Affordable places you would actually want to live

jaredoconnor

jaredoconnor

Peabrain Chub
Imagine you were forced into early retirement, you have two young kids, and you don’t quite have enough money to retire (comfortably) in the Seattle area. Where would you move to?

Consider schools, safety, things to do with your time (fishing), etc.
 
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jaredoconnor said:
Imagine you were forced into early retirement, you have two young kids, and you don’t quite have enough money to retire (comfortably) in the Seattle area. Where would you move to?

Consider schools, safety, things to do with your time (fishing), etc.
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One should also consider weather, quality and availability of health care, and what is taxed at state and local level e.g. pension, SS, etc.
 
troutpocket said:
@jaredoconnor what are your deal breakers? I like where I live but I’ve heard others describe it as an armpit of the state.
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I don’t actually know. I’ve only lived in Adelaide (Australia), Tampa and Seattle. I’m just curious what the obvious options are.

This is mostly theoretical, but it is a common discussion topic at work, because AI is an existential threat to our profession.
 
I would have a tough time living anywhere else from the west coast, NorCal up to Tacoma.
Love the salt water (fresh seafood), love the freedom of USA and if I want seasonal snow or heat, I head over the passes.

Schools is the usa are lousy compared to other countries, which prioritize education of their youth.

Safety, USA is a pretty safe place even with all the gun toting nut jobs.



Good luck in your quest.
 
My affordable place is not that realistic for most but my wife is Greek so for me it's where her family is from which is Leonidio.

Not that the houses are typically expensive but one of the family homes have been passed down to her already so we wouldn't need to worry about buying a house or paying rent. Doing the math, it's pretty crazy how cheap it is to live there in comparison to where we live in Snohomish County. Low living expenses, free health care or cheap private health care, education, quality of life, culture, and for the day to day safety of our future kids (1st due next month), it's hard not to seriously consider moving there.

Having said that though, I can't imagine fully leaving the greater PNW because of my fishing/hunting obsession and public land access. I could see us selling my home and buying a place east of the mountains though or maybe Oregon at some point. It will be interesting to see what we end up doing. I have 6 more years at my job until we decide what we do next.
 
jeradjames said:
My affordable place is not that realistic for most but my wife is Greek so for me it's where her family is from which is Leonidio.

Not that the houses are typically expensive but one of the family homes have been passed down to her already so we wouldn't need to worry about buying a house or paying rent. Doing the math, it's pretty crazy how cheap it is to live there in comparison to where we live in Snohomish County. Low living expenses, free health care or cheap private health care, education, quality of life, culture, and for the day to day safety of our future kids (1st due next month), it's hard not to seriously consider moving there.

Having said that though, I can't imagine fully leaving the greater PNW because of my fishing/hunting obsession and public land access. I could see us selling my home and buying a place east of the mountains though or maybe Oregon at some point. It will be interesting to see what we end up doing. I have 6 more years at my job until we decide what we do next.
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Seriously

Greece dude
😁
 
Actually what @jaredoconnor described happened to me (similar). 11 years ago I was told my job was going away. I could move to St Louis for the same job at 25% less pay and pay for the move myself. I was 62 and had 2 kids in middle school. After talking with our CPA, I retired 4 days later.

I love the West coast. Been in 49 states and only WA. and OR. suits our family. My wife and I have our college-educated daughters still living with us. Too expensive to live on their own, especially in King County, WA. where we reside.

My wife and I have been trying to answer this question ever since I retired. With the huge increase of cost of living recently, it is pressuring us to move sooner than later. King County is no longer affordable. Maybe Bellingham or one of the college towns in Western Oregon...
 
I think what @RCF said has a very useful idea. College towns, the smaller ones. There is enough population and culture to make it interesting. Most (all) are much, much cheaper than Seattle. Pick one with fish nearby and start shopping.
 
RCF said:
Actually what @jaredoconnor described happened to me (similar). 11 years ago I was told my job was going away. I could move to St Louis for the same job at 25% less pay and pay for the move myself. I was 62 and had 2 kids in middle school. After talking with our CPA, I retired 4 days later.

I love the West coast. Been in 49 states and only WA. and OR. suits our family. My wife and I have our college-educated daughters still living with us. Too expensive to live on their own, especially in King County, WA. where we reside.

My wife and I have been trying to answer this question ever since I retired. With the huge increase of cost of living recently, it is pressuring us to move sooner than later. King County is no longer affordable. Maybe Bellingham or one of the college towns in Western Oregon...
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Bellingham has come up in conversation more than once. It’s not particularly affordable though!

The general consensus every time this topic comes up is that there’s many cheaper places to live, but you don’t want to actually live in many of them.

School is a big one. If we have to pay for private school, it wipes out a lot of the reason for moving.
 
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Bellingham is less expensive when compared to Seattle - probably less expensive than you are thinking... Most places in the nation are less expensive than Seattle, actually. For example:

julianandcompany.com

Cost of Living Comparison: Bellingham vs Seattle – Discover More

Curious about the cost of living comparison Bellingham vs Seattle? Explore housing, lifestyle, and expenses to see which city suits you best. Learn more now!
julianandcompany.com julianandcompany.com

Bellingham checks a lot of our boxes including, climate, diversity, culture, taxes, healthcare, size, etc.
 
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Sounds like LaGrande, it is a college town (Eastern Oregon University). My best friend from childhood lives there and owns a dance studio.
I am not leaving Oregon, born in Portland and kept moving south. I like where my home is now, nice and quiet, grocery store a block away, and fishing ground 10 minutes away. Weather is the deal maker, too. I don't like the turbulent weather anywhere east of the Rockies. And I am retired on a fixed income. Sick of everything going up and not my income at the same rate. I see the public is starting a little rebellion against new taxes/fees.
 
Robert Engleheart said:
Never been but always been told Norway (and other Scandinavian countries) are quite expensive.
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I'm sure there are expensive ways to do it, especially in some of the larger metropolitan areas. The house I rented last year, 3 br with a guest cottage, AC and within sight of a great salmon river cost me less than $100 a day for three of us to stay there including utilities and linens. Groceries are higher in price perhaps due to the transportation costs to get them to this secluded northern community. I have not looked at real estate prices in terms of ownership and don't know of what kind of hoops you would have to go through to qualify for the opportunity. A couple years ago the property I rented could have been purchased for about 300 K. I wish I had known about it. I just know I can't wait to get back there if I can still do so.
 
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RCF said:
Bellingham is less expensive when compared to Seattle - probably less expensive than you are thinking... Most places in the nation are less expensive than Seattle, actually. For example:

julianandcompany.com

Cost of Living Comparison: Bellingham vs Seattle – Discover More

Curious about the cost of living comparison Bellingham vs Seattle? Explore housing, lifestyle, and expenses to see which city suits you best. Learn more now!
julianandcompany.com julianandcompany.com

Bellingham checks a lot of our boxes including, climate, diversity, culture, taxes, healthcare, size, etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, Bellingham is less expensive, the jobs/incomes available are far less extensive.
 
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