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| *Travel Tips>>>Dallas Travel Tips |
How far will 44k/year get me in Dallas,TX? |
Travel Info I received a job offer for $44,500/yr in the Dallas,Tx metroplex. How far will this salary go in Dallas? I know nothing about Dallas and I would be relocating from NYC. I would be renting a studio or 1 bedroom. How much are utilities? Is there anything I should watch out for? Travel Tips 44K a year is plenty in Dallas. Whereas a studio or 1 bedroom in NYC will run you about $1500/month, I have a 2 bedroom/2bath, over 1100 sq. feet and vaulted ceilings, with 2 covered parking spaces. I pay less than $800/month. If you can, move to a suburb. Most of the apartments there will be newer/larger/have more amenities. Of course, most people would want to be close to their office, too. Don't be afraid (if you take the job) to ask the people you'll be working with where they would recommend looking. If you can help it, I'd try not to move to South Dallas, Oak Cliff, or Pleasant Grove (neighborhoods with higher crime rates) or the suburbs of Lancaster, Balch Springs, DeSoto, Wilmer/Hutchins, or Duncanville. In some of these suburbs there are some really nice areas, but alot of them have pretty high crime compared to the other areas. I live in _far_ North Dallas. Plano, Richardson, Addison, and parts of Carrollton are really new and nice. There's also alot of new economic growth. If you have gas heat/utilities, use Atmos Energy. They have the best rates and customer service. For electricity, use anybody but TXU. TXU is the biggest and oldest, and they take everyone for granted. For phone, try to avoid Verizon, in all its many forms. They suck royally. Things you need to know about Dallas: Buy a car, SUV, truck, Jeep, something. You'll need it. The important highways are all named. They are all also numbered. Sometimes the names and numbers change. Here's a good start: LBJ/635 - the "loop" around Dallas. It starts Southeast of Dallas, and ends at the North Entry of DFW Airport. It's not actually a loop. 35E - Stemmons is the name of 35E North of Downtown. South R. L. Thornton is the name of 35E South of Downtown. 35W runs through Fort Worth, and the two meet in Denton in the North, and Hillsboro in the South. I-30 - Runs through the middle of Downtown Dallas and Fort Worth, some 30 miles west. between the two, 30 is called Tom Landry Highway. East of downtown, it's East R. L. Thornton. US-75 - Also known as Central Expressway. It's not to be confused with South Central Expressway, which is not a highway at all. 75/Central runs North and slightly East from Downtown. It runs through the middle of Richardson, Plano, McKinney, Allen, and Frisco. 183 - Also called Airport Freeway. Splits off of 35E Northwest of Downtown, and heads to the South Entry of DFW Airport, hence the name. I-20 - I-20 basically borders the Southern edge of Dallas. It's one of the only freeways that doesn't go by another name, even though it's technically still part of LBJ. Northwest Highway isn't a highway. Loop 12 is only a highway on the West side of Dallas, and a small stretch in the Southeast. The rest of it is 40 mph. At different parts, it's called Waltom Walker Blvd. (it's a highway), Northwest Highway (see above), Buckner Blvd., and Ledbetter. Except for Buckner, every street name also applies to another piece of roadway seperate from Loop 12. Other things you should know: DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) can take you anywhere, as long as you don't need to get there quickly (or even today...). DLR (DART Light Rail) is always on time, unless it's early. It's also the only part of DART that works right. If you live/work near the Dallas North Tollway or the President George Bush Turnpike (Hwy 190 & Hwy 161, which are connected), you NEED a TOLLTAG. The NTTA (North Texas Tollway Authority) is the only place to get one. When you get here, BUY A MAPSCO. You'll need it. Best 40 bucks you'll ever spend. Welcome to Texas!Not a bad offer at all. Plenty of nice places you could live here for $600-$700/month or so. Utilities are very reasonable. Watch out for the summer months -- air conditioning! Much cheaper to live here than NYC Live in Dallas, work in Real Estate i like to come down to dallas tx i am gay male I'd estimate you'd have about $3000 a month after taxes. I live very well on less. Texas has no state income tax which will be a benefit to you. A one bedroom apt. of about 750 sq feet in a decent neighborhood will run about $800 a month including utilities. You will probably want a car as there is not a good system of public transportation and shopping is pretty well confined to malls in the suburbs. Factor in that cost if you don't already have a car. It is hot in the summer, but everything is air conditioned. You aren't exposed to heat unless you choose to be. Winter is great compared to NY. You will find Texans to be friendly and out-going. Making friends is easy, but be warned...we do resent people telling us how wonderful the Big Apple is. If you persist in doing so we will tell you the the Interstate Highway system runs both ways. Why not give it a try? $44,500 would be reasonable to live on in Dallas. Rents can run around $1,000 per month in the more "upscale" areas, but you can find apartments for around $600-$700/month if you are willing to sacrifice some amenities. Depending on where in the Metroplex the job is, pay attention to commuting distances. Public transportation is practically non-existent in DFW. Gas around here at the moment is about $2.12/gal for the cheap stuff. There is NO state income tax. |
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