Submitted by BlueJerrico t3_123wedz in Washington
Thinking about taking a job that pays $25/hr hour full time as a Visual Therapist. Due to the cost of living there in Lynnwod Washington, is that too low or unlivable? I'm coming from Puerto Rico and my rent is $500/month. Please let me know if that is reasonable pay. Thank you!
UPDATE: Thank you for answering, this helps allot!
With a roommate possibly
I would ask for a sample budget of someone local. This seems very light for nearly anywhere in western wa. Rents are crazy high- and pricing for everything has been steadily increasing. Could it be done? Sure. How comfortable you would be remains yet to be decided.
That's quite reasonable pay, but the big question is whether you're guaranteed full-time work for the long term, whether health benefits are included, and whether you need a car.
$25/hr is about $4000/month. You can easily find an apartment for $2000/month, and probably more like $1400/month for a good studio apartment. Less, if you're willing to live in Everett instead of Lynnwood.
Riding the bus and using a bicycle is cheaper than having a car - a bus pass is $90/month.
Food for one person is probably $300-400/month. There are other expenses like electricity, phone, and so on but rent and food are the biggest.
If you have to pay for your own health care, that is a large cost. I don't know the details. There are lower cost options like Community Health Centers, but if you have to have emergency surgery in a hospital that would be catastrophic to your budget unless you have health insurance.
Getting into an apartment may be difficult...I see one for example that says "must have 1 year employment history, $3500 verifiable earned income, excellent credit score". So that's another hurdle.
With all the taxes taken out of your paycheck probably closer to 3,500 a month…
roommate = it'll be fine
Median income in Lynwood is $32k, This would put you around $50k. So yes should be doable.
No
I'd even go further to say it's likely closer to $3,000 a month.
Do you have any debt tht you're paying? I'm making 26 and it's feasible but tight.
Take Home Calculator is saying $3370.83 a month with the assumption that OP will get 40 hours every single week (so a full-time job). If OP wants to live alone the hardest part might not be paying rent but qualifying for a rent to begin with. Most places in the Seattle area ask for 2.5 times the rent so that gives a budget of about ~$1400 to qualify. OP, listen to whoever said you need roommates!
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If you're always going to be working 40 hours a week yes, you can definitely afford to live with a roommate and could likely afford to live alone if you made some sacrifices. If you wanna go by spending no more than a third of your income on rent that's about $1400, from taking a quick look at apartments available in Lynnwood there's a couple of one bedrooms and studios within that budget
A studio in Lynnwood starts around $1600/month.
$25/hr is approximately $4300/month gross.
Renting a room would be cheaper and give you more to work with each month for other expenses.
Yeah probably… whatever my hourly wage is set at, I always subtract at least three dollars from that and consider that to be my actual wage. So ridiculous
It can be if you budget your money. $25/hr still isn't all that much since the cost of living is so high here and keeps going up. Don't buy a bunch of stuff you don't need and you should be good
I've got a retirement plan, and between that, taxes, and health insurance, my take home pay is usually about 65% of what I make hourly.
With a roommate definitely. If you want a studio apartment, Everett is pretty close or even Marysville. Just don't move to Casino Rd in Everett
Really an actual living wage, one where you maybe have a chance to save some money each month, pay all your bills, buy food, and afford anything else that comes up, would be at least 30 dollars per hour. Especially considering what rent costs here. So many jobs are trying to pay people around 20-22 dollars an hour here. Or even less.
No. Unless you want roommates.
I make $25 an hour and live in the Bothell/North Creek area. After taxes and insurance I take home about $3200/month. A decent studio apartment is about $1400 alone for rent. Keep in mind utilities, gas (if you drive), and other bills. I shop at Trader Joe’s because the groceries are cheap and decent quality. It’s definitely doable if you are frugal.
Don’t listen to the people saying no. $52k, even before taxes, is enough for one person to live on. Especially if you have a roommate. You could even swing rent up to $1000 and that would still be less than a third of your income
No it's not. Lynnwood is little Kirkland now. Move to everett. It's close
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Do you feel like you’re able to comfortably survive on that amount or are you just scraping by? Sorry if that question is too personal. I have a ton of resentment regarding wages in general as I’ve struggled for years just barely getting by.
Also I wonder what people think of the having to make 3 times the amount of rent in order to live in many places… I know that I could get by without making 3 times the amount so it’s also frustrating finding a place that’s nice but also affordable and doesn’t require you to make 6k a month.
No
I think op pays $500 in PR not here.
Barely.if you don't mind compromising on the apartment
Not really. Unless you want to struggle. You will qualify for the food bank.
Why leave PR?
That wage is borderline homeless camp if you have an addiction to smokes and alcohol .. 4 roommates will work if that’s the case .. credit check a whole nother story!
not the person you responded to but i also make $24/hour. i live with two other people in a rented house in kitsap county. i have to chose one of the most expensive insurance plans offered by my employer due to chronic disease. i’ve always been frugal and environmentally conscious, so i shop a lot at grocery outlet and goodwill. i would say i live comfortably, although i wouldn’t be able to live as i am without having roommates (or a steep discount on pet care).
I lived here for 30 years, and rents have sky rocketed. But I believe you can make it there are many places that are affordable in your situation. Share a rental, buy a travel trailer,motorhome, and rent a space. There are nice rv parks in the area. Lakeside rv isn't bad You can rent in everett and commute to Lynnwood in everett places can be affordable when available my kid rents a place 1/1 gated community 2 parking spaces for $1500 my brother rented a place only 300 sq ft lol but it is under $1000
Dm me OP.
Ahh health insurance plans.. frustrating that you have to choose the most expensive plan because of something that’s out if your control.
I’m from Yakima.. making 25$ an hour is kinda rare here unless you’ve been with 1 company for awhile & got some good raises. To me, being a visual therapist would be consider a badass job & one worth living comfortably. But to think, being a visual therapist & making 25$ an hour in Lynwood would only get someone a studio apartment and 300$ for food is actually kind of crazy.
I envy living in a nicer area, but don’t envy having a good job yet being towards the bottom of middle class society in your community.
Well, it would buy a studio, food, and about $1800 a month extra after taxes... it's a matter of what else a person needs besides food. If health care were free, it'd be a comfortable life and would probably include a car. But as we know, health care is far from free, in Lynnwood or in Yakima.
No
yeah
It's more than possible.. I'm on SS / small pension and live in a beautiful Mil apt under a beautiful home in Sammamish. 2k a month. ( 2 bedrooms) all utilities included. You just have to shop for a home to live in.
I recommend creating a budget and factor in a buffer of $250/month to cover expenses higher than you projected.
Food, electricity, and water are very expensive in the Seattle area. If you can find an apartment that includes utilities, that may help stabilize your budget. Transportation and gas are also expensive here.
Congrats on the job! Hopefully this is the start of increased earnings for you. Good luck!
I hate that you had to put that last paragraph in- I wish it wasn’t so bad. First/last/deposit can equal several thousands of dollars- who has that kind of disposable income on tap?
AleshiniaLivesStill t1_jdwog2h wrote
I’ve lived on less there. But you’ll be renting a room in a house with other people; likely not your own place. If you’re ok with that you should be fine. A room will be between $700 and $1000 in a decent area.