir é simplesmente pedir ao senhorio ou inquilino anterior, uma vez que cada edifício será diferente em seus custos de calor. Resumo: Aquecimento pode ser um bug-a-boo, e pode efetivamente aumentar o seu aluguel por 100 ou mais por mês no inverno. Certifique-se de saber quanto você terá que pagar antes de assinar o contrato de arrendamento. Verificação de realidade: De acordo com nossa pesquisa de utilidade de janeiro de 2016, o aquecimento era em média 53 para um estúdio ou apartamento de 1RB, se fosse cobrado separadamente. Eletricidade Antes de considerar o custo do ar condicionado (que normalmente é incluído no custo da eletricidade), vamos apenas focar a factura de electricidade sem A / C. Durante os meses de inverno, ou se você não usar ar condicionado, é razoável para pagar entre 30-50 por mês em eletricidade. Existem maneiras de diminuir esse valor, como desligar as luzes, desligar totalmente os aparelhos e usar lâmpadas fluorescentes compactas. No entanto, um monte de sua conta vai simplesmente depender de quanto você está em casa, quanto você assistir televisão (TVs de tubo são grandes drenos elétricos), quão eficiente é o seu frigorífico, e como você é cuidadoso sobre desligar luzes. Resumo: Electricidade é necessária, e vai custar cerca de 40 por mês, se você é um usuário médio com uma unidade média. Verificação de realidade: Por nossa pesquisa de utilidade de janeiro de 2016, eletricidade média de 55 para um estúdio ou apartamento 1RB contra 60 em julho de 2015 pesquisa. Ar-condicionado Esta despesa pode ser um cartão selvagem real e tudo depende de quanto você usa. Ao contrário com o calor, na maioria dos lugares do país, você não precisa de ar condicionado. Embora seja bom ter, especialmente quando uma onda de calor atinge. De acordo com o site CarbonRally, a média dos americanos sistema AC custa cerca de 280 por ano para ser executado. Embora o site observa que muitos sistemas custam muito mais. Isso parece ser certo para mim, quando você fator em algumas coisas: em primeiro lugar, a maioria das pessoas só usam seu A / C cerca de três a cinco meses por ano. E, em alguns lugares, como Minnesota ou Maine, você só pode usá-lo algumas vezes no verão, que média com o sul dos EUA, onde youd usá-lo muito mais. Assim, para as pessoas que vivem em lugares com tempo médio, youll realmente só estar usando maio-setembro, o que significa cerca de 56 um mês extra em sua conta de energia elétrica. Isto parece aproximadamente Ive direito teve meu total elétrico vai até 100 dólares em meses particularmente quentes. Resumo: A / C isnt estritamente necessário, mas se você quiser, plano de gastar até 60-70 extra por mês durante os meses especialmente quente. Cozinhar gás Em muitos edifícios, se você tem um fogão de intervalo, você terá que pagar pelo gás natural que você usa durante a cozinha. (E em alguns edifícios, o gás natural também irá fornecer o seu calor.) No que diz respeito cozinhar, o custo é muito mínimo 20 um mês no máximo, geralmente muito menos. É realmente tudo depende apenas o quanto você cozinhar em casa e, mesmo se você está gastando um pouco mais para usar o gás em casa, você está quase certamente poupar dinheiro por não comer fora. Resumo: O gás é uma despesa insignificante quando usado para cozinhar seu geralmente em torno de 10 um mês. E por cozinhar em casa, você está economizando dinheiro de qualquer maneira. Internet Quarenta e cinco dólares por mês é aproximadamente média. Tenha em mente que você pode dividir o custo com tantas outras pessoas que estão usando sua conexão. Por exemplo, quando morava em Minneapolis, meu vizinho e eu montava o roteador sem fio para que ela pudesse receber um sinal, e então eu, meu companheiro de quarto e ela, todos usávamos um quarenta e cinco dólares sinal. A outra coisa a considerar é empacotar seu Internet com seu cabo. Você pode muitas vezes obter um acordo dessa forma. Veja abaixo os meus pensamentos sobre o cabo. Resumo: Estes dias, internet é uma necessidade. Itll executá-lo cerca de 45 por mês. Mas que irá fornecer um sinal para todos no apartamento, e talvez alguns amigos nas proximidades. Cabo Eu pessoalmente não tenho cabo, e realmente não sinto falta. Esta é uma despesa opcional. Especialmente com os novos televisores de alta definição e suas antenas digitais, é fácil obter uma ótima recepção na TV em rede, e então você pode usar Roku ou Netflix streaming (ou HBO On-Demand, ou qualquer outro) para o resto de suas necessidades, Embora isso vai custar cerca de 20 por mês, se você assinar dois serviços. Se você simplesmente deve ter cabo, procure um acordo. Eles vêm com freqüência, e pode poupar algum dinheiro. Mas tenha cuidado muitas vezes theyll têm add-ons como HBO livre por três meses, que será então cobrado a sua conta se você não cancelá-lo quando o negócio preliminar expira. Portanto, certifique-se de ler as letras miúdas. E para se manter ativo em sua conta, para que você saiba o que você está sendo cobrado. Resumo: Embora não seja uma necessidade, é bom ter cabo, e você geralmente pode encontrar promoções introdutórias que incluem cabo e internet por cerca de 90 por mês. Ou você pode usar um serviço de streaming ou dois por cerca de 20 por mês. Verificação de realidade: Por nossa pesquisa de utilidade de janeiro de 2016, cabo / internet média 57 para um apartamento de estúdio ou 1RB contra 68 em julho 2015 pesquisa. Seguro de locatários Como Alissa tocou, seguro de locatários vale a pena. Pense nisso como proteger suas coisas, venha o que acontecer. Seu também acessível, em apenas cerca de 150 por ano. Ou menos, dependendo de onde você mora. Outros add-ons Algumas coisas que você só precisa se você mora em certas áreas do país, mas vale a pena tocar neles aqui: Em alguns bairros (ou seja, em grandes cidades, onde o estacionamento é difícil de encontrar), o estacionamento vai custar extra. No meu bairro (Lakeview, Chicago), a sua cerca de 150 por mês para uma vaga de estacionamento, embora há bastante estacionamento de rua que não é uma necessidade. Em outros lugares, como Brooklyn Heights, NYC, ou Lincoln Park, Chicago, pode muito bem ser necessário, a menos que você queira passar uma hora por dia dirigindo, procurando estacionamento (Im sério). Portanto, saiba se você vai precisar disso antes de conseguir um lugar. Se você tiver sorte o suficiente para ter um porteiro, você terá que derrubá-lo durante a temporada de férias. Normalmente, a sua cerca de 50-100 por porteiro, por isso, se o edifício tinha três porteiros, itll ser 150-300. É caro, mas também é importante que você queira ser do lado bom dos porteiros, uma vez que assistir seus pacotes, cumprimentar seus convidados, e manter um conjunto de suas chaves. Eu sei que eu toquei nisso já, mas se você vive em um lugar realmente quente, como Phoenix ou Dallas, você vai estar pagando muito mais por mês, por mais meses. Digamos, 80-90 por mês (mais os custos regulares de eletricidade), por oito meses por ano. Portanto, tenha isso em mente. Seu forro de prata é que você não tem muitos custos de aquecimento. Adicionando tudo acima A coisa boa é que você usar o seu A / C no verão e do aquecimento no inverno, de modo que o custo global em que evens fora alguns, embora o calor é geralmente mais caro. Se você receber o que eu mencionei acima, e ir com Roku por cabo, e não tem qualquer add-ons, seu custo de utilitários total chega a cerca de 200 por mês. Tenha em mente, porém, que isso é para o apartamento como um todo, então se você tem companheiros de quarto, dividir pelo número de pessoas que vivem na unidade. Embora, claro, se você tiver uma unidade muito grande (por exemplo, para quatro pessoas, ou mais), o calor, electricidade e A / C será um toque maior, então adicione 20 à minha estimativa e, em seguida, dividir. Se você quiser uma regra aproximada. Esperar gastar em utilidades um montante igual a cerca de 20 de seu aluguel mensal, se você viver sozinho, um pouco menos se o seu viver com companheiros de quarto. No entanto, se você estiver procurando por um apartamento em uma cidade de alta renda (NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc) o seu custo de utilidade será em mais perto de 10 de seu aluguel. Deixe um comentário Cancelar resposta Comentários (238) Oi. Estou olhando para um apartamento em St Paul MN. 850 por mês de aluguel (todos os utilitários incluídos exceto elétrica) Aqui está o que eu acho: Aluguel - 850 Electric - 50 Internet - 45 Tv - nenhum Mercearia - 250 (meu filho, SO, e I) Telefone - 50 Gas (carro) - 45 Todos adicionados até 1290 eu trazer para casa 1700 por mês, deixando-me 410 para mexer com de itens essenciais do lar (papel higiênico, cuidados pessoais, etc8230) para entretenimento / despesas de emergência. Por meu movimento esperançoso na data eu terei 2500 conservado para mover-se nas despesas. Eu não me importo em viver em um orçamento apertado por um tempo, como o meu salário vai aumentar no próximo ano. Isso parece oable Hi Skylie, Ele parece extremamente apertado, especialmente com uma criança. Nossa fórmula para o seu max. Aluguel é 1,700 0,35 595, então você está olhando para 255 mais um mês. Você incluiu todas as suas despesas fixas na lista? Não vejo empréstimo de carro ou pagamento de seguro, pagamentos com cartão de crédito ou assistência à infância. Além disso, o seu orçamento de mercearia é apenas cerca de 20 por semana por pessoa, por isso esperamos que você é um cliente frugal e cozinhar. Você é elegível para qualquer ajuda alimentar, pelo menos para a criança. Dito isto, se a sua situação atual é tal que você sente que tem que se mover, gostaríamos que você continuasse economizando um pouco mais para que você tivesse pelo menos 1.000 fundos de emergência depois Todas as suas despesas de mudança, primeiro aluguel month8217s e depósito de segurança. Enquanto isso, continue a olhar para lugares com renda mais baixa. Boa sorte muito útil. obrigado. Tira um certo estresse de mim agora. Mas estou curioso sobre o custo médio para ligar as luzes no meu primeiro apartamento Olá Brandon, Confira este post relatando os resultados de nossas pesquisas de custo de utilidade. Www. myfirstapartment / 2016/03 / budgeting-apartment-utility-costs / Espero que isso ajude. Boa sorte com o seu novo apartamento realidade verificar: onde eu moro ele custa um mínimo de 20 em encargos de entrega e que foi de 3 centavos de gás de um mês. Quando eu vi esse projeto de lei eu sabia que poderia muito melhor benefício usando que 20 por mês para a minha conta de electricidade. Então eu mudei para pequenos aparelhos elétricos e desliguei o gás como ele tinha se tornado bastante supufluous. Análise cuidadosa. Eu amei o insight. Alguém sabe onde meu negócio poderia adquirir um modelo NY RR-2A documento para digitar sobre Im fazendo pesquisa para uma atribuição de matemática Oi Drew, Bill de água como sua conta de energia elétrica é baseado no uso. Confira este post para contas médias de água de nossas pesquisas de custo de utilidade. Boa sorte para a sua atribuição de matemática quanto é a conta de água que eu moro no norte da Califórnia e meu 1 quarto 700 metros quadrados apt aluguel é 2.600, PGE energia / gás é 38, água é 55, cabo / internet 80 2.773 / mês. Taxa de alimentação é enorme aqui para orgânicos e frescos, cerca de 800. Então você tem carro ins amp manutenção, gás, taxas de inscrição, taxas de adesão profissional, taxas de clube de saúde, cabelo, unhas, spas, massagens, acupuntura, Comer fora, etc Bem, com base na sua idéia de que as despesas mensais típicas são Duvido contas de serviços públicos estão no topo da sua lista de preocupações. Don8217t esquecer sua taxa espiritual mensal do guia assim como seus alingments do chakra demasiado, aquelas contas podem realmente adicionar acima. Responder nitroniko 26 de agosto de 2016 Eu realmente riu em voz alta, haha. That8217s um monte de dinheiro para apenas alugar santa merda. Especialmente apenas um quarto that8217s nuts8230 Adoro este post, pensando em sair no outono por mim. Eu faço 12.50 uma hora eo apartamento que eu estou olhando em é 470 (muito barato para uma grande área, é muito pequeno) é este capaz para mim. Muito obrigado pela resposta útil Responder Reembolso de aluguel 20 de junho de 2016Grande pós 8230. Uma coisa também é muito importante que você nunca deve chegar atrasado em qualquer dessas contas / utilidades8230. Ou que afetará negativamente seu histórico de crédito. Então Sempre pagar no tempo e orçamento well8230 Thx Olá. Estou planejando sair pela primeira vez e eu não tenho idéia do que estou fazendo ou o que eu posso pagar. Meu salário é 55000 por ano. Depois de impostos eu levar para casa cerca de 2800 por mês. Todas as minhas outras despesas são cerca de 750-800 por mês (carro, seguro, gás, telefone, comida) que me deixa com cerca de 2000 por mês. Eu tenho uma grande economia, mas eu não quero mergulhar em que muitas vezes. Quais são as suas recomendações Obrigado Oi David, Primeiro, você é um cara sortudo para ter desembarcado um trabalho de alta remuneração e também têm grandes economias. Você está no caminho certo Um senhorio típico iria aprová-lo para até 1.375 um apartamento mês. If you check our Affordable Rent Calculator www. myfirstapartment/2015/09/rent-calculator/ you8217ll also see that on your after tax pay you could spend up to 980 (see below). The big difference in the numbers is that you get about 40 taken out of salary in deductions, which probably include a hefty contribution to 401K. You could easily afford to spend a 1,200 a month on housing (rent and utilities) and still have 800 left discretionary expenses. If that will get you a place you8217ll be happy to come home to after work, go for it. Even if you have to go up a bit to get the perfect place, you can afford it. Now, here8217s another consideration. If you are planning to buy your own place in the foreseeable future, you may want to live below your means for a couple of years as a renter and get your own place sooner. Either way, you are in a very good shape for getting your first apartment. Good luck Do you have an annual salary No Do you get paid weekly No Do you get paid every other week or twice a month Yes What was your after-tax pay last pay period 1,400 Previous pay period 1,400 Total per 2 pay period month: 2,800 Affordable Monthly Rent: 980 Estimated Utilities: 196 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 1,176 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,940 If you recently gothat this job, hold off on moving out if you can. Keep saving. If you need to move out, do so as low as possible. Don8217t listen to this affordable rent costs. That was made up over 20 years ago and the dollar isn8217t worth the same. Just because you have it doesn8217t mean you should spend it nor give it away by paying someone else rent to live in their place, ie pay for their investment. After you have saved, buy a nice home and be aggressive with offer. Find a place that is up and coming or a revitalized area about to have a makeover by buying old places and remodeling. Checkout first time home buyer program. You would qualify for some stuff. Good luck on your endeavors. What kind of work do you do I am planning to buy a house and i have 2 available house for sale, one has a thermal solar and the other doesn8217t have and i have to pay home owner association of 203. I am trying to compare this 2 houses based on electrical bill, what is the average of electrical for a 4 BR houses in NY This was incredibly useful. Thank you Hi I8217m looking at a condo that is 85,000. I am a waitress and I make about 2,000 a month. My boyfriend (who will also be living with me) has a min. wage job. Would this be doable for us The best way to find out if you can afford the condo is to meet with a bank loan officer (preferably at the bank where you already have accounts) who will review your finances, credit rating work history, etc. and let you know how much of a mortgage you could qualify for. If you want to get a rough idea of your monthly payments, use a mortgage calculator like this one from bankrate to estimate your monthly payment. Then add to it your estimated property taxes, mortgage insurance 8212 if you put down less than 20 8212 your homeowner8217s association fees and your homeowner8217s insurance. Those added to your mortgage payment give your total monthly expense. That total amount should be not exceed roughly 35 of your income, assuming you have no other major debts. In your case that would be about 700 a month. Also keep in mind that in addition to the down payment, you will have to save money for the closing costs that can add up to several thousand dollars. Check out our sister site www. myfirstcondo for more information about buying a condo. Good luck Let us know what the loan officer says. This is bogus8230 Tiping a doorman 50-100. You must have a 10,000 a month rent apartment to come with a bellhop that needs 50-100 a day. Hi Jose, It would be ridiculous if it were a daily tip, but what we were mentioning is the typical holiday gratuity for a doorman. If they take your packages all year long, escort you to the elevator when you have had a a few beers too many and give you a heads-up when an old girlfriend suddenly shows up, you8217ll be happy to remember them at Christmas time. So it8217s more like 50-100 a year mikhail gibson February 29th, 2016My rent is 510 a month for a 1 bed 1 bath and i also have to pay for water, sewer, trash, and electricity how much do u think I will have to pay a month in utilities Hi Mikhail, Check out the results of our utility cost survey www. myfirstapartment/2015/08/average-utility-bill-survey/ Water is usually included in rent in Northern states and only billed separately in the South and West. Hope this survey is helpful. Reply Teresa Barnes February 27th, 2016I was looking for the average cost of water for a two bedroom two person Apartment home in Leesburg va area. Water costs aren8217t listed here as a utility bill at all. Hi Teresa, Check out the results of our utility cost survey www. myfirstapartment/2015/08/average-utility-bill-survey/ Water is usually included in rent in Northern states and only billed separately in the South and West. Hope this survey is helpful. I am working for mim, wage in New York right now. After taxes I take home about 1160 each month, I am looking at an apartment for 795 (water, trash, free parking, lawn care/snow removal included) and plan on splitting it with another person making the same as me, is it going to work okay Reply ana February 29th, 2016 Hi there That sounds like agreat idea to share when you work for Min. wage. Its unfortunate that Min. wage is so low in this country but it seems like its getting higher w. the 15 NOW movements. GoodLuck Hi Alyssa, Our maximum affordable rent calculator www. myfirstapartment/2015/09/rent-calculator/ says your number with your combined take-home incomes is 812, so you should be able to manage 795. See the calculation below. Good luck Total per 2 pay period month: 2,320 Affordable Monthly Rent: 812 Estimated Utilities: 162 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 974 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,436 Hi After taxes I8217m making 2422, I have no loans and no other payments. I8217m looking at chicago apartments - the one I am looking at is 1045, with heat and water included. I have a puppy so lets say I spend 125 a month on her, is that rent doable Hi Lindsay, That apartment is almost 200 more than our recommended maximum rent on your salary. Ver abaixo. If you stretch so much, you will not have much money left over for necessities (food, clothing, commuting, etc.) or fun activities with friends. We8217d recommend you keep on looking. Good luck from the MFA Team What was your after-tax pay last pay period 2,422 Previous pay period 0 Total per 2 pay period month: 2,422 Affordable Monthly Rent: 848 Estimated Utilities: 170 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 1,018 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,544 I8217m making a 40k annual salary and I am looking at an apartment that is 1100/month with heat and hot water included. I have a phone bill of 100 and student loans of 150/ month. I do not have any car payments and I do not pay for the car insurance. This will also be a apartment in a highly rent city. Is this doable Reply U. D.A. February 16th, 2016 I think that is completely doable. Your net income per month would be about 2300 so your rent alone would be about 48 of your monthly income which is not great, but it8217s doable. If you include your bills, you8217d have about 1000 left over every month to use on groceries and anything else. I think you8217re in a good a spot because you do not have a car payment, insurance, etc. Try using this monthly expense calculator to get better insight on your comfort level if you chose this apartment: monthlyexpensecalculator/ I had a family member lied to me and tell me the bill was 800 a month to cheat me out of money when the price to run a hundred watt light bulb is pennies a day this was just a mean rotten spirited person who tried to make my world turn the darkness by denying me lights she cheated me in several different ways also forging my name on documents it costed me to go into foreclosure is this is my sister. But I believe what goes around comes around and she get all her rotten deeds back. I am starting a nursing job and will be making 60,000 a near before taxes. I did the 30 rule for rent which put me at 1140 after taxes, I would be 8220taking home8221 3,800 each month. I am trying to estimate what everything will cost and it is getting really overwhelming. More so because I found the BEST apartment right by work, rooftop deck, work out facility in the building, free coffee every morning, in the most sought after location near the city. There are two options a 1190 (smaller) or a 1345 (way bigger) apartment and parking is 65. They pay water/sewer/trash. Is this even feasible to consider at my income I would love to hear back on your ideas. Hi Megan, First, congratulations for picking a field that pays so well and has plenty of jobs available. If you check our Affordable Rent Calculator. the maximum affordable rent on your annual salary is 1,500/mo. or 1,330/mo. if you run the formula on your after-tax monthly take-home pay of 3,800. So, it looks like even the bigger apartment is doable. Of course, if you have unusually high other expenses or student loan payments, you might opt to go with the smaller place. When you run our easy formula, you8217ll see that it also estimates your utilities and the amount you should save before you move in. Good luck from the MFA Team Hi. I8217m making a 40K salary and am looking to move into an apartment in the Hamilton, NJ area. The apartment I am interested in is all electric (stove and heat) and has a washer/dryer unit. The base rent is 965 for a 750 sqft apartment (1 bedroom). Snow, trash, sewer, and I believe water, are paid by the landlord. How much should I estimate for utilities Thank you for your help Hi Melissa, We use a rough rule of thumb that your utilities (electric, internet, cable, etc.) run about 20 of your rent. See our average utility cost survey results from last summer here. However, electric heating in a cold climate could bring the cost higher in the coldest months. Much depends also on the type of construction of your apartment is it a drafty old building vs. new, well-insulated building. Your best bet is to contact your local electric utility for an estimate or even better find out what the previous tenant paid. Here is a link to the Con Edison8217s (NYC utility) electricity cost estimator. www. coned/customercentral/calculators/ECresApplianceCalculator. Your utility probably has something similar. Good luck from the MFA Team Hi, I8217m doing a financial lit project, so I wanted to know what would the water bill and the trash bill cost and would the laundry and the dishwasher include in the water bill Did you see the results of our utility cost survey here. www. myfirstapartment/2015/08/average-utility-bill-survey/ . If you have washing machine in your apartment, then your laundry and dishwasher usage would be part of your water bill. If there is a separate laundry room in the building, then typically you pay for each load with coins or prepaid card. Hope that is helpful. MFA Editors. Hey, I8217m looking to move out net is 2200 a month what8217s a feesible rent per month no utlities Car payment and insurance is 580 cell 1158230 Hi Teniqua, Check out our rent calculator. www. myfirstapartment/2015/09/rent-calculator/. See below what it shows for your income. Take 2,200 less est. rentutilities 924 1,276 left after housing less 580 less 115 581 a month to cover all your other expenses (commuting, food, clothing, entertainment, etc.). You would be safer to target rent at a level that will leave you at least 800 a month after housing and your high car 038 phone payments. Is 600/mo. rent doable in your area If you go higher than that, make sure you have saved a little emergency fund before moving. Good luck from the MFA Team Affordable Rent Calculator Click below to open calculator. Do you have an annual salary Yes No Do you get paid weekly Yes No Do you get paid every other week or twice a month Yes No What was your after-tax pay last pay period 2,200 Previous pay period 0 Total per 2 pay period month: 2,200 Affordable Monthly Rent: 770 Estimated Utilities: 154 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 924 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,310 Hi so I8217m think about moving out in September I roughly make 1150 a month I added up my expenses and I wanted to know if it would be doable: Rent:550 included water, trash, heat, gas Electric:45 to 50 Cable(Netflix and Hulu) 16 Phone bill:50 Gas:100 (doubt I8217ll spend that much) Wifi: 45 to 50 Food: my mom said she would help Car insurance: I8217m on my grandad insurance and it8217s not much so he pays it I don8217t have much of a social life work and school keeps me busy so I8217m not to worried about having money to go out but if my math is right I8217ll still have about 330 saved a month Hi Khaila, You8217ll have 11 a day for all your other expenses. It seems cutting things far too close. We want you to have a great first apartment experience, not just sit at home alone eating Ramen. Consider a roommate share and try to save for a few months more to build an emergency fund. Good luck from the MFA Team. Hi I make 2,332 per month, what can I afford I do have a lot of bills, my cell phone is around 150, my car payment is 300, I also have a TV payment of 75, and childcare is 225 monthly. This is not including gas/groceries. Is it feasible for me to move into my own apartment What could I afford Hi Jana, If you run our Rent Calculator. it tells that your max. rent is 816 on your pay (assuming your 2332 is after taxes.) With est. utilities, the monthly housing cost will be 979. Add that to your other fixed expenses and you only have 603 left a month to cover all your other expenses. It looks too low, considering that you also have a child. However, if you can find a place in the 600-650 monthly rent range, about 750 with utilities, you probably could handle it. Good luck from the MFA Team Total per 2 pay period month: 2,332 Affordable Monthly Rent: 816 Estimated Utilities: 163 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 979 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,448 8220Me, my roommate, and her were all using one forty-five-dollar signal.8221 Try 8220She, my roommate and I were all using8230.8221 Allie, you must be an English teacher. As hard as they try English teachers can not overlook mistakes. (Please don8217t correct my grammar) Nevertheless, the article has useful information, well laid-out, and easy to read. 8220Cannot8221 and 8220can not8221 are both acceptable in the Oxford dictionary. So she isn8217t really 100 wrong for using it. Me amp my boyfriend amp our 9 month old are about to move in together. The apartment we found is 599 w/o utilities amp he makes about 2000 a month. Do you think we would be able to make it amp still have a little extra . See below what our Affordable Rent Calculator estimates for you. It says that you should be able to afford a 599 rental and still have money left over for baby food and diapers. However, make sure you get a good estimate of your utilities. If heat is included in rent, you should be OK. If not, depending on where you live and how well insulated the apartment is, winter heating bills could make your budget tight. Good luck to all of you from the MFA Team. What was your after-tax pay last pay period 1,000 Previous pay period 1,000 Total per 2 pay period month: 2,000 Affordable Monthly Rent: 700 Estimated Utilities: 140 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 840 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,100 you really should not be 8221living together with someone8221 outside of wedlock, that is wrong and is greivous sin that only immoral people do that sort of thing, again it8217s very wrong and will never last, compared to real marriage. in regard to winter utilities, its smarter to tape off floor vents if you have gas heat and just heat your TV / sleeping room to save money, it may also be cheaper to use a electric heater for one room and not even fool with gas heat for dec jan and feb. It really isn8217t any of your business who people live with its a sin to do everything now a days. Listen just stick to the question and don8217t try to throw all your religion mumbo jumbo on everyone. Your not here to counsel folks. Goodbye It8217s also a sin to judge Gtfo. Hi, My boyfriend and I plan on living together for the first time. I bring home roughly 1800 a month after taxes, and he also brings home the same amount. We are looking at a place for 950 with no utilities living in Philly. I also have a car note in the high 38217s. My car insurance is paid up. Do you think this is affordable thanks Hi Court, Check out our Rent Affordability Calculator . It shows that 950 rent is well withing your range (see below), even if you have to pay for all your utilities. With 950 rent you should be able to pay your car note and also build a 3-6 month emergency fund. Good luck with your new apartment Total per 2 pay period month: 3,600 Affordable Monthly Rent: 1,260 Estimated Utilities: 252 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 1,512 Target Savings To Move Out: 3,780 Reply Matt November 10th, 2015Here is a great place to find out what your monthly utilities will cost. monthlyutilities/ Also, check out this chart www. duke-energy/pdfs/applianceopcostlistdukev8.06.pdf by Duke Energy, keeping in mind that your cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) is probably more than their estimate of 8.2 cents. In NYC we are paying 25.8 cents. Reply thetwinbin November 10th, 2015Hey there I make about 680-700 bi-weekly after taxes are taken out and am currently searching apartments. I have a cell phone bill of 46 and car insurance that is 80 a month. I spend about 75 a month on gas and have no other expenses coming out. I do expect to pay for all utilities, but won8217t need cable. What price range would be suitable for an apartment with comfortable savings monthly I8217m interested in one that is 583-611 monthly I8217m starting my budget this month and any info would help:) Hi Thetwinbin, See below what our Affordable rent calculator says. You are looking at places that are out of your comfortable range. If you start spending close to half of your take-home pay on rent, you don8217t have much leeway. Having your own apartment is great to have, but if it means having no money for going out with your friends once in a while, it gets to be a drag. Look for places that are under 500 and you8217ll have a much better first apartment experience. Good luck from the MFA Team Total per 2 pay period month: 1,380 Affordable Monthly Rent: 483 Estimated Utilities: 97 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 580 Target Savings To Move Out: 1,449 Hello, I make about 2100 a month after taxes and am looking at getting a 1 bedroom for 750 only utility I would pay is electricity. Only other bills I have is 30 cellphone bill and 50 of car insurance. No car payment since I own my own vehicle. Would you consider this affordable Hi Bryan, Did you check out our Rent Affordability calculator. The results are below. Your rent is a bit higher than recommended, but your utilities will be lower and your other expenses are low, so you should be ok. Good luck with your new apartment from the MFA Team Total per 2 pay period month: 2,100 Affordable Monthly Rent: 735 Estimated Utilities: 147 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 882 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,205 HI I am looking to rent an apartment here in Cincinnati. I make 1,160 before taxes bi weekly. The apartment I8217m looking at is 3 bedroom at 600/month plus utilities. I have a 7 yr old and also have a baby on the way in June. I am pretty good about not using a ton of heat (I8217m usually always hot). But air conditioning may be an issue. Internet is a must, and cable would be nice. Could I afford something like this Hi Jharell, See below what our Rent Affordability Calculator tells you. Based on the formula, 600 should be doable for you, even if you have to pay for heat during winter months. (Unless you are renting a poorly insulated house.) You cannot skimp on heat with a 7-year old and getting a cold while pregnant is not healthy, either Making room in your budget for 2 kids will make it tight, so hopefully you get some support for the kids expenses. Do you have an annual salary Yes What is your annual salary 30,160 (1,16026 paychecks a year) Affordable Monthly Rent: 754 Estimated Utilities: 151 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 905 Target Savings To Move Out: 2,262 Good luck to you and the kid(s) from the MFA Team Hi My girlfriend and I are both looking at a place for 800 a month with no utilities. I make 2000 monthly after taxes. She makes closer to 900. I also pay a 300 dollar car payment with hers only 175. Other than gas/groceries we will only have Internet. The heating in the northern winter is what is having us worry. However, this place is much nicer than the alternative(850 with utilities included). The luxury vs affordability question is in play. What do you think Hi Jeremy, Did you check out our affordable rent calculatorwww. myfirstapartment/2015/09/rent-calculator/ Here8217s how your numbers look like: Total per 2 pay period month: 2,900 Affordable Monthly Rent: 1,015 Estimated Utilities: 203 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 1,218 Target Savings To Move Out: 3,045 Your rent is 200 below your maximum affordable, so even with higher utilities (if you have to pay for heat) you should be OK. Ask for an estimate of the monthly heating bill. Your combined car payments are pretty high, but even with that you will still have over 1,000 a month after your housing and other fixed costs. Go with the nicer place, looks like you can afford it. And good luck from the MFA Team. I am planning to rent a condo for 1500 a month, internet and water are included but I have to pay the rest. I make about 4000.00 after tax a month. is that doable Hi Jake, Using our Affordable Rent Calculator. your maximum rent should not be more than 1,400. Ver abaixo. However, your utilities will most likely be less, unless you are living in a very cold part of the country and use electric heat, so you should be able to handle 1,500 rent plus all utilities comfortably. You also have a relatively high income and plenty of money left over after housing costs for all your other expenses. Good luck with your new apartment from the MFA Team Total per 2 pay period month: 4,000 Affordable Monthly Rent: 1,400 Estimated Utilities: 280 Maximum Affordable Housing Expense: 1,680 Target Savings To Move Out: 4,200 Hello, Me and my girlfriend are looking to get our first apartment sometime soon. I8217ve found a place where rent is 560 a month w/o utilities. We8217re not going to have cable since we use netflix anyways. My car insurance is 160 a month. My phone bill is 80 a month. Internet would be roughly 50 a month. Plus we have a baby on the way. I was wondering what i should expect my monthly payments to be. Hi Robert, Because utilities vary so much from region to region, we are just using 20 of rent as a rough estimate. In your case that would be 112 a month, including internet. (Take a look at this graphic to see how utility costs vary across the country.) If you just add up rent, estimated utilities plus car and phone payments, you monthly 8220fixed nut8221 is 56011216080 912. You need to also budget for gas, food, clothing, and baby supplies. Before the baby arrives, also check out this post on how to prepare your apartment for your little bundle of joy. Good luck to all of you from the MFA Team I8217m a first time renter. I8217m seriously considering a townhouse that is 850 per month. Using your rule of thumb, I8217d probably spend around 170 on utilities (mainly electricity, water, gas, and internet). I get paid bi-weekly and my last two paychecks combined was roughly 2,300. If I go for this townhouse, that8217d leave me with roughly 1,300 after rent and utilities. Does this sound reasonable I want to err on the higher end for utilities, especially electric. Thanks Sorry that you had trouble with the affordable rent calculator. If that happens again, try another browser, such as Firefox. 1,300 after housing certainly sounds like it should be enough, but only you know your other fixed payments, i. e. car, student loan, credit cards, etc. Do the double check by deducting all your other payments from the 1,300 and see if you can live on the amount that is left over and put a little something into savings. Good luck MFA Team Reply Mike September 22nd, 2015Hi, so my gf and I are trying to move into our 1st apartment. I make about 2,064 before taxes. After all car insurance, car payment, and phone leaves me with 1,499. My gf makes about 1144 before taxes. We are giving ourselves a max rent cap of 1150/ month. Would we be able to afford the maximum cap w/o utilities. Keeping in mind were just outside of Boston. My roommate and I make about 3,100 combined, we found an apartment for 750 a month w/o utilities. Would we be able to afford this Hi Ivy, the answer is yes, you two can afford 750. We have just published a post with calculator that lets you input your income and then gives you three numbers: 1.) Your maximum affordable rent 2.) Your maximum affordable housing cost, including utilities and 3.) Amount of savings you need to get that rental. In your case, you start with your combined annual pre-tax salaries (3,100 12 37,200) and the three numbers you get are: max. rent 930, max. housing 1,116 and savings target 2,790. Why don8217t you test the calculator yourself and let us know how it worked out Good luck from the MFA Team Hi we found a townhome for 580 a month includes water, sewer, and trash. I make around 650-750 every two weeks and my fianc makes 200-300 every two weeks. Car payment we have is 266 a month and insurance 178. Phone bills are around 180. We also have a baby. Hi Fred We have just published a We have just published a post with calculator that lets you input your income and then gives you three numbers: 1.) Your maximum affordable rent 2.) Your maximum affordable housing cost, including utilities and 3.) Amount of savings you need to get that rental. In your case, you start with your combined average monthly after-tax pays of 1,900 and the three numbers you get are: max. rent 665, max. housing 798 and savings target 1,995. You do have high other payments and obligations, so do the double-check with your actual expenses. 1,900 8211 580 (your actual rent) 8211 116 (est. utilities) 8211 266 8211 178 8211 180 580 left for other expenses. That8217s 145 a week. Can you survive on that, including all of the baby8217s expenses (By the way, your phone bills look high. Try to find a better plan.) Why dont you test the calculator yourself and let us know how it worked out Good luck from the MFA Team Hi, I wanted to know a good estimate on what i would be paying monthly for an apartment. My boyfriend and I are new to this thing. So we have alot of questions. Is there a way I can contact you Hi Brie, You are in luck We have just published a post with calculator that lets you input your income and then gives you three numbers: 1.) Your maximum affordable rent 2.) Your maximum affordable housing cost, including utilities and 3.) Amount of savings you need to get that rental. Why don8217t you test the calculator out and let us know how it works for you. You can always contact us by email to editormyfirstapartment Good luck from the MFA Team I have been living with my parents and thinking about moving out. I make about 2300 after taxes every month, and found an apartment that is 750 with no utilities included in the KCMO area. But I8217m already not planning on paying for cable, because I mainly use Netflix anyway. I would be commuting to work, but have a car with awesome gas mileage, so I would probably spend about 100 dollars a month on gas. would I be able to afford this Hi Janessa, The basic formula for maximum affordable rent of 35 of your take-home pay calculates you max. rent of 805. 750 should be OK, as you don8217t seem to have any unusually high expenses. Figure an amount equal to 20 of rent for utilities, or 150, making your total housing cost 900/month, leaving you 1,400 for all other expense. Good luck from the MFA Team. Ridículo. If this is your first apartment, you DON8217T need luxuries. You need rent, utilities, Transportation money, and food You don8217t need a doorman, you don8217t need renter8217s insurance, you don8217t need cable. You don8217t even need internet. If it8217s just you, a studio apartment with utilities included is more than sufficient. Get over yourselves. Doorman, pfft. What I find hilarious is that most landlords require you to make 3x more than the monthly rent. This is a stupid rule. What I do with my money is my business. All they should be concerned about is the rent being paid. If I want to live on 100/month after rent and utilities are paid, that8217s my decision. Grant it, no one wants to live that way, but people do, I imagine. Why does it matter so much if a prospective tenant makes 3x the rent That8217s a bit excessive. Here8217s a good example: right now I am interested in an 1100/month apartment including all utilities. I make just over 2500/month. That leaves me with 1400 per month after the rent is paid. I have a car payment, car insurance, gas, food, and a couple of small monthly payments. Even after that8217s all said and done, I never blow through 1400/month. So, why wouldn8217t I be qualified income wise for said apartment All you need to care about is tht first 1100 of my monthly income for rent. Obviously I can pay the rent Why so stringent requirements just to rent a damned apartment Most people don8217t make 3x the rent. not all property managers and landlords have this requirement, but most do. Income requirements, credit checks, etc. is it all really necessary I8217m not sure, but I think I just fell in love with this website. - D I wish I knew about this with my first apartment. Still helps now though, because I8217m still poor (albeit, less poor than a few years ago. lol) Hello i have an 8 month old and i make about 2,000 a month what should i be looking at for ranges in rent I was thinking 750 no utilities included. Would i be able to affors this Hi Susan, 750 will be tight, especially with the extra necessary expenses the baby adds to your budget. The basic formula for max. affordable rent is 35 of take-home pay. In your case that would be 700 and you need to estimate another 120-150 for typical utilities. With the baby you cannot skimp on utilities, either, the apartment must have heat and light. If you can find a place where only utilities you have to pay are electric and internet (no cable TV), then you could afford that higher rent. Good luck from the MFA Team hi i8217m doing a moving out thing with school and i just needed some help with what i might need or are the payments for the week Im planning on renting an apartment with a friend for 620 a month without ultilities (Electricity, heat, etc.). We both make roughly 800 per month after taxes. Is it possible to live off this Also being considerate about power consumption and such8230 Thanks It seems too tight for your incomes. Take a look at our recent utility cost survey. If your electric and internet/cable will run at least 60 each and if heat is not included in rent, your utilities will easily exceed 200 a month. This would mean more than half of your take-home pays goes to housing, leaving your less than 100 a week for commuting, food and all your other expenses. Continue saving and try to find ways to boost your incomes. Good luck from the MFA Team Hello, I am a recent graduate who just moved to Chicago. I just got approved for an apartment that is 1195, gas and electric not included. I have to factor in internet and renter8217s insurance as well. I will be making about 3000 a month after taxes. This will be the first time I will be living on my own and I have never had to pay any sort of bills. Your article was super informative I am just wondering if this was doable Hi Hoang, You should be fine, just make sure you build an emergency fund as soon as you can. Check out this list of typical monthly expenses when you live on your own. www. myfirstapartment/2014/02/first-apartment-budgeting-basics-your-monthly-expense-checklist/ Good luck from the MFA Team Hi I am a student in Tallahassee, FL and I am planning on getting an apartment next year as a junior in college. With 3 colleges, Tallahassee is a college town so there are plenty of apartments made for student housing with single person leases. I would be paying for the apartment with my school scholarship that allows 2500 for housing a semester which totals 5000 an entire year. I could also potentially be bringing in an extra 300 a month during school months with an on campus job so I wanted to know what my bottom line monthly budget should be including rent, utilities, and cable/internet. Hi Tyana, Can you find something that rents in the 300 a month range. That would leave you enough room to pay for electric, est. 50, internet, est. 20-30, and possibly another 40 for water and garbage collection, because you are in Florida. Skip cable TV, you cannot afford it. Use the campus job as an emergency fund, not to pay for a rental you would not otherwise afford. Good luck from the MFA Team Reply Katherine Ramicone August 18th, 2015Hello I make about 2500-3000 a month and my best friend makes 2000-2500 a month (after tax). We8217re looking at an apartment listed at 1000/mo. Heat is included. We pay electric, and the landlord pays other utilities. We each pay about 30 commute to the city for work. Would we be able to afford this, or should we be looking at a lower rent cost Hi Katherine, With your combined monthly income of 4,500 you could easily afford a 1,000 rental. It costs you less than a quarter of your income, so you8217ll be in good shape to cover all your other expenses, too. Check out this post to estimate your electricity costs. Good luck from the MFA Team I make about 2500 a month after tax. I live in the NJ/NY area and am looking to move out within a year. I have to pay up to 600 in student loans a month, as well as 200/month for commuting into the city where I work. What sort of rent price range should I be looking for, and is it even possible to find Thanks. Hi Reina, NYC landlords are tough. They want you to have an annual salary of 40 times your rent. If you make 2500 after tax your salary is probably about 3000 a month or 36,000 a year, which would qualify you for an apartment that rents for 900. Alternatively, you8217d need to find someone to guarantee your rent. That person needs to have an annual income of 80 times the rent. In your case you also have the high student loans in the equation. If you8217d find a 900 apartment, plus pay about 100 in utilities. you would have 900 after your loan and about 700 after commuting. It seems like that should be enough, especially with all the free activities and entertainment available in NYC. You8217ll most likely end up with a roommate share somewhere in Brooklyn or Queens, but the commute will be still better than from NJ. Good luck from the MFA Team. I am looking into an apartment for 525 a month. I bring in 800-900 a month and my roommate brings in roughly 1500. Could we manage this What would our estimated costs including utilities be split evenly Hi Timothy, You two can certainly afford the 525 rent and another 100 in utilities. or more if you have to pay for water and garbage collections in addition to electric and internet. If you split the rent and utilities evenly, let8217s say about 325 each/month, you8217ll still have about 500 left for all your other expenses. Your roommate will have about 1,200 left, so there will be a big disparity in what each of you could afford for entertainment and other discretionary expenses. Budgetwise, you are both OK, as long as you8217ll feel comfortable to say no when your roomie wants to do something you cannot afford. Good luck from the MFA Team Hello, me and my roommate are looking at an apartment for 775 a month, without any utilities included. I make about 1200 a month as does my roommate. With 2400 a month after taxes, would we be able to afford it We also will be spending about 150 each on gas. How much extra money do you think we would have to save each month Would this be doable Thank you for your time. Hi Kevin, First, check out this posts about actual utility costs. You should plan to pay an amount equal to about 18 of your rent or 140 for your utilities, even more if you live in the South or Southwest. Overall, it looks like you should be able to handle your rent, utilities and gas, with close to 150 left per week for each of you for savings and other expenses. You should be able to save at least 50 a month, as long as you avoid high-maintenance girlfriends Good luck from the MFA Team Hi, me and my roommate are looking for an apartment at about 800 dollars a month. All utilities are included. I make 750 a month and my roommate makes 800 a month. We also both pay about 160 a month on gas money. He seems confident we would be able to make it by and save a bit, but im not so sure, what do you think Hi Joey, Your roommate is too optimistic. When you have to pay more than half of your income for rent, you are in a risky territory and any unexpected little mishap, like car trouble, will throw your budget off. Why don8217t you look for a place in the 600 a month range and learn to handle your rent and all your other expenses you8217ll have living on your own without going so far out on a limb. Good luck from the MFA Team Hi I live in wisconsin and me and a friend are looking to move to colorado springs, colorado sometime in the next few months. The apartment costs 800 a month and the electric and heating are both not included. Would we be able to afford all costs including food, etc. We both make about 600 dollars a month and have to pay about 200 a month for gas. Would we be able to afford this Hi Sean, If the two of you make 1,200 a month, combined, and pay 200 a month for gas, there is no way you can pay 800 in rent plus utilities. You would have no money left over for such pretty important expenses as food You need to be looking for a very inexpensive roommate share. Good luck from the MFA Team Hello, I live in Georgia. I make about 1,000 a month. I was looking into getting my first apartment that is 410 a month. I have no car payments except for gas which is 240 a month, 120 from each paycheck. I am transferring with my job to another location that is closer to the apartment. So gas would probably go down to just 150 a month. My phone bill is 63 a month. I have two other bills that adds up to 80 a month. I am also getting a raise next year which would make my income go up to about 1200 a month. Would I be able to make this move Hi Olivia, If you take your income of 1,000 and deduct rent 410, utilities about 80, gas 150, phone 63, other bills 80, you have only 217/mo. left for all your other expenses. It seem too little for comfort. Why don8217t you continue saving, wait until you get your raise and then run your numbers again. Then your rent starts to look manageable. Good luck from the MFA Team Hi me and my boyfriend and 3 kids (my1) his 2 on weekends I bring home a boy 6-800 every two weeks and 400.00 in child support he brings around 480 (aftercs) and between 25amp139 from a second job the apt we are looking at is 575 utility can we do it Hi Tangi, Assuming your BF8217s income of 480 is per month and your child support of 400 is per month, you make about 2,100 in a low month (600240048025) and about 2,600 in a high month. The formula for max. rent of 35 of take-home pay shows your low month rent max. at 736, so you should be Ok paying 575 and still having enough left over for utilities (assume about 20 of rent or about 120/month) and all your other costs. During your high income months your should have some extra money to put towards savings for an emergency fund. Also check out this average utility cost survey we just posted on the site. It will help you to estimate utility costs based on where you live. Good luck from the MFA Team Reply Meg (meggyhertz) August 10th, 2015Hi I think this is a great post. I live in Miami, making 2500/mo. No car payment, but insurance is 90 and so is phone bill (total 180). I don8217t have to worry much about heat. I8217m looking at spending 900/mo on rent. Assuming I spend 250/mo on food and 80/mo on gas. Should I be alright I8217m expecting some help from by bf with food and the electric or cable/internet bill, but I don8217t want to rely on it per se. What are your thoughts Hi Meg. You are lucky with the heating costs, but you8217ll get hot with big A/C bills unless you have central air included in your rent. 900 rent is just a little more than we8217d recommend for someone making 2,500/mo after-tax. (If your 2,500 is before tax, then you are definitely too high.) Overall, though, it looks like you are in a reasonable ballpark, even if you have to cover your utilities of 150 or more month. To double check, look at your last couple of months of income and expenses and see if you would have been able to cover your rent and utilities in addition to all your other necessary cash outlays. That8217s your answer Good luck from the MFA Team I make, roughly 1000 a month. My best friend makes around 500 a month while going to school. I want to buy a car and the payments will be about 250 a month plus 100 in insurance and gas money. The apartment were looking at is 540 a month. Will we be able to afford it Kadrian, Just looking at the formula of paying no more than 35 of your take-home pay in rent is not going to work in your case. While 35 of 1,500 monthly pay is 525, close to the 540 your are looking to spend, your other expenses will be so high that there is not enough money left over for such basics as food and clothing. Deduct from your 1,500 rent 540, utilities est. 100, car expenses 350 and you8217ll have 510 left each month for 2 people. That8217s 17/day or 8.50/per roommate. Can you cover ALL your other expenses on that We8217d say, no way. Looks like it8217s either a car or the apartment. And even without the car expenses, it will be tight. Let us know what you decide. Good luck MFA Editors Alright so, I am 19 working two part time jobs and going to school full time. I get paid bi-weekly at both jobs on the same day, if that makes sense. and all together my checks combined come to like 750 on a good two weeks. I pay my own phone bill which is about 50, my car insurance which is 120 a month. and I also do payments for school but they8217ll take anything I can give. I found an apartment for 530 a month, will I be able to make it every month Hi Ruby, It8217s going to be tight, but you can probably make it. If you deduct your fixed expenses (including est. 100 for utilities) from 1,500, you8217ll end with 700 to cover all your other expenses. That should be enough for one person. We are just a little concerned when you say your make 750 on good two weeks. How bad are the bad two weeks Your landlord will not care that you had a run of bad paychecks. Before you sign the lease, figure out how much money you8217ll have after your fixed expenses in a bad month. Only you will know if that is enough. You do have that little cushion of the two extra paychecks each year that can help in a pinch. Good luck from the MFA Team I currently bring home 3300 a month. The apartment I8217m interested in is 1015 and I must pay all utilities. I have a car note of 400 and 150 insurance. Will I be able to afford this by myself Hi Jaralyn, If we use the basic 35 of take-home pay formula for max. rent, your number is 1,155. While you do have high car expenses, your total pay is enough to cover your 1,015 rent, utilities (est. at 200) and those car payments, with about 1,500 left over for all your other expenses and savings. Good luck with your new apartment from the MFA Team Okay so I bring in about 2,500-2,700monthly and want this apartment that is 910 a month(not including utilities) and have a car note/insurance of 500. Is this doable Hi, I have a question. I am renting this place for 1175 a month I only have to pay electricity and gas. It is me and my partner living alone. Every two weeks I get paid 800 and my partner gets paid 800 every two weeks as well. I have 100 to pay for car insurance and 100 for phone bill. Will we be able to make it for a year Just concerned that we wont be able to afford it Hi Nancy, Assuming your numbers are after tax, if you do the math from Calculation 2 in this post you maximum rent target is 1,120, but it sounds like you have very little other fixed expenses, so you should be OK at 1,175. You also have a cushion with the two 3-paychecks months you have during the year. If your numbers are before tax use the Calculation 1. It will show that your target rent is 960 and 1,175 is over 200 too high for your combined incomes. Good luck with your apartment from the MFA Team HI I8217m looking to get an apartment with my boyfriend. He usually makes 1100 a month and I make around 800-900 a month. I don8217t have a car payment. We8217d just be paying for my cars gas, utilities, and rent. What would be our price range for an apartment be This recent post shows two ways to estimate how much rent you can afford on your salary. You should use Calculation 2, if you are on hourly pay, calculation 1 if you have an annual fixed salary. If you average 1,900 net take-home pay combined in low months, then your max. rent is 665. You can estimate the amount yourself, by following Alen8217s example in calculation 2. Since you don8217t seem to have other heavy expenses, 650-700 should be safe rent range and you8217ll still have money left over for all other typical apartment and living expenses. Good luck from the MFA Team Okay so I make about 400-500 dollars bi-weekly. My soon to be roommate makes 400 bi weekly. We are looking at apartments for about 600-675 a month. I have to take out 100 dollars almost every check for car insurance and I will need gas money. Do you think we can afford to get an apartment in this price range Hi Matt, The basic max. rent formula 35 or your monthly take home, has max. rent at 560 (1,600 0.35). Let8217s say your rent is 600, 700 with normal utilities, so you each have to shell out about 350 a month for housing. That8217s almost one paycheck each month. That leaves you a little more than one paycheck for all other expenses, car insurance, gas, food, clothing, entertainment, etc. It looks to us like it could get really tight. You need to look at your typical expenses and see if about 100 a week is enough to cover it all. Maybe, if your 500 paychecks are frequent, you could squeeze by, but your roomie might have trouble paying his share. Try to look for something a little cheaper, or continue saving until you have at least 3 months of rent in savings before you take the plunge. Good luck from the MFA Team Reply James Bosley July 20th, 2015Hi I8217m currently looking for an affordable apartment. I make about 2500-3000 a month. Been looking at an apartment for about 700 a month but I also have to pay for utilites. I also pay about 500 a month for both my car and insurance. Will I be able to afford this Hi James, Use your low months as the basis for calculating the max. rent target. If 2,500 is the after tax number, then your max rent is at 35 is 875. If it is before tax number, then your annual salary is 30,000 divided by 40, gives your max. rent of 750. Either way, you should be OK at 700 a month, even with your car payments. Try to budget to live on 2,500 a month and bank the extra money during the 3,000 pay months for emergency fund and savings. Good luck from the MFA Team Hi i8217m curtently living with my parents but want to move out. I make 800 per week and looking to just get out of my parents wing. I have found a 2 bedroom apartment for 230 per week i have no idea about utility bills, my car is paid off, no ph bill and no intension to have cable, internet, t. v etc as i am a workaholic. Do you think i would be able to handle that Hi Faikoeli, 230 weekly rent is only 29 of your weekly (after-tax) pay of 800, well below the max. target of 35, so you should be OK with that apartment. If your pay is gross before tax, you8217ll be well withing the guidelines even then. 800 52 weeks 41,600 divided by 40 1,040 max rent/ month. Good luck from the MFA Team. Reply Katie July 16th, 2015I make about 500.00 every other wed. my husband brings in about the same or a little more. our rent will be 701 plus we have to pay our power and water. This is after taxes are taken out. How much does it cost to turn the utilities if we have 0 credit Will we be able to afford this Hi Katie, Your 701 monthly rent is just at the top of the recommended maximum, but you should be OK because you will have two months during the year when you actually get a third paycheck. You can bank those into emergency reserve. As far as turning on utilities when you don8217t have a credit rating, call the electric company and find out what they recommend. You may have to be prepared to make a larger than normal deposit. Good luck with your apartment from the MFA Team Reply iambrittknee July 16th, 2015Hello. I8217ve been at my job for about 3 months. I make between 2,500-3,000 a month. i would like to purchase ab 800.00 month studio apartment. This is how i set up my budget Rent 800.00 Electricity 50.00 Heat/air 70.00 Internet/cable 70.00 Water 40.00 3 months Renters insurance 15.00 I live in the md/dc area. Is this a good budget I calculated it costing about 1,020 monthly Hi iambrittknee, Budget looks good and 800 rent should be affordable on your pay, leaving even some room for savings in your higher pay months. Your heat/air will fluctuate with weather, so your may see a little higher bills in the middle of winter and for hottest summer months, but you have room in your budget to cover that. Good luck from the MFA Team My brother and I are looking to move into a house for 950-1100 rent. I make 2500 and he makes 2400. I have a high car payment and am a single mother to 1 no child support. He has a child support payment of 500 a month. I am not sure how much his car payments are. Do u think that we would be able to afford this Hi Ana, Looking at two basic formulas for maximum target rent: 1.) annual pre-tax salary divided by 40 or 2.) 35 of your monthly after-tax pay, rent in the 950-1,100 looks very affordable. However, only you two know what all your other expenses are. You need to put your math skills to work and do a little budgeting. Take a piece of paper and pencil, or open a spreadsheet program on your computer and add up 1,100 rent est. 200 utilities your health insurance payments car payments credit card payments child support student loan payments any other fixed monthly payments you have to make. Next, deduct that total from your monthly take-home pay. The balance remaining has to be enough to cover all your other monthly expenses, such as, food, clothing, childcare, commuting, entertainment and leave something left over for emergencies. Hope the numbers work out and you and your brother are on your way to getting your own apartment Good luck from the MFA Team. My best friend and I are looking to rent a home for about 1100 8211 1200 between the two of us to rent. I make approx. 2400 a month and she is at 2000 a month. Does this seem doable for us to split. I have a car paym of 380/mo and hers is 410/mo, insurance for me 125/mo. Not sure about hers. I also have twins 1 year olds. Their dad and I split costs for them. Hi Tiana, Assuming the monthly incomes were after-tax, you should be OK in your 1,100-1,200 range. Just remember to factor into your budget utilities of about 200 a month. The basic formula that budgets maximum of 35 of your monthly take-home for rent, would let you go as high as 1,540 (2,4002,0004,400 0.35). However, that would be too much for you two to carry because you have high car payments and other large expenses, including childcare. Good luck with your apartment from the MFA Team I8217m looking to rent an apartment for 600-700 I make 680 every two weeks plus another 446 a month. Do you think I can afford this rent with utilities or look for a cheaper apartment. Hi Paula, Assuming the numbers you gave are post-tax, your monthly take-home is 1,806 0.35 632, so the formula works for a 600/month rent, with typical utilities, but don8217t stretch it to 700. Good luck from the MFA Editors. Reply Kiley bond July 6th, 2015Hello, my fiance and I are trying to rent a 2 bed 2 bath apartment at just under 600 a month. He will bring in approximately 1,800 a month before his comission checks. It would be us two and our two very small children. We8217re in Michigan so A/C is not used for the majority of the year. We plan on Internet and Netflix, but no cable. The utilities we are responsible for are water, heat, trash, electric and gas. Do you think 600 a month is unreasonable Hi Kiley, According to the basic formula 1,8000.35 630, that apartment looks doable. While A/C is not a big expense for you, heating bills could get high in the winter. You should find out from the future landlord how much he thinks your water, heat, etc. will run a month. You do have a safety in that the commission checks will help cover high utility bills in a pinch, so it looks like you should be able to handle the 600 a month rent and still keep the babies in diapers Good luck from MFA Editors Hi Three of my friends and I, all college students, are about to rent a two bedroom apartment that costs 1000 a month. We are new to the United States and so we do not know anything about paying for utilities and even how it works. Could you please view the details of the listing on this link www. realtor/realestateandhomes-detail/10-S-3rd-St-Apt-AOxfordPA19363M33976-83983row2 please help me. I don8217t know how much I should be estimating for utilities every month. Thanks8230 Thanks a lot. Hi Connie, As a rough rule of thumb you should expect that your utilities (internet, cable, electric) run about 15-20 of your monthly rent. Looks like water 038 sewage and heat are included in rent in this case. Your phone, cable TV and Internet bundle should run around 100 a month. Your biggest wild card is electricity for cooling during hot months, but you are looking in Pennsylvania so it8217s only the summer. So, budget for 200 a month, and be happily surprised when the winter months come below. Good luck from MFA Editors. My fiance and I are looking to rent an apartment that is exactly 750 monthly. My income after taxes is 498.00 twice a month and he has two jobs and they both pay him roughly between 300-500 every two weeks after taxes also. Will we be able to afford 750 Hi Michelle, I8217m assuming your BF makes 300-500 in each job, not combined. With that assumption, even on the low end of your BF8217s paychecks your maximum target rent is 761. (4983003001,098 every 2 weeks 2,176 each 2 paycheck month, times 0.35 761) Plus you each have a cushion of two extra paychecks a year not in the formula. However, if you BF8217s numbers were total for both jobs, then your max. target is only 551 and 750 is far too much. Good luck from MFA Editors So I am looking at a an apartment that is 1,202 monthly and it will be getting split up with 3 other roommates. I make 320 a week and my girlfriend makes 220 a week, and the two other people make 360 and 380. What will we be looking at when you factor in all of the utilities. These numbers are post taxes. Hi Mike, Your groups maximum rent target is 1,792 (add up all weekly pays, times 4 weeks 5,120 0.35) so even if your combined utilities run as high as 15 of your rent or 268, your total housing would be still under 1500 a month and well below your max. rent only target. (Plus each of you has a cushion of 4 extra paycheck a year that were not even in the formula.) Also check out this post about how to split rent and this one about roommate agreements. Good luck from MFA Editors After reading your post I feel like this will be cramped as in financially. If I make 175 a week, and my boyfriend makes 400 a week is it possible to rent a place for 600 plus electricity. Hi Zia, We are assuming the numbers you show are your net pays after taxes. 175400575 total a week, times 4 weeks 2,300/month, times 0.35 805 maximum target rent. 600 is well withing your means. (Note: this formula leaves you a cushion for emergency fund, because four times a year you8217ll have a 5-paycheck month. Just check your calendar.) If the numbers are pre-tax, then 575 times 52 weeks 29,900/year divided by 40 747 maximum rent. So either way 600/month rent is affordable. Good luck with your first apartment from MFA Editors Thank you so much I get 226 dollars every two weeks and my boyfriend gets 300-500 every two weeks. We are trying to get an apartment for 400-700 dollars do you think it8217s possible for me to get Hi Mia, A 400 apartment is doable, but do not go much over it, otherwise you8217ll be in trouble in your lower-income months. See Calculation 2 in this post . Good Luck MFA Editors I am looking to rent an apartment for 890 a month, utilities are not included. I make about 720 net every week. I pay about about 500 for car payments and insurance and about 200 a month on student loans. Do you think this is feasible Hi Iola, You make 2880 net in a typical month, so using the Calculation 2 from this post your maximum rent is 1,008, and 890 looks doable. However, you have some high car and loan expenses, so make sure you have enough left over for utilities (est. 15-20 of rent) and all your other expenses. Good luck MFA Editors I am looking at a one bedroom apartment thats cost from 450 to 510. It is an all electric apartment. I make 656 every two weeks but work overtime so sometimes it will go up. Do you think its doable Check out this post and use Calculation 2, if you are talking about take-home (after-tax) pay. Using the formula, you maximum rent is 459, so 450 should be doable, but watch out for those heating an cooling electric bills. If 656 is pretax pay, then look more in the 400-425 rent range. Happy apartment hunting from the MFA Team Reply Brittany June 18th, 2015Husbad and I found a place for 1175. He makes about 1800 a month before tax and I make 1092 a month before tax. Is this doable Check out this recent post that gives two simple ways to estimate what is the maximum you should pay for rent on your salaries. Use the calculation 1, since you are looking at pre-tax incomes. Formula is 1,8001,0922,892/month 12 34,704/year divided by 40 868 target rent. Maybe you could stretch it a bit to 900 if you don8217t have big credit card or other bills, but 1,175 looks too high on your incomes. Good luck with your apartment hunt from the MFA Team Hello I make 22.50 and hour the apartment I want is 1500 and the utilities are NOT included. Do you think I can make it. I also have a 1 year old. No car note or cell phone bill Hi Sue, Check out this recent post that gives two simple ways to estimate what is the maximum you should pay for rent on your pay. Use the calculation 1, since you are looking at pre-tax income. If you work a 40-hour week, the formula is, 22.50 40 hours900/week 52 weeks 46,800/year divided by 40 1,170 target rent. Maybe you could stretch it a bit to 1,200, but 1,500 looks too high on your income. Even though you do not have cell or auto loan expenses, you need to factor in the expenses of raising a 1 year old. Good luck with your apartment hunt from the MFA Team Hi my boyfriend and I are currently looking at an apartment that costs 950 a month. Heat, hot water, and electricity is not included. I make about 1200 every two weeks (sometimes more depending on how much I work) and my boyfriend makes about 400-500 dollars every week. I pay 60 dollars for car insurance and about 130 for my cell phone bill. He also pays about the same. Do you think it is possible for us to afford this place Hi Hannah, We just published a post on that exact topic. Use the Calculation 2 to figure out your average monthly after-tax take-home income and multiply by 0.35. It looks like 950 is clearly doable for you two. Assume about 200 for utilities, until you get a closer estimate from your potential landlord. Good luck from the MFA Team I have found a apartment for 800 a month with hot water and water included I make 1139 net pay every two weeks. Do you think this doable. Thanks in advance Hi Alen, We actually did a post on this topic and used your situation as an example. Congratulations, the 800 apartment is doable for you. so whats the normal heat and hot water costs Heat and hot water are usually included in your rent. However, if your apartment has electrical heating (or heating/AC units) units and your electricity is sub-metered, so that your exact usage can be calculated, you may have to pay for heat. It would be unusual to have to pay for hot water, unless you have your own separate electrical water heater unit. If you do have separate units and sub-metered electric, the cost depends very much where you live and the size of your apartment. A one bedroom apartment in temperate zone could be under 100/mo. or it could be 200/mo. in winter in Northern states. Always ask the landlord for an estimate. Hi, my bf and I are thinking about moving into our own place. We found a loft we really like to rent but we are trying to figure out if we are able to make that step. The monthly rent is 1700 w/out utilities. Combined we bring in 3800 before tax. Also we will be splitting rent and utilities. I8217ve saved up about 2700 so far. My car is payed off and my parents pay my phone and car insurance. My bf makes his car payments so that will be an extra expense. Will a place like this be affordable to us I appreciate if you can help is out. Hey Jude, Sorry, but we are making you sad. That 1,700 apartment is too expensive for you and your bf. For all the details and calculations see this post where we used your situation as an example. Your don8217t want to overextend so much that you have no money left for fun or to cover any unexpected expenses. Good luck for finding a great affordable apartment what about water This is what our blogger Audra, who lives in Georgia, said to another reader: 8220In my experience, water has been fairly inexpensive, averaging anywhere from 20-30 a month. However, in some parts of the south, especially in the city, a sewer fee is tacked on to your water bill that can be pretty hefty. If thats the case, expect to pay around 50 max for water.8221 Hope that helps. Hello my name Is john and I work anywhere from 40-60 hours at a factory I make roughly around 300-500 a week 300 when I work 40 and 500 for 60 I live in somerset ky and the 2 bedroom apartment I8217m looking at this 450 a month I have 5k in savings and my wife makes 1200 a month. Now my question is can I afford something better or should I go with this place and save for when I have to move to south Carolina I am in college which is played for in full and I keep 4k each semester for grants that go to my bank account. My wife8217s aunt is a boss of a huge tech corp in south Carolina and I need a bachelor8217s degree I will have my AA in December so I will he living here for three years. What8217s the best choice for me also I8217m only 20 so not sure on what8217s the best decision. Obrigado pela resposta. Also just thought about this. I own two cars no monthly payment bought them with my last 4 semesters of college. 6 month premium on car insurance is 758 and water will be on me also but the water company is next door to where I8217m looking and they said averagely its 15-30 a month and electric averagely its 30-120 depends on how hot or cold it is. If that helps at all. Hi John, First of all, congratulations. You are in a great financial shape for a 20-year old college student. It also looks like you could comfortably afford more than 450 in rent and since you will be living in the apartment for 3 years, it makes sense to get a place where you8217ll be happy, as long as you don8217t overextend your finances. Even the conservative calculation shows that you and your wife could qualify for a 750/mo. rental (see below.) We would not recommend that, though. However, would another 100-150 month in rent get you a much better commute and/or much nicer place than 450 Even if you decide to finish your college in two years, and cut back work hours, with your grants and your wife8217s income, you could still manage and be able to save for the move to So. Carolina. And then start earning a higher salary sooner with your Bachelor8217s degree. Good luck from the MFA Team Let us know how things work out. Setup : John makes 300-500/wk 15,600-26,000 a year Wife makes 1200/mo. 14,400 a year Total annual income 30,000-40,400 Max. rent target (annual income /40) 750-1,010 Car Insurance 758 for 6 months 126/mo. Savings 5,000 Grants 4,00028,000 a year Conservative Monthly Budget at 40-Hour Month: Income 8211 John 1,300 Income 8211 Wife 1,200 Total 2,500 Less:Payroll 038 Inc. Taxes(Est.20) -500 Take-Home Pay 2,000 Housing Utilities: Rent -750 Electric 8211 high 8211 120 Water 8211 high -30 Internet/TV -75 Total Housing Utilities -975 Cash available for other expenses 1,025 hi my name is Nicholas I have a job but its work part time is now the best time to move out or should I wait. and for socal whats a good amount to have saved up. thank you Hi, I plan to move out and have about 10k saved up and make 54k a year. After tax, i take about 2800 home per month. How much should I monthly rent be including utilities in Southern California I received a job offer down south and kind of nervous about renting my first apartment. Hi Robert, Sounds like you are in a great position to move into your first apartment. If we use the annual salary, i. e. 54,000 divided by 40 formula for maximum, your rent could go as high as 1,350, add another 15-20 for utilities and your housing cost will take close to 60 of your take-home pay. This is too much, so start with your take-home of 2,800 and try to spend no more than 35 of that in rent, or 980. Add about 150-200 for utilities and you will still have over 1,500 a month left for all other expenses and savings. With your nice amount of savings, you could even go a little bit higher for rent if that8217s where the market is. Assume that your initial cash outlay will be 3 times your rent: 1st month rent, security deposit, moving costs and minimal furniture (at least a bed). Good luck from the MFA Team P. S. Your situation is a perfect example of how no formula works for everyone and why first time renters have to look carefully at their own finances before taking the plunge. I8217m preparing to move into a Loft Apartment in July, and the rent is 860 a month (85010 for pet), and I currently make 2024 roughly a month. I8217m curious as to what we pay for water in the Southeast typically, if it8217s included in the rent or not I need to see if I can afford the place on my own, or if I need financial assistance. Congratulations on the new apartment To answer your question (I8217m a Southeast girl myself), water typically isn8217t included in the rent. But, every apartment is different, so it8217s best to contact you landlord and ask if the water bill is included, and, if not, what it typically costs others tenants. In my experience, water has been fairly inexpensive, averaging anywhere from 20-30 a month. However, in some parts of the south, especially in the city, a sewer fee is tacked on to your water bill that can be pretty hefty. If that8217s the case, expect to pay around 50 max for water. Hope this helps Audra amp The My First Apartment Team Hi, I am renting in maine, and many apartments include heat and hot water in the rent. So do I pay for cold water We have never heard of a case where hot water is included and not cold water. In the Northeast, water and heat (unless your apartment has electric baseboard heating system) are typically included in the rent. Good luck with your apartment from the MFA Team Hi My name Alex, I get the utility bill and the higher cost was sewer 75 is that ok The water. Cost me 35 so why sewer cost 75 Hi Alex, More than twice your water bill for sewer does not sound right. Check with you utility and have them explain how they calculate the sewer charges. Also, ask your neighbors what they pay. Maybe there is new sewer construction and you are getting an assessment. In general, if you get an unusual jump in any utility bill always ask the utility to explain why. You maybe victim of utility theft, and someone nearby has tapped into your line. This can happen, particularly with with electric lines. Let us know what you find out, so your fellow MFA readers know what to watch out for. Good luck from the MFA Team I8217m trying to get an apartment in the Sacramento California area. My fianc and I both work two jobs getting roughly 600 dollars each bi-weekly. We are trying to move into an apartment that is 908 per month. Would we be able to easily afford it A long with food, and utilities (We would pay for ALL utilities. Water, gas, electric, trash, etc..) we would still like to try and save up for a car while there as well8230 Hi Kellsey, If we understand you correctly, you take home after taxes is about 2,400 a month, 26002 pay periods (and extra 1,200 in two months, when you get 3 paychecks.) You need to budget based on your 2,400 months, so your rent of 908 will take about 38 of your monthly take-home. It is a bit higher than our target of 35 or 840 in your case, but should be doable if you do not have many other fixed expenses. Take a look at this post for typical expenses you may incur. Keep in mind these are per person, so you should double them. You also need to save well over 2,000 before you are ready to move. (Rule-of-thumb: have savings equal to times your rent before moving.) Good luck from the MFA Team Hey wusssuuuuuuuup my name I sky I live on Washington state I plan on getting an appartment that8217s 870 a month I don8217t have a job yet and was wonder ing what type of job would be best for me to pay this it has wifi sewer garbage water included I8217d have to pay for electricity and heat I have 4,800 saved but if you could tell me what job would be best form to pay or if u think I should look into another appartment Hi Sky, First, the good news. With 4,800 saved you are in great shape when the time comes to get your first apartment. Nice work saving Now, the bad news. You are not ready to get any apartment because you don8217t have a job. With the typical landlord8217s guideline of requiring you to earn an annual salary of 40 times your monthly rent, can you get a job making 34,800 a year If you were (un)lucky enough to find someone who would rent to you without a job, they would probably want you to prepay several months of rent, so there goes your 4,800. Why don8217t you go and find a job first and then figure out how much you can afford to pay for rent. If you make a fixed annual salary, divide the number by 40. That8217s your target monthly rent. If you work on hourly basis and your hours are not fixed, average couple of months worth of after-tax paychecks, and only spend about a third of the monthly average on rent. Good luck from the MFA Team Hi, my name is Alisha and I just had a question that I was wondering if you could answer My apartment agreement states that the landlord pays for heat, water, sewer, and trash. It8217s a gas heater, and the apartment has a gas stove. So does the landlord pay for the gas stove or do I I was thinking that since the landlord pays for the heat (which is gas) that they might pay for the stove (which is also gas). What do you think Hi Alisha, Cooking gas is usually included in rent. In fact, we have never heard of a landlord charging separately for gas for the stove. Hey my name is Rose and I stay in Florida I work two jobs one I bring about 600 bi weekly other job I make 224 weekly my insurance is 250 monthly my boyfriend pays my car i pay my phone 50 monthly can I afford a 500 or less rent Hi Rose, It looks like you make (take-home) about 2,096 a month (60022244) (plus two extra paychecks a year that you can save, since you get paid bi-weekly.) 500 a month rent is only 24 of your take home, well below the the 35 target. Even with the 300 of monthly expenses for insurance and phone, you8217ll still have 1296 left to cover all your other expenses and put a nice amount into savings. Good luck in your first apartment from the MFA Blogger Team My name is Vic, I8217m looking into renting a studio apt which is 514 a month. I take home about 750 every two weeks and have a monthly student loan payment of 130. I plan on not getting cable and my car is paid off. I currently have about 3,500 in savings. Can I afford to move out on my own Hi Vic, Based on your numbers you are ready to move out on your own. Your rent should not be more than a third of your monthly take home and you are at 34 (514/1,500) for 10 months out of the year. The other two months have a bonus third paycheck that almost total your annual student loan payments. (When you get paid every 2 weeks, there are 26 paychecks a year, not 24. Check your calendar) Plus the fact that you have 3,500 in savings that you can use for first month8217s rent and one month8217s security deposit and still have 2,000 left, gives you an extra financial cushion. Go for it and good luck in your first apartment from the MFA Blogger Team Hi, I8217m looking for apartments now and I8217m not sure exactly what ballpark I should be looking at for price. I currently bring home 1500 a month. What should I be looking for in terms of a monthly rent thanks No more then 1,200 for you. Hi Lena, Your rent should not be more than 1/3 of your monthly take-home, so aim to spend max. 500. But before you sign a lease, add up all your other fixed expenses to make sure that you have enough money left over for basic living expenses (food, clothing, etc.) 500 rent budget will probably mean a roommate share to start with, unless you live in a very low cost area. Good luck from The My First Apartment Team Hi, My name is Chris and I live in southwest Missouri. I8217m recently been trying to do some research on how much I should expect to pay for utilities so I have a better guess as to where I would land on how much rent I would be able to pay. I will be living on my own and it8217s going to my first time. I8217ve seen that a lot of the place I can rent would be about 700 or less which I8217m pretty sure I could afford but as everyone knows this kind of thing can raise anxiety. I plan on getting internet but not cable. if you can help me out a little it would be appreciated. Obrigado. Also, if I estimated right I should be making about 1,900 a month. At current though, I will be only paying 50 a month for my phone but depending on how far I would have to travel for work depends on how much I would have to pay for gas for my truck which only gets about 10-15 mpg. Hi Chris, It is not clear if your 1,900 a month is pre-tax or after tax. If it is pre-tax, then you should be looking to spend no more than 600/mo. in rent. (The target rent is your annual salary divided by 40 or 1,90012/40570.) Even if it is your take-home amount, try to keep your rent under 700. Regarding utilities, the big money items are what size apartment and how you8217ll get your heat. Does it come from a radiator and is included in your rent or do you have an individual unit for heat and a/c. If the latter is the case, it could run you as much as 200 a month in the coldest and hottest months. You need to ask your future landlord how much heat and a/c runs typically in that size unit. Other than heat, your electric should be in the 50-60/mo on a studio or 1BR unit, plus 50 for internet. Other possible add-ons are water, if it is separately metered and trash collection. Again, your landlord could estimate typical usage. Net/net, you should budget about 150-200 for utilities and add 100 to the amount if you have to pay for heat separately. Let us know how it goes and good luck Thank you. I was wanting to confirm what I thought. The info wad very helpful. This site will definitely be a big resource for me on taking a good amount of anxiety out of the picture. Hello(: my name is sammy. My best friend and I are getting ready to head off to college. We live in Montana. And of course coming out of high school it8217s all kinda frightening to us. I8217ve been doing a lot of research trying to figure out how much our heat, electricity, and water bill. We are looking at an apartment that is around 700 w/out utilities. I8217m just hoping that it would be afforadable for the two of us in the end. Please help. We really need all the help we can get (: Hi Sammy, The best way to find out how much the utilities might be is to ask the previous tenant. If that8217s not possible ask the landlord. If the apartment is recommended by the college, their housing office should be able to help. Living in Montana, I8217d guess the heating bill is the biggie. Electric (other than for heat) is typically not be much more than 50-60/month for a small apartment plus another 50 for internet. As far as water and heating, you need to get an estimate locally. Good luck Hi so I8217m about to graduate college and I got a job offer to start at 47,000 a year. What do you suggest on how much I should spend in rent and you said before utilities should cost around 250 but I also have my car payment which is around 218. I also pay insurance which is 145. And of corse student loans as well. I was just wondering what you think I would need to budget exactly and what would be a good rent payment for my salary. Congratulations on your job offer. Here are a couple of links that will help you figure out how much rent you could afford comfortable. The basic rule is your monthly rent should not be more than your annual salary /40, or in your case 47,000/401,175. Your utilities will depend on what size place you get and what part of the country you live, but use 50-100 for electric and 100 for cell phone/internet bundle as a rough estimate. You may also have to pay for water in some areas. Check out this MFA post for some estimates of various expenses. Also check this ADP calculator for a rough estimate of what your take-home may be. Remember to add health insurance premiums to expenses. Good luck (With 47K salary you can get a nice first apartment, unless you are heading to SF or NYC where you8217ll be talking a roommate share.) Hi, I8217m looking for a place in NYC. I8217ve never paid utilities before and I just want to know on average how much it would cost for electricity per month. I8217m the only person who will be occupying the apartment. I work during the day and would be using AC during hot months. Would my electricity bill be really out of hand every month More than 100 Hi Kaydee, We asked two New York apartment dwellers what they actually pay for electricity. One lives in a LES studio and pays about 60/mo, the other splits an UWS 2br brownstone apartment and pays about 40/mo. So, estimate that yours will be in the 50-60 range, up to double that for hottest summer months. Hi, I8217m looking on renting my first apartment, one bedroom. I make roughly 525 every week and have 1,000 in my savings. Rent is 825 a month. Would I be able to afford it Hi Michael, If you get the apartment you8217ll be spending close to 40 of your monthly take-home on rent. A safer rent on your income would be in the 700/mo range or about a a third of your take-home. It8217s great that you have some savings, but those will be gone when you pay your security deposit and moving costs. How about money for the first month8217s rent That8217s also payable before you move in. You8217ll need to have close to 2,000 available to cover all your upfront expenses. It8217s hard to answer if you can afford 825 rent without knowing what other expenses you have. Student loans Car payments Commuting Credit card bills If you don8217t have any other major expenses, you could probably do it. Check by adding up all your fixed monthly bills plus the rent plus utilities and see what8217s left for your all other living costs (food, clothing, entertainment). Only you can judge if that8217s enough. Good luck P. S. In high-rent markets, such as NYC and SF, young people sometimes have no choice but pay up to 50 of their income for rent, knowing that it severely limits their lifestyle. I make 325 every week, Rent is 725 (bills not included). I don8217t watch cable I only use Internet as entertainment and truck paid off could I make it need a second opinion. I am looking into moving into a house completely on my own where I do not have to pay any sort of rent but I will have to pay for utilities. The house is a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom and not very big. My only expense is gas for my car. I do not pay insurance or my phone bill, it all gets payed. My problem is that I am attending college which is all payed for by financial aid for now, but I only get paid 250 every 2 weeks. From what I found I should be okay but just wanted a second opinion. Hi Cody, If you only need to pay for electric and internet (maybe 100/mo combined) you should be OK. If you also have to pay for heating and you are in the Polar Vortex country, that could be another 100/month. However, you have the second bedroom you could rent out if things get tight, so it looks like you8217ll be OK in either case. Good luck Im just a nervous wreck when it comes to renting an apartment with a room mate but im going for it anyway My question is, if me and my room make make about 2700 a month combined and rent is 760 a month but we have to pay water and electricity do you think we would be in a comfortable spot The basic recommendation for maximum rent you should pay is your annual salary divided by 40. You and your roomie make 32,400/year between the two of you. 32,400 / 40 810, so your rent of 760 should be very doable, even with having to pay for utilities. However, you should consider all your other expenses also. Do you have student loan payments Car payments Big credit card bills You need to look at your total financial picture, not just rent. Good luck Moving out to Fresno with two roommates, first time renting a house so I would appreciate some advice. We were planning on renting a house for around 1250. Which means around 450 each. I was wondering if anyone could help me out on an estimate to see how much all other utilities and things around the house would average out to. That way I can estimate how much we would all be paying a month and how much spending money we8217d have left. Help would be much appreciated. Thanks Hi Fernando, Because you8217ll be renting a house there could be more expenses you and your roomies have to cover than in renting an apartment. Are there outside plantings, for example, you8217ll need to maintain The best place to get a good estimate of all the utilities and other costs you need to pay is the previous tenant or the owner of the house. You8217ll need to plan at least for seasonal heating/cooling, electricity, internet, water, garbage collection. Meanwhile, assume at least 100 a month per roommate, until you get a better estimate from someone in similar situation. Boa sorte. PS. You had a typo in the rent amount that we fixed. (Changed 12500 to 1250.) What about water Hi Crystal, Having to pay for water separately depends on the region where you rent. For example, in New York City water is included in your rent. If you are looking on the West Coast or in the South you may get a separate water bill. Your best bet is to ask the previous tenant or the landlord. Good Luck So theres a place I8217m looking at and I8217m just talking it up with a friend and said we should look into it. He8217s having a kid and I8217m about to get a job that pays about 600-700 every two weeks. The place costs 785 and 3 different people will be tending to the bill so around 261.66 per person in a perfect world. The apartment is 1000 sq. ft. 2 bed 2 bath and plenty of living room space and room for his kid, his lady, and himself. It seems like a decent deal and I would think we can do it. Not only that would it be a good idea to even move in with them if a baby was involved, I8217m not bothered by that fact at all, but just in general I don8217t have many other things I HAVE to pay for but I think it would be good for all of us. Hi Kahlil, It sounds like a good deal for you, moneywise. Just realize that little babies are noisy, so consider how close your bedroom will be to theirs. When it8217s you baby waking you up at 3am, you can handle it, when it8217s someone else8217s it could become a source of conflict. On the bright side, it will give you a lot of insight into what it is to be a parent Good luck to all you you How does one get a firm grip on getting started on all this This is a fairly broad question. My advice is to take it piece by piece. First, determine which utilities you8217ll be expected to pay for and how much each one costs. Add up the total cost. Divide by the number of people living in the place and, voila, you have a rough estimate. If you8217re asking how to get started moving out, use the same technique, but with more steps. Figure out how much you can afford to pay for living expenses each month. Then figure out what neighborhoods you can afford and so on8230 Piece by piece you8217ll get there. Hope this helps Hello I live in an efficiency (I like to call it a matchbox) and my gas bill at minimum is around 25-27 a month. This is when I don8217t use the stove AT ALL. There is a base charge of 12 but if I don8217t use the range at all, shouldn8217t it be less than 15 If I turn on the stove even once, during the whole month, I end up paying anywhere from 40-90 dollars. I8217m calling the gas company today because I got an extremely high bill in the mail recently and it8217s pissing me off. I have used my stove once for about 5 minutes (that8217s a stretch) and the oven once for about 10 minutes between April 2012 and now (I either use my crockpot or an electric burner that I have). The range is the only gas thing I have since the property manager pays for heat and water. I know I can8217t be crazy right I sounds like there is possibly a leak or malfunction, especially if gas doesn8217t include your heat, as you indicate. It should not be that expensive you8217re right to call the company and have them take a look. Reply Jessica April 1st, 2013Question I8217ve never received any bill regrading what I had to pay the Frits time I paid I call to verify the amount it was 670 all together so that8217s what I8217ve been payin been there 6 months I just went to pay my bill online and it went up 300 and I8217m not understanding Help It sounds like this is a problem that needs to be resolved directly with your utility company. I would recommend calling them and staying on the line until you get all your questions answered. I8217d like to comment on what you said about Dallas residents not needing heat. On the contrary, while air conditioning is a must here, so is heat, although granted, the length of time is not great. In January and February (and sometimes December) the daytime temps can routinely be just above freezing when a storm passes through. And who can forget the freak ice storm last year during the super bowl (821711) Under 20 degrees for 4 days straight with ice on the ground. Heat, as well as air conditioning is a must. Also, in your addressing of heat above, you did not include electric furnaces as a heat source. Electricity does not just power A/C. Thanks for the thoughtful comment 8212 we always love to hear what readers have to say on the ground. And we agree, Dallas residents need heat (according to weather the average low in January is 37 degrees) 8212 our larger point is it8217s a relatively small portion of your overall annual utilities, whereas in a place like Wisconsin, it could be the largest single expense. As for electric heaters, they are generally quite a bit more expensive (70 or so) than gas-run heaters 8212 unless you8217re using space heaters, which are still more expensive, but can be used in targeted areas, making them a possible (if inconvenient) economic solution. I8217m going to be moving into a 1BR apartment with electricity for everything8211(heating and stoves on top of normal electricity usage and AC), and you mentioned that electric heaters are 70 more expensive than gas heaters, but never gave a specific price for heating in the article (because it8217s usually covered by the landlord), and I was wondering what you might estimate for the costs/amount of electricity used total. I will try to be as sparing with electricity as I can, as I will not have a television (but will have a desktop). The apartment is in New Jersey, so I hope to use AC only for a couple months (July/August), but I expect to use the heat more for winter months. Hi Jonathan, because so many things (insulation, windows, your comfort zone, etc.) can impact the amount electricity your apartment will use, your best bet is to ask the previous tenant, if possible, or your future neighbors. If that is not possible, contact the local electric utility8217s customer service and ask for their advice. Just as a very rough estimate, you are probably looking at 150-200 electric bill in the coldest and hottest months. Good luck in your new apartment Great article What about water A place I8217m considering does not include water in their rent even though most others do. Hi Liz. This is a great question 8212 it8217s rare an American renter is asked to pay for water, and, also, the rate can vary significantly by city. You could be charged anywhere from 25 a month to in excess of 100 a month, depending where you live and your usage. I would ask what the previous renters have been charged 8230 and I would also go to your city8217s Department of Water website, which should publish the rates. If you8217re still not getting a solid answer, call up the Department of Water and speak with someone 8212 they will be in a position to give you an accurate estimate. Finally, I would be skeptical if a landlord is attempting to pass that cost along to you 8212 it is usually built into the price of rent. So be sure to ask your potential landlord why he or she is charging for water 8212 and make sure that you get a good answer. Reply megan September 1st, 2012When I first moved into my new apartment I set a budget I wanted to spend for my electricity bill and with the increase in prices due to oil I8217m paying close to 350 a month just on that. With your budget you have to be flexible as there could be a rise in costs. Hi Megan Thanks for your comment we thought we8217d respond directly. While you8217re right that utility prices can fluctuate, 350 for electricity raises a red flag. In talking to several of my colleagues, we agree that your bill is so high that there is likely an error. I would recommend calling your management company and your oil and electricity suppliers, and asking them about it. Have them double check that the meters are reading properly, that their computer system isn8217t counting you twice, etc 8230 unless you have a mansion to heat and cool, your bill simply should not be that high. And, also, let this be a lesson to our readers: if something seems seriously off with your bill, have it checked out. Don8217t just assume that the bill is correct 8212 it might not be. Checklists
Comments
Post a Comment