Washington DC, District of Columbia

GenericReditAccount
Living in DC
Edited 7mo ago
✭✭✭

Georgetown
$110k is more than enough to live in pretty much any neighborhood here. With that said, $2k/month isn’t going to give you many options for 1 bedrooms, so def adjust your expectations on that variable.

DC is very walkable, has a great restaurant scene, and has a diverse and intelligent population. We’re a fit community w a lot of runners, bikers, and gyms.

Crime is certainly getting worse than it has been in the past decade, but social media makes a bad situation into a nightmare.

bageloclock
Living in DC
Edited 7mo ago
✭✭✭

Takoma
For what it's worth, I (26F) don't live in the most central area but I'm still a 10-minute walk from the red line and several big bus lines. I pay $2400 for a 2b/2b. I think looking just in the hottest areas with new high rises (NoMA, Mt. Vernon Triangle, Navy Yard), it will be tough to find 1 bedrooms, but I think you can still get a lot of great options across the city for one person at $2000 (some studios, for example, have a den or living room space so it feels more like a one bed). The big thing, especially since you mentioned possibly exploring NYC, is that on that budget you can absolutely have your own space. NYC rents are absolutely astronomical for way less square footage, privacy, and amenities, even if the city is great.

I also echo what other commenters have mentioned re: crime not being as bad as is represented on TV/social media. I am a part-time graduate student who often has to walk, bus, and train home late at night and I've never had issues in the city. I carry pepper spray, but more as a precaution.

NYC VS. DC - Pros and Cons
hobbsAnShaw
Living in DC
Edited 7mo ago
✭✭✭

I grew up across the river from NYC, and have been in DC and DC-ish for 20+ years, I’d say NYC.

The sheer number of people you’ll meet in NYC is a selling point for me. The arts and culture are in great abundance, but most have costs. The food, good lord the food! NYC is the winner between all 3, not even a debate. Not sure if it matters to you, but the dating scene is plentiful. Now the downsides: The people can be a bit overwhelming, and there’s no silence, ever. The city never sleeps, so if you need real silence to sleep, NYC will make that difficult. The costs of housing is bonkers, most people your age have 2-3 roommates.

Now DC: The variety of people you’ll meet is amazing. People from all over the world, all walks of life. Just a wonderful patina. We have a few really amazing places to eat, but they are all $$$$. The mid range places are plentiful, but they don’t compare to the local Italian joint anywhere you’ll find in NYC which will be fantastic. Most of our museums are free, the history you have here is amazing, and for those that are history-in-the-making nerds like me, you can literally go to Congress and watch history happen, all of the major debates of the day aren’t in a far off place, but something you can go see in person at anytime. The cost of living is high, not NYC high, but high. The public transport is there, but no where near the level of NYC, and it’s more $. The dating scene for straight women is harder because there are so many single straight highly driven women in DC, I can’t speak to the LGBTQ+ scene. Also, things happen later in love in DC: people don’t get married until later, don’t own homes until later (if ever given the conditions today) people are often working full time, and going to school for another degree or grad school or law school, so there’s that. Also this is a very transient area, people come to town for 2-4-6 years and then go elsewhere (often back to where they came) so long term friendships are complicated. Given all that, DC is where I’ve stayed even though I could move to NYC and not change my QOL much if at all.

What do you like about living in DC?
thehappyherbivore
Edited 3y ago
✭✭✭✭

DC / Eckington
I’m originally from

I’m originally from California, but I lived in Philly for 7 years before moving to DC. I’ve been in DC for 2.5 years now and just bought a condo, so planning on staying for the long haul.

I love all the culture that DC has to offer. There are so many museums, theaters, and other points of interest here. It’s awesome to walk to the National Mall in the evening, grab some food from a food truck, and just sit and enjoy all the scenery. Not to say Philly doesn’t have any of this, because of course it does, but not on the same scale as DC.

The job market here is profoundly better. I struggled to find good jobs in Philly. My salary in Philly topped out at $52k. I’ve more than doubled my salary since moving, and yes, the COL is higher here, but not 2x as expensive. For comparison, rent in Philly was $2,000 vs $2,400 here for very similar apartment buildings. My husband also got a huge pay bump when we moved here (though not quite as drastic as mine), so overall we are in a much more comfortable place financially even though it’s a little more expensive. Also, the pure number of job opportunities here is staggering compared to Philly, at least in my field.

I also prefer the diversity of DC. There are people here from all over the country and world. I like that I meet tons of other people from California, for example. I feel like less of an outsider here because so few of the people I work with and have become friends with are from here. Philly has a really intense local culture that I never grew to enjoy.

In Philly’s favor, the restaurant scene there is a lot better. DC has decent restaurants, but Philly was a foodie heaven. One of my favorite things about going back to Philly is going to as many restaurants as possible.

Do I ever miss Philly? Oh, yeah! I miss walking around University City when all the students return and it’s buzzing with excitement. I miss the cobblestone streets of Old City and walking through Elfreth’s Alley to get home. I miss the friends I made there, Reading Terminal Market, the German Christmas Village in December, Penn’s Landing in the summer, and the proximity to NYC. I miss how well I knew my way around by the end of 7 years. But it’s just a short train ride away, and I go back and visit often enough (well, I did pre-pandemic) to get my fix.

TBH, I think both are great places to live and which to live in just depends on what you value most

What To Know BEFORE Moving To Washington DC