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Cost of living thread - How much $ do you make? How much $ do you spend?

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cornholio
Posts: 3952 - Karma: 3,057
Inspired by the how much $ do you spend on food in a day thread, here’s a cost of living comparison thread.  Since we have an international community I thought it’d be interesting to see how much everyone budgets their money and take a look at cost of living compared to different salaries. 

The focus is cost of various “necessities” or what I consider the necessities including taxes, insurance, rent, utilities, food, and transportation.  I don’t even know how this works out for myself but here’s a somewhat realistic example to go by:

Age: 29
Location: Southern City, US
Income: $5,000/mo (or $60,000/yr, rough equivalent to $28.85/hr)
Taxes:  $1,050/mo (approx 21%)
Insurance:  $220/mo (medical, dental, life, disability, etc)
Rent: $650/mo
Utilities: $135/mo (electric, gas, cable, internet, phone, etc)
Food:  $750/mo
Transportation: $500/mo (car payments, car insurance, gas, vehicle maintenance, public transportation)  

Total Expenses = $3,305 or 66.1% of my salary 

Additional info(optional)
Donations to 401k/investments = $750/mo or 15% of my salary 

Leaves me $945/mo or 18.9% of my income to spend on hookers and blow  

Your turn NS, would like to see some serious responses from all over the world if possible. 

Aug 20 2012 2:42PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
lets turn this into a REAL dick measuring contest and throw in number of days skied in a season
Aug 20 2012 2:44PM
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accualyisdolan
Posts: 3295 - Karma: -192
i spend my income on ramen noodles
Aug 20 2012 2:45PM
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cornholio
Posts: 3952 - Karma: 3,057
College kids can play along too:

Age: 18

Location: Collegetown, US
Income: $1,000/mo ($12/hr part time)
Taxes:  $210/mo (approx 21%)
Insurance:  $0/mo (mommy and daddy pay)
Tuition average: $650/mo ($3900/semester * 2 semesters / 12 months)
Rent: $300/mo
Utilities: $100/mo (electric, gas, cable, internet, phone, etc)
Food:  $400/mo
Transportation: $150/mo (I only pay for gas, mommy and daddy pay insurance/car/maintenance)

Total Expenses = $1,810/mo or 181% of my income.  I have an $810 dollars per month deficit which is covered by student loans, my parents, or savings.  

I also spend $300 a month on booze and weed, so I’m really in the hole about $1110/mo.  #YOLO
Aug 20 2012 2:45PM
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edai
Posts: 4987 - Karma: 4,653
I'm not sure many people are going to be so open to discussing their expenses with others.
Aug 20 2012 2:46PM
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cornholio
Posts: 3952 - Karma: 3,057
it's not really intended to be a claim thread and hopefully that's not where it goes
Aug 20 2012 2:49PM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
I make 400,000 per year. And my rent is 500 a month. IM ROLLIN IN THE MONEY BITCHES. LITERALLY I FUCKING CASH CHECKS AND ROLL IN MONEY ALL DAY. THATS MY JOB.



But seriously. I only pay $500 a month for rent. Fully furnished apartment except for bedroom, cable tv (DVR), Internet, power all include. Such a sweet deal.
Aug 20 2012 3:22PM
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Pro.Shredder
Posts: 38 - Karma: 22
I'm 17 making about 7400 a month in fort mcmurrary(oil sands at kearl project) and work a 14 days in 7 days out, I live at my parents still but pay them the 100 bucks for the week in home for turnaround. Only real expenses are car insurance and gas, company pays for flights, food and any basic things man so I bank a fair bit of money each month.
Aug 20 2012 3:59PM
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Toaster-Tony
Posts: 3531 - Karma: 5,850
I don't keep track of money.

I thought that's why they hand out credit cards to everybody these days.
Aug 20 2012 4:07PM
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ryano
Posts: 4465 - Karma: 1,535
i live in san diego, ca.

until recently, i was making 30k a year before taxes.

after taxes, it was about 1000 to 1200 a paycheck, depending if i had any over time. so 2 to 2.4k a month. i would also get per diem on out of state shows.

my monthly expenses are about for car ins. rent, and cell phone are about 500.

for gas, i probably was spending 35 a week. but sometimes work would pay me mileage, and i'd make money on that.

food expenses def varied.. i couldnt even give you an estimate on that. but i was definitely able to put away a decent amount into savings.

unfortunately, i was laid off. so now i'm just working freelance gigs. so my budget has been drastically cut for now. trying to go on a concert tour as an audio tech roady. so we'll see what happens with that.
Aug 20 2012 4:09PM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,484
I'm in an actual house and pay under $300 a month including all utilities.
Aug 20 2012 4:10PM
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iRapeKittens
Posts: 416 - Karma: 46
I skied 365 days last year because I'm a pro and don't give a fuck
Aug 20 2012 4:11PM
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ryano
Posts: 4465 - Karma: 1,535
yes. but he has his own apartment... which i think is better than a room in a house.
Aug 20 2012 4:11PM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
Since were trying to compare. I have a 70 inch TV in my living room that I didnt buy. It was included.
Aug 20 2012 4:12PM
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sniper_6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,573
I'll play along, and the only reason I'm quoting the OP is to copy his format.

Age: 24
Location: Clarksville, TN

Income: $60,400/per year, $5,033/month
Federal Taxes: approx $600/mo (approx 12%. I realize this is a lower rate than it should be for my salary, but being in the military, only our base pay is taxable, not other portions of it)
State Taxes: $0

Vehicle: $403 payment + $130 insurance= $533/mo
Gas: $40/wk= about $170/mo
Satellite Radio: $15/mo

Rent: $437/mo
Utilities: water+electricity+cable/internet= $200/mo depending on the month.

Groceries: $400/mo

Career Starter Loan= $530/mo

Total Expenses= $2885 which is 57.3% of my salary

Additional:
Generally I put between $800-$1000 into my IRA or one of the mutual funds i own so we'll say Investments= $900/mo

This leaves me $1248 which is 24.7% of my income to mess around with. Usually I spend a good bit of this on drinking or traveling (I go home to NY every few months) or put it toward paying off my car early, or just stash it in my savings account short term cause you never know when something is going to come up.
Aug 20 2012 4:41PM
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Lt-Aldo-Raine
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 120
Tell that ho
Aug 20 2012 4:42PM
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riddsicle
Posts: 684 - Karma: 264
may I ask what line of work you are in? 400k a year is some baller shit
Aug 20 2012 4:50PM
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alex=
Posts: 1738 - Karma: 2,835
The Wendys off the side of  that convenience store in Clarksville is the biggest failure of a fast food restaurant i've ever experienced.
Aug 20 2012 5:05PM
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sniper_6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,573
Trying to think of where you're talking about and if i've been there. Theres quite a few big box stores and fast food places in this town and most of them do suck. Was it off I-24 by chance?
Aug 20 2012 5:08PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51585 - Karma: 161,684
Age: 23
Location: Unknown, US
Income: Fairly standard park crew wages in the winter, then unknown the rest of the year. Sometime a decent amount, sometimes nothing.
Taxes: No idea.
Insurance: I don't pay for any insurance of that sort
Rent: 350$, 750$, free(homeless), all within a month or so.
Utilities: 50$, included, gas in my car
Food: Varies, dollar banquet dinners at walmart while my arm was fucked, sometimes I upgrade, sometimes I'm ramen, sometimes I live the high life and go to a denny's.
Transportation: Anywhere from like 200 - 1000 + and that's with a car that's paid off and not including any repairs. Gas is fucking expensive. Tour= driving = $$$$$$ Stopping multiple times a day to put in gas. fuck that shit.



Aug 20 2012 5:20PM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,484
I wasn't trying to to compare and realize that kinda came off as douchey. I was just kind of observing the price differences in different areas out loud haha.

And to ryano, I actually like having roommates and would rather have people living with me. Different people prefer different things.
Aug 20 2012 6:21PM
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hendriab
Posts: 990 - Karma: 404

i just quit my job to go to Grad School, so instead of making 40k a year, im paying 20k. 

jokes

Aug 20 2012 6:28PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51585 - Karma: 161,684
I love having roomates. I love people, and get along with pretty much everyone. I'm a social creature. Some people hate it though. You get those roomates that just sit in there room the whole day and never talk to anyone else in the house.

It's all good, im just scared that they're going to shoot us all one day because somebody organized the fridge or something.
Aug 20 2012 6:36PM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,484
Exactly, i'd go fucking crazy if I was living alone or maybe even with just one other person. Having roommates keeps it fun and different everyday.
Aug 20 2012 6:41PM
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iSmokeweed
Posts: 4793 - Karma: 1,370
who uses ecstasy as currency
Aug 20 2012 6:53PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
People whose Internet goes all =%(#"(#&"%"/"/ when using currency marks.
Aug 20 2012 6:55PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
22
Aug 20 2012 6:57PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
22, make 40+bonus, tax 22% outside of nyc, commuting 404 a month, bills 300, still livingat home-about to move out ( commuting cost will dease to 105 but rent utilities will be around 950, food 200), student loans 325, 401k 135, basically over 80%+ of my income is used everymonth, gotta love living/working in nyc
Aug 20 2012 7:04PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Post that again so it comprehensible, maybe not on a phone.
Aug 20 2012 7:06PM
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Rosbif
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 930
I'm 28 and I don't really know how much I spend, probably a ton load as I go on holiday for 4 months a year, and then ski instruct in Japan and Chile the rest of the time. My bank account seems to grow steadily though.
Aug 20 2012 8:11PM
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ryano
Posts: 4465 - Karma: 1,535
22, make 40+bonus, tax 22%
outside of nyc,

commuting - 404 a month,
bills - 300,

still livingat home-about to move out (commuting cost will cease to 105) but rent and utilities will be around 950,

food - 200,

student loans - 325,
401k - 135,

basically over 80%+ of my income is used everymonth,

gotta love living/working in nyc
Aug 20 2012 8:14PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
^ thank you ryano
Aug 20 2012 10:01PM
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