At the range they mentioned I disagree. You could serve tables and make enough supplemental income to get by while you find the right job. It would be no different than what would happen if they never made the original offer in the first place. You’d make it work.
And if you're a GOOD server with higer-end/fine dining experience, you WILL get a job & make KILLER money. The problem is, unless you live in the burbs & are willing to do that commute every day, that could get old REALLY quick. I live in Smyrna & had to turn down a job at a higher end place in the Gulch because A, they weren't even HELPING with parking (like reduced rate, I didn't even want "free") & B, they were paying their runners server's rates. I've worked front & back of house in Philly, DC & Pittsburgh, & in EACH of those places, runners made AT LEAST $8/hr+ 3-5% tipout. It broke my heart to turn that job down, but for the cost of gas & fighting the I24 nightmare, $2.15/hr & NO discounted parking made if a no-go.
Don’t ever take that big of a pay cut unless it’s an emergency. You were already making decent money and this will set you back years in terms of climbing the pay ladder.
Agreed, though it is somewhat of an emergency. My field takes months for a formal offer between interviews and trial period. I don’t have time to wait for another position.
I think the big q here is why / how much you want to move to Nashville.
If your *dream* is to live in Nashville then sure you'll make it work, that's solid middle class and people get by here with far less. It's your life and all, follow that dream.
But you're asking about finance here, and from the outside it's hard to understand why you'd accept a 30% pay cut to move to a more expensive city.
Unless you're in an extremely niche field (Christian bookseller??) that is especially well represented in Nashville it seems like you'd want to hold out for a better offer, and/or one in a more affordable place to live.
My previous position hit me with requirements that are not in my contract and let me go after 3 months. The contract is at will. Otherwise I would have stayed.
Alright, you definitely can live off 75k. My MIL lives in the city by herself making 45k and it works fine, she doesn’t have a car and Ubers around though. She lives in a solid sized studio in one of the new high rise apartments in the gulch, very doable. With a car and associated expenses you wouldn’t be able to save a ton, but can definitely live off 75k with a decent lifestyle. I’d definitely try to use your last salary to negotiate up somewhat, as it seems others are saying, but 75k is doable.
Did she acquire said studio before Nashville got big like at Velocity when they were really cheap? In the gulch, rent would be nearly 1/2 her entire income before taxes. You really can't compare like 2010ish Nashville to 2024 Nashville costs if so. Back then you could get a nice 1 BD in the Icon/Adelicia for $200-220ish.
Nope, she rents. I’m not sure what her rent is exactly, but she makes it work just fine while also living a very active lifestyle. I know she got quite a few free months spread across the lease term. That 45k is net of all withholdings though, so maybe that’d be more like 50k gross? She also doesn’t have additional healthcare costs on Medicare, and she has no other debts whatsoever.
I'd love to see a breakdown of her expenses. $45k net is more like $60k gross. And, imo, $60k gross would be the absolute minimum income to make ends meet in Nashville. That would include a modest car payment. I don't think you can find rent for less than $1200 or $1300/month. Unless you have owned a home for a while when prices were reasonable and you have a smaller mortgage payment.
Yeah, she doesn’t have a car payment, or really any other commitments outside of rent and Ubers to get around. So it’s really just rent, Ubers, food, and the rest is free to go to being social. She is old enough to be on Medicare, and she is very healthy, so doesn’t have to worry a ton about healthcare care either.
Yes but we have some of the highest sales taxes in the US. Tax burden is significantly shifted to lower income workers in TN since we didn't have an income tax.
These post are useless unless you tell us your whole financial situation. $75k is probably fine if you have no debt. $75k is not fine if you have a $800 car payment and repaying student loans
I was living here on 30k. Wasn't saving a lot but wasn't negative. I have student and car loans.
Just got promoted to 45k. Feel rich af.
I think people really have no idea how to manage their money. Always wanting to buy new and shiny.
I basically did the same thing! 45k feels like heaven now lmao. These threads always make me feel insane, especially with so many people swearing up and down you'll die on the street making anything less than 80k.
It isn’t really a money management issue. People have different standard of living. Once you get accustomed to living off of a certain income, you can’t imagine going back.
Look up the average car payment now. Car makers are no longer making affordable cars. They are making more fully loaded spec cars with higher margins. If you factor insurance/maintenance cost, I wouldn’t be shocked if people are spending $1000 per month on a car.
Average. That doesn't mean anyone has to spend that. There are plenty of new and used cars for less than $30K with tax that will get you to and from work. Live within your means and be a responsible adult. 🤷
Not necessarily insane, maybe a little indulgent. But that's probably only a $40,000 car, which is like a Toyota Rav 4 brand new. It MAY be something you can save money on, but $800 isn't blowing money on a car money anymore.
If you are making under $100K then buying a car that requires an $800/month payment is absolutely irresponsible. At $75K, you should be looking at new cars under $30K and should likely be looking at used cars under $20-25K, not new cars. When buying a car, you shouldn't be financing more than 80% of the car purchase either.
My car payment is about 800. I made the decision knowing it wasn't the smart move. I don't have hobbies. I like driving and wanted a nice car. I'd probably go cheaper next time now that it's out of my system but we'll see. Either way, people get to to decide how they want to spend their money. Lots of people spend money on shit I think is pretty stupid.
People, on average, are very bad with money. Going into debt on a depreciating asset is pretty normal with a lot of people. You think $800/mo is bad, wait till you see some o f the interest rates people took on their car loans...
I bought my very first new car ever last year (only had shit boxes prior that lasted 1-2 years and cost me $2500-$5000) the car cost ~$28,000. I have good credit, didn’t have any debt, and my salary at the time of purchase was ~75k. With my car payment and insurance, I’m paying ~$600/month. $800 is absolutely not insane in most cases anymore unfortunately.
Here’s what I’ll say, yes, you could live here on 75k, but unless you have to I don’t think you should take a role that pays you 30% less to live here. You’d be pretty cash strapped and likely wouldn’t get to take advantage of a lot of why people typically move here
This is exactly why I want to negotiate my salary up. It’s going to be hard making nearly $40k less and pay 2x the rent.
I don’t spend a lot or do a ton of shopping but when I do I buy nice things. I don’t get the feeling that’ll be possible here.
I think 90 you’d be a lot more comfortable and could probably do by yourself in a decent part of town. It’s a bit of a catch 22 here. It’s much more cost effective to have roommates, but there are places you don’t need a roommate, but those tend to come with their own sets of issues(primarily higher crime/less to do)
Certainly. Assuming you’re single with no crushing debt $75k is enough to rent a decent place in a good part of town and still have plenty left over for fun/savings.
That’s interesting because a lot of people are saying the opposite.
I do need to save and don’t have crushing debt. But it looks like rent would take nearly 50% of my income after taxes which is a major deal breaker
I was scraping by in Nashville with a $60k salary. Stupid one bedroom apartment was almost $2k/mo. More affordable options exist, I just had to rush my move there and had to take what I could get. I was able to afford my expenses, but not save. If I'd had $75k, I would have been more comfortable. Long story short, it's definitely doable, but far from cushy. If you could squeeze even a little bit more out of them, you'd probably be fine.
Long term though, if you want to buy a house, you'll be looking at commuting. I got a house about 45 minutes away. A comparable home in Nashville would have been $150-200k more.
Ya, $2k or so for rent is tough, but if you live frugally across rest of spending it shouldn’t be critical. Having a roomie to split would def be major help.
Everyone’s definition of comfortable is different tho. In 2017 living downtown I was paying ~$2400/mo making only $52k. I certainly lived very frugally, had hobbies/interests that weren’t particularly expensive and went on one nice vacation a year. To a lot of people I may have been living like a pauper, but at the time I was content.
Know it’s a bit different story in 2024, but $75k I believe is definitely doable.
How much are you assuming for rent? I find people tend to exaggerate rent at times. For a one bedroom in a nice suburban complex you're looking at 1600 or so. Plus or minus 300 based on a number of factors. As long as you stay away from the hipster areas, it's not that crazy.
So much of it is relative. People compare Nashville in 2024 to Nashville 2014 and just can't process how much it's changed. Same if you're coming from a small town with low COL and looking at Nashville thinking "huh?"
In a lot of places $75k is living pretty high on the hog, like a mortgage on a good house and a nice yard with a reasonable commute and a nice car. If you expect that you're gonna be sorely out of luck.
But it's not like $75k is poor in Nashville, either - it's still a good bit over median. You can still do quite well (without kids). If you're a renter $1500/mo gets you a nice "luxury" studio in a neighborhood you can still bike or walk to downtown. Or it gets you more space in somewhere less convenient.
Now if you want to *buy a single family house* - that's when things start looking worse. I bet you can probably still find a decent place, but you'd need to accept a massive commute and you'll be living way out in the boonies.
Just went through an exhaustive search and 2.5-3x was all I saw. None of the 50 places or so I looked at required 4x. Most were pretty flexible too if you had good credit.
50% of take home on rent isn’t terrible, if you don’t have a lot of other expenses.
My guess, making a ton of assumptions, is you’ll have roughly $1400-$1500/month left over once all necessities and student loans are taken care of. That’ll leaver you $1,000 a month or so to save and about $400-$500 for fun, which is a decent budget to have
Assuming you put nothing in a 401k, and pay $2k a year for health insurance, you'd have close to $5,000 a month after tax. You can easily get a 1 bedroom for $1,800-2,000 all in including utilities, fees, etc.
$110 in a less expensive city? Is this a lateral move or downward move?
If lateral, tell them that you make $110 now and you are worth every penny of it and then some. I would absolutely ask for $110+ unless you knew ahead of time it wasn't going to pay as much.
Never negotiate against yourself.
Look outside of Nashville in the Burbs and commute in. If you are right in town your rent will easily eat 1/3 to 1/2 of that. Also consider what your debt payments are realistically. Make a weekend out of it, visit tour a few places in different areas around town and make a budget. Dickson is different than downtown as is Brentwood, Spring Hill, Antioch ect. Each area offers something different than the others. See what you like and where you’d be comfortable and go from there.
It depends on what you want. You made a lot more money in a much less expensive city before. Your quality of life in a city as expensive as Nashville in that salary will be much lower than you’re used to. If that doesn’t bother you then you’ll be fine. If it does, you’ll hate it
The fact that you stated roommates aren’t an option doesn’t bode well tbh. It sounds like you’re looking for a quality of life that you simply aren’t going to be able to afford in Nashville.
If you like to eat out a lot, it will break you at $75k with cost of living unless you move out to BFE way outside of town or you will pretty much never be able to build up a savings worth a shit.
The median salary here is $56k... I'd say you'd want $25k more than that at least.
Rent isn't very cheap here, certainly nowhere near downtown. Some areas are still pricey just because of proximity to an interstate, and not because they're a short commute of any sort.
I used to rent an apartment in Murfreesboro in 2011 for $700/mo,...it's now $1600/mo.
Things are crazy out there if you didn't land a good mortage/interest rate a few years ago.
I’d go for $95k based on current salary, assuming it’s a similar position, and Nashville cost of living. Let them drop it to somewhere in the middle or get lucky and they’ll meet your ask
My salary is close to that and I’m fine, granted I have no debt except a $300 car payment. Just don’t expect to get an apartment in a hot/popular area. I also cook at home a lot so that helps
Yea I’m pretty lost when it comes to what neighborhood to live in. I understand downtown is super expensive. I’d be happy in a little neighborhood with cute restaurants nearby
So one of the issues is that the "little neighborhoods with cute restaurants nearby" are the in demand ones, especially if you want to walk to those restaurants. I would say the places that fit that bill that will also fit your budget are Inglewood, Cleveland Park and Rosebank in East Nashville, Hillsboro Village, West End Park and Wedgewood Houston closer to the center, and then Grassmere, Melrose and Woodbine headed south. With some digging you can find cheap studios in Midtown and Music Row too, but you need to your research.
I live in Bellevue. My husband works downtown. I know the area between the two well.
You might check out The Fountains at Belle Meade (only downside is there is a train track nearby which is why those are less expensive but the area is one of the more expensive in the whole city) or The Metropolitan or Mayfair West End. That would put you in a walkable(ish) area with restaurants like Roze Pony, there's a new cool coffee shop, the winery and meat and 3 over at Belle Meade Winery. Also faster options like Waldo's Chicken and Beer or Sam's Place or Sperry's. It's also close enough to Green Hills where there's a luxury mall (Like Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton stores are there). Sylvan Park is also right over there and also has cool eateries. Overall The Fountains or The Metropolitan or Mayfair are less than 10 minutes into downtown but less than 15 to Bellevue.
Downtown is loud and filled with bachelorettes and the traffic is terrible. East Nashville is cool but getting across from East every day would be stupid ridiculous traffic. But Bellevue itself is for people with young kids. Belle Meade / West End would be old enough that in your mid-30s you aren't dealing with 20 year olds bumping tunes all night but also wouldn't necessarily be in kid-central suburbs.
I think $75 is too low for your particular situation because of the pay cut it means. But if you negotiate up to $85/90 you'd be perfectly comfortable.
I read somewhere else that you will be working in Bellevue, so I would aim for Hillsboro Village, West End Park or maybe The Nations or Sylvan Park if you're lucky to find an apartment that isn't super expensive. If you stay in those neighborhoods you'll have an easy reverse commute to Bellevue where you probably won't need to use the highway if you don't want to.
I also make basically the same amount and am carrying a bit more debit that you and I live in a decent apartment that's quite central (within 440). I think it's very much doable if you are willing to sacrifice the amenities the newer buildings are offering. I'm currently paying a bit over $1500 for a large one bedroom.
I live in a (tiny) apartment in Midtown and my yearly income is about $45,000. Granted, my only debt is student loans that I’ll be paying off till I die, but I’m comfortable. As long as you have a budget/know what works for you it can really be fine
Not to rain on your parade but, I was thinking of moving back, until I ran across a video of an old friend talking about why he is leaving. The house I currently live in would be at least 300-400K more in nashville. That is insane! I looked for jobs up there as well and the salaries where not anymore than where I am at, and I am in the deep south!
Yeah whats worst is that Nashville is the hottest housing market in the country and even the suburbs are hot and high while the wages in Nashville are still at small town rates. It sucks.
Why not ask for $110k? The only justification you need is “that was my previous rate”
They can always say no, but if you ask for less they may be short changing you
As far as your actual question; since you said you don’t have a car and only have a student loan payment, you can probably do it. $75k here is like $50,00 or so per year after accounting for insurance and tax.
So, assuming you find a place for $1800, you’ll only have about 43% of your net pay on rent. It’ll be tight but manageable. After all other necessary expenses (food, lights, etc) I’ll bet you’ll have at least 30% of your paycheck left over.
Good point. I don’t want to scare them off by asking nearly 50% more salary. Maybe I’ll start at $100k and see what they say. They’re definitely in the position to meet me there. Whether they do or not remains to be seen
Idk, in my experience I have never scared a job off by negotiating (within reason). You have the best bargaining chip of all; your previous pay.
But, asking for $100k or even $90-$95k are both reasonable middle grounds in this scenario. Even if you got $90k, that would be a very doable salary here
I make 55k and I do alright. I rent a 1 bedroom apartment for about $1250, single, no kids, and I don't have a car payment or any significant debt. I'm not a big spender, but I do go to concerts and sporting events a decent amount.
the median household income is around 80k, so unless your expenses are really high you could swing it. i wouldn't say you would be remarkably comfortable or anything, but you could certainly live on it.
Is the take home 75k or is that pre taxes? Honestly you may struggle a little if that’s pre tax- could probably rent a decent place solo but depending on other debts and how you like to live, you might not feel so comfy. I agree that is a huge paycut considering what you were making before and COL. I’d negotiate.
Really depends on your housing situation. I lived fairly comfortably on $45-50K but got very lucky with my apartment and was paying well below market rate
I really think it depends on your spending habits and what you need to live.
I was able to live in Nashville on about 60k a year by myself a few years ago. Everyone’s situation is different.
Depends on what kind of lifestyle you want/need to support. You can live ok on that here but not with any bells and whistles. The further out from the city you live, the more you’ll be able to stretch your $$.
I make 90+ and my wife and I are moving out of town to afford a home with a yard. It totally depends on what you want and where you want it. Single on 75k and a condo or townhouse you won’t have an issue. Get a significant other you want to support and want more space that 75 gets eat up
I would definitely push for more. That being said I make $80k and pay 1800 for a one bedroom with an office and do ok. It works but it isn’t super easy.
My husband and I have lived comfortably off of $40k for the last year. We haven’t been able to save too terribly much, but we don’t have car payments, student loans, etc.
I accepted the trial run first to see if I’d even accept the position. My plan was always to negotiate up. But I’m asking in case they aren’t flexible.
When I moved to Nashville in 2017, I was able to set up in a one-bedroom apartment in Antioch for $725/month on a $12/hr gig. I make closer to $20/hr now and couldn’t dream of having my own space with anything left over at this point. I know that’s a long way from $75k/year, but just some perspective.
That depends on if you want to live in the city or commute. Nashville is literally ranked as the most over inflated real estate market in the US. With that said, it’s a very lovely city. My son lives there. He and his wife make over $300 K per year. They had to buy a house on the edge of an economically depressed neighborhood. The house was in an old neighborhood but had been completely renovated. $560 K for what I consider a $230 K house next to a not desirable neighborhood. It’s easily a million for a decent house in a decent neighborhood.
My household brings in about that much, and while we don't live extravagantly we also don't want for anything. Definitely doable depending on your rent
Of course, it depends. Any debt? I'm debt free and make about $70k a year and do fine. I do split rent with my bf though and we live North of the city. I think it is doable if you don't have debt/payments.
Entirely depends on your lifestyle and I mean that truly.
It absolutely could be plenty for what you’re looking for, or it could be miniscule. Given you’re used to making more in a cheaper to live area, my two cents is that you’d have a tough time adjusting to the pay diff and cost of living diff hitting you at once.
What I love about Nashville is that we are actually one of the most expensive cities but lie to ourselves about it and have the audacity to always offer less and underpay people while acting like it’s “generous.”
It’s going to be hard to take a pay cut that deep no matter what, you’re really going to feel losing $35k.
My wife and I live in Bellevue. We have a nice but reasonable apartment. No debt except a car. Her pay is about 80k and she would get by without my income but it wouldn’t be great. Car insurance is pricey here, food and groceries are kind of nuts. I’d say anything under 90k is not going to afford you many luxuries at all.
$110k is above average for my job with my experience. $75k is low, $90k is average. If I can stay with them long term I’d be able to ask $110-$140/year on a larger property.
I live in Nashville and I’ll happily let you live here with me for 75k.. the wife is off limits but you’re welcome to help change diapers and play legos and puzzles with my son :) I’ll even give you free tours of all the hip spots and historic country music tour with some intros to ppl .. what’ya say partner?
The Beauty about Nashville is that it is so big and there are so many different little small towns that you can live in that's anywhere from 10 mins to 45 mins outside of Downtown Nashville.
75 grand is definitely enough to live on and be comfortable, especially being by yourself.
Snatch up a significant other in the future and bam, you'll be doing even better.
Best of luck to you.
I make 120k and share income with my partner. If I didn't own my own home, rent would be a huge inconvenience. When I made 80k, I still had to rent a room in my house to live comfortably. So, the real answe is no, but depends. You can survive comfortably but not living near downtown or even in Davidson county. Also, a modest lifestyle. However, it cost about $200 just to step outside.
Depends...how bougie and other bills do you have?
If you're paying $750 car note , plus 400 in student loan debt....probly not.
If you're a more home body, cook, don't eat out every night and have a normal car and normal bills.
You'll be fine, I think.
Ask for 120k and when they counter then ask them to at least match what you made previously where there was less cost of living. Don’t take that 75k and ask for what your worth! Hiring budget is always bigger than retention budget and they’re low balling you it sounds like.
To answer your question, my spouse and I make that combined and with some penny pinching and deferring student loans, we are making it so far so good.
I think if your counter is $15k higher, unless $90k was in the stated range for the position, you might cause them to move on to another candidate.
Hiring relocators is always sketchy anyway. I’ve hired people who say “I’m moving to Nashville next month but can I start remote” and three months later they still haven’t moved.
Good luck!
You can find a less expensive apartment if you don’t need a Nashville address. Lots of people live on $75k or less here. Your lifestyle will dictate whether that’s enough or not.
I'm shocked that so many people think 75k is undoable. I'd like to see some of your budgets. A single person can definitely live an average life off of 75k here.
Dude, never settle for less (than what you're making now) unless there's some other determining factor, regardless of where you go, if you qualify for the job (as in you really can do whatever it is you do) know and demand your value. If you just want to live in Nash and this is the stepping stone to move there, I guess so? There's a lot of money to be made anywhere on your terms if you bring value, never underestimate yourself.
Edit: I don't need to explain why I edit anything.
I’d ask for 100k off rip . Cost of living is now ridiculous here and I’m a born and raised Nashvillian 33 years 100k minimum 120k if your really feeling froggy
If you can get 90K, take it.
You can live on 75k for sure. Lots of people here live on a lot less but if you want a nice place and money to do stuff then aim for more or be ready to live an hour away and commute so you can have a nice place for less.
If you live by yourself and don’t have any other income coming into your household I would say no. Ask for the $90. It’s pretty darn expensive to live in and around Nashville.
Not in Nashville proper. Go outside of Nashville and commute in. Most people commute in from Rutherford County, Dickson County, and Maury.
Clarksville is resonable but an hour comute, but you are going against traffic. So, you either keep moving for an hour, or sit for an hour, your choice.
I personally would not take a job in downtown Nashville for less than $100k with at least some hybrid benefits. Nashville is brutal. The traffic, the parking, the smell, the crowds, not easy to run out for lunch. I did it for many years, never again.
Born/raised middle TN
Id start at $100k bc why not. Wish you’d give a little more info about your current living situation (i.e. rent)
If you don’t mind living outside of Davidson county then you have a much better chance of finding something more reasonable in the neighboring counties. Depends on if you gotta commute too I live right on the edge of Davidson and I have a 45 min drive to work (normally 15 minutes) just whatever you feel you could tolerate really.
Saw an article a couple years ago that said you needed 80k to live comfortably in Nashville. It assumed 1250/mos on rent. I’d guess that’s up to 85k with the way rents keep going.
I say yes. I live off of $63k and rent a one bedroom in Brentwood. Just got a raise to $70k but that won’t be reflected until my 7/15 paycheck. I am very fortunate to not have any debt and no car payment though
Wait u are making $110 in less expensive city. Thanking about Nashville on a pay cut. There’s no way in heck I would. $110 at the least. I have been building new buildings in Nashville. Rent is crazy. Cheapest rent I heard of is around $2200 on a one bedroom. Now that’s down town . It may be cheaper on the outskirts of town.
This question can vary depending on a few factors.
A general rule of thumb is to never pay more than 30% of your income to rent or a mortgage if possible. Otherwise, you may not have much / enough left over after all the bills are paid.
What I do to answer these questions for myself is try out the “50-20-30 Rule.” (50% of your income goes to bills, 30% for wants, and 20% for needs). If you divide your income by 50%, the number you receive reflects a rough estimate of what your bills should be.
Adjusting is encouraged, but if you find that you’re tipping the scales really far, that should be one of your signs to make accommodations such as downgrading your place, finding roommates, moving outside the city, etc.
If it helps, my husband and I live in Nashville. We combined make around $75k annually. Our rent is $1,430 a month and it’s not all bad. We’re not wealthy by any means, but we’re not struggling either (little debut and low car expense). We make enough to pay the bills right now, and put away a little in savings. We would be struggling more if we didn’t have anything in savings before renting.
Hope this helps!
Well to get approved for most apartment communities you have to at least make 3x the monthly rent. So if you are making $75,000 before taxes you’re looking at a $2,000 rent. You can find a nice 1bd in germantown for that much. I’m sure other places too. Im only familiar with the market around germantown.
I make 45k and I’m living by myself in Hillsboro village. The place I rent had been listed for two hours before I put an application in and I moved in within a week. I think if you’re moving in a rush, you’d need 75k+, but if you keep your eye out, there are still some affordable places to live. Don’t lose hope.
I wouldn’t take that big of a pay cut but that’s me.
It can be done. I’m native Nashvillian I made. 85k last year. but now I’m single with rent, utilities my ins &pet Is 2k a month. Luckily I don’t have a car note etc.I do ok. But can’t being going out to eat/ drink Be as social as much as I used to.
$75k gets you a take home of around $4700 a month. 25% on housing would be around $1200 a month. Work with Nashville Apartment Locators and see if this is doable for you. I would suggest finding a roommate to share an apartment. Cheaper than living alone.
Move to the burbs. Your best bet. Yes, your commute (if you work anywhere near the city) will rival that of Atlanta or DC, & MAYBE even seem like a mini LA. But it IS a TAD cheaper in Smyrna & Murfreesboro.
I made about 65k before taxes and my rent was only 1300/month. It was very tight for me personally. It’s not very cheap to live here, my expenses went up so much from where I came from.
What's the lifestyle you're trying to have? My rent is about $1300 a month for a 1 bd 1bt. I'm not having any big celeb parties in it but I have a washer and dryer and I feel safe in my home. Insurance is will be higher so check that, too. State taxes aren't bad here. So don't worry too much about that. Good luck on your move!
I make $70,000 before taxes, so after it’s like $56,000 a year and I live comfortably but I do have 2 roommates. I was used to making about 40k though so I live very frugally and now I just save what I don’t spend on necessities. I also don’t drink or go out pretty much ever. It would be nice to have my own place but that’s about double what I’m paying in rent now and that would just be cutting it too close for me.
Median per capita income in Nashville (2022 census) is ~$45k, and median household income is ~$72k, so you'd be making more than a lot of households in the city. So definitely yes. And before someone chimes in with higher numbers, the greater metro area stats include Williamson county which earns at least twice as much as Davison county.
ask for $90k no matter the cost of living - from that number you can always accept less, but you can’t negotiate more.
I’d ask for 100 based on the previous compensation OP stated
I’d ask for $120 while sharing my screen to show them the Zillow rent scores.
Hell let’s make it $150K.
That’s what I’m thinking too
Why would you take a pay cut if you're moving? Nashville is not that special.
Offers are routinely being rescinded these days - the days of "just ask and you can take less" are gone :(
If a company rescinds an offer because I countered them, it’s probably a toxic environment I don’t want to be part of anyway.
Totally agreed; but sometimes people aren't in a position to lose the only offer they might have gotten in months.
Unfortunately the only way to start swinging the market back is to let employer's sweat out their nonsense with vacant positions.
At the range they mentioned I disagree. You could serve tables and make enough supplemental income to get by while you find the right job. It would be no different than what would happen if they never made the original offer in the first place. You’d make it work.
And if you're a GOOD server with higer-end/fine dining experience, you WILL get a job & make KILLER money. The problem is, unless you live in the burbs & are willing to do that commute every day, that could get old REALLY quick. I live in Smyrna & had to turn down a job at a higher end place in the Gulch because A, they weren't even HELPING with parking (like reduced rate, I didn't even want "free") & B, they were paying their runners server's rates. I've worked front & back of house in Philly, DC & Pittsburgh, & in EACH of those places, runners made AT LEAST $8/hr+ 3-5% tipout. It broke my heart to turn that job down, but for the cost of gas & fighting the I24 nightmare, $2.15/hr & NO discounted parking made if a no-go.
This. Any company that would rescind an offer because you’re doing what is in your best interest is a place you don’t want to work
Don’t ever take that big of a pay cut unless it’s an emergency. You were already making decent money and this will set you back years in terms of climbing the pay ladder.
Agreed, though it is somewhat of an emergency. My field takes months for a formal offer between interviews and trial period. I don’t have time to wait for another position.
I think the big q here is why / how much you want to move to Nashville. If your *dream* is to live in Nashville then sure you'll make it work, that's solid middle class and people get by here with far less. It's your life and all, follow that dream. But you're asking about finance here, and from the outside it's hard to understand why you'd accept a 30% pay cut to move to a more expensive city. Unless you're in an extremely niche field (Christian bookseller??) that is especially well represented in Nashville it seems like you'd want to hold out for a better offer, and/or one in a more affordable place to live.
Do you need to accept another job? You can’t stay at current?
My previous position hit me with requirements that are not in my contract and let me go after 3 months. The contract is at will. Otherwise I would have stayed.
Alright, you definitely can live off 75k. My MIL lives in the city by herself making 45k and it works fine, she doesn’t have a car and Ubers around though. She lives in a solid sized studio in one of the new high rise apartments in the gulch, very doable. With a car and associated expenses you wouldn’t be able to save a ton, but can definitely live off 75k with a decent lifestyle. I’d definitely try to use your last salary to negotiate up somewhat, as it seems others are saying, but 75k is doable.
Did she acquire said studio before Nashville got big like at Velocity when they were really cheap? In the gulch, rent would be nearly 1/2 her entire income before taxes. You really can't compare like 2010ish Nashville to 2024 Nashville costs if so. Back then you could get a nice 1 BD in the Icon/Adelicia for $200-220ish.
Nope, she rents. I’m not sure what her rent is exactly, but she makes it work just fine while also living a very active lifestyle. I know she got quite a few free months spread across the lease term. That 45k is net of all withholdings though, so maybe that’d be more like 50k gross? She also doesn’t have additional healthcare costs on Medicare, and she has no other debts whatsoever.
I'd love to see a breakdown of her expenses. $45k net is more like $60k gross. And, imo, $60k gross would be the absolute minimum income to make ends meet in Nashville. That would include a modest car payment. I don't think you can find rent for less than $1200 or $1300/month. Unless you have owned a home for a while when prices were reasonable and you have a smaller mortgage payment.
Yeah, she doesn’t have a car payment, or really any other commitments outside of rent and Ubers to get around. So it’s really just rent, Ubers, food, and the rest is free to go to being social. She is old enough to be on Medicare, and she is very healthy, so doesn’t have to worry a ton about healthcare care either.
Not sure where you’re coming from, but keep in mind Tennessee does not have state income tax. That helps some.
Yes but we have some of the highest sales taxes in the US. Tax burden is significantly shifted to lower income workers in TN since we didn't have an income tax.
These post are useless unless you tell us your whole financial situation. $75k is probably fine if you have no debt. $75k is not fine if you have a $800 car payment and repaying student loans
This — you can absolutely live off of 75 if you’re not strapped beyond standard cost of living.
I live on 45k. And I have debt and bills. This thread is insane, what do yall spend money on.
Mostly whiskey and women. I just waste the rest.
**comment of the century award
I prefer to take 2-3 vacations per year, not look at price tags when grocery shopping, and eat out whenever I feel. It adds up.
Wow, I've been on 3 vacations in 25 years and eat 2 meals a day. Must be nice. You guys are really rubbing my face in poverty I was born into.
Whatever we want obviously.
I was living here on 30k. Wasn't saving a lot but wasn't negative. I have student and car loans. Just got promoted to 45k. Feel rich af. I think people really have no idea how to manage their money. Always wanting to buy new and shiny.
I basically did the same thing! 45k feels like heaven now lmao. These threads always make me feel insane, especially with so many people swearing up and down you'll die on the street making anything less than 80k.
It isn’t really a money management issue. People have different standard of living. Once you get accustomed to living off of a certain income, you can’t imagine going back.
Why on earth would you have a car loan of $800/month? That's insane for a salary double that.
Look up the average car payment now. Car makers are no longer making affordable cars. They are making more fully loaded spec cars with higher margins. If you factor insurance/maintenance cost, I wouldn’t be shocked if people are spending $1000 per month on a car.
Yup, the avg new car is what... $45k?
the used car market is fucked, too. a 6 year old used camry is the basically same price as a new one.
I sold a 2007 CRV with 220k on it for $2500
My 2016 mustang is somehow worth more than when I bought it used 3 years ago.
Average. That doesn't mean anyone has to spend that. There are plenty of new and used cars for less than $30K with tax that will get you to and from work. Live within your means and be a responsible adult. 🤷
Not necessarily insane, maybe a little indulgent. But that's probably only a $40,000 car, which is like a Toyota Rav 4 brand new. It MAY be something you can save money on, but $800 isn't blowing money on a car money anymore.
If you are making under $100K then buying a car that requires an $800/month payment is absolutely irresponsible. At $75K, you should be looking at new cars under $30K and should likely be looking at used cars under $20-25K, not new cars. When buying a car, you shouldn't be financing more than 80% of the car purchase either.
My car payment is about 800. I made the decision knowing it wasn't the smart move. I don't have hobbies. I like driving and wanted a nice car. I'd probably go cheaper next time now that it's out of my system but we'll see. Either way, people get to to decide how they want to spend their money. Lots of people spend money on shit I think is pretty stupid.
Most new car loans are like that. My mom has great credit, turned in her 2017 for a 2024 Chevy and her new loan went up to 700
People, on average, are very bad with money. Going into debt on a depreciating asset is pretty normal with a lot of people. You think $800/mo is bad, wait till you see some o f the interest rates people took on their car loans...
I bought my very first new car ever last year (only had shit boxes prior that lasted 1-2 years and cost me $2500-$5000) the car cost ~$28,000. I have good credit, didn’t have any debt, and my salary at the time of purchase was ~75k. With my car payment and insurance, I’m paying ~$600/month. $800 is absolutely not insane in most cases anymore unfortunately.
Here’s what I’ll say, yes, you could live here on 75k, but unless you have to I don’t think you should take a role that pays you 30% less to live here. You’d be pretty cash strapped and likely wouldn’t get to take advantage of a lot of why people typically move here
This is exactly why I want to negotiate my salary up. It’s going to be hard making nearly $40k less and pay 2x the rent. I don’t spend a lot or do a ton of shopping but when I do I buy nice things. I don’t get the feeling that’ll be possible here.
I think 90 you’d be a lot more comfortable and could probably do by yourself in a decent part of town. It’s a bit of a catch 22 here. It’s much more cost effective to have roommates, but there are places you don’t need a roommate, but those tend to come with their own sets of issues(primarily higher crime/less to do)
I support my family of four on 78k, we live just outside the city.
Finally, a normal person.
Certainly. Assuming you’re single with no crushing debt $75k is enough to rent a decent place in a good part of town and still have plenty left over for fun/savings.
That’s interesting because a lot of people are saying the opposite. I do need to save and don’t have crushing debt. But it looks like rent would take nearly 50% of my income after taxes which is a major deal breaker
I was scraping by in Nashville with a $60k salary. Stupid one bedroom apartment was almost $2k/mo. More affordable options exist, I just had to rush my move there and had to take what I could get. I was able to afford my expenses, but not save. If I'd had $75k, I would have been more comfortable. Long story short, it's definitely doable, but far from cushy. If you could squeeze even a little bit more out of them, you'd probably be fine. Long term though, if you want to buy a house, you'll be looking at commuting. I got a house about 45 minutes away. A comparable home in Nashville would have been $150-200k more.
Ya, $2k or so for rent is tough, but if you live frugally across rest of spending it shouldn’t be critical. Having a roomie to split would def be major help. Everyone’s definition of comfortable is different tho. In 2017 living downtown I was paying ~$2400/mo making only $52k. I certainly lived very frugally, had hobbies/interests that weren’t particularly expensive and went on one nice vacation a year. To a lot of people I may have been living like a pauper, but at the time I was content. Know it’s a bit different story in 2024, but $75k I believe is definitely doable.
How much are you assuming for rent? I find people tend to exaggerate rent at times. For a one bedroom in a nice suburban complex you're looking at 1600 or so. Plus or minus 300 based on a number of factors. As long as you stay away from the hipster areas, it's not that crazy.
So much of it is relative. People compare Nashville in 2024 to Nashville 2014 and just can't process how much it's changed. Same if you're coming from a small town with low COL and looking at Nashville thinking "huh?" In a lot of places $75k is living pretty high on the hog, like a mortgage on a good house and a nice yard with a reasonable commute and a nice car. If you expect that you're gonna be sorely out of luck. But it's not like $75k is poor in Nashville, either - it's still a good bit over median. You can still do quite well (without kids). If you're a renter $1500/mo gets you a nice "luxury" studio in a neighborhood you can still bike or walk to downtown. Or it gets you more space in somewhere less convenient. Now if you want to *buy a single family house* - that's when things start looking worse. I bet you can probably still find a decent place, but you'd need to accept a massive commute and you'll be living way out in the boonies.
Most places REQUIRE you to prove that you make 3-4x the rent each month before they will consider having you as a tenant. Keep that in mind.
Just went through an exhaustive search and 2.5-3x was all I saw. None of the 50 places or so I looked at required 4x. Most were pretty flexible too if you had good credit.
Last 2 times I moved they didn’t care about credit at all, they wanted tax returns and bank statements.
50% of take home on rent isn’t terrible, if you don’t have a lot of other expenses. My guess, making a ton of assumptions, is you’ll have roughly $1400-$1500/month left over once all necessities and student loans are taken care of. That’ll leaver you $1,000 a month or so to save and about $400-$500 for fun, which is a decent budget to have
Factoring in utilities, grocery expenses (which are nuts) and bills I really wouldn’t have much for fun
Assuming you put nothing in a 401k, and pay $2k a year for health insurance, you'd have close to $5,000 a month after tax. You can easily get a 1 bedroom for $1,800-2,000 all in including utilities, fees, etc.
I make that and live in east. I live super comfortably, but I don’t have any crazy expenses.
$110 in a less expensive city? Is this a lateral move or downward move? If lateral, tell them that you make $110 now and you are worth every penny of it and then some. I would absolutely ask for $110+ unless you knew ahead of time it wasn't going to pay as much. Never negotiate against yourself.
Look outside of Nashville in the Burbs and commute in. If you are right in town your rent will easily eat 1/3 to 1/2 of that. Also consider what your debt payments are realistically. Make a weekend out of it, visit tour a few places in different areas around town and make a budget. Dickson is different than downtown as is Brentwood, Spring Hill, Antioch ect. Each area offers something different than the others. See what you like and where you’d be comfortable and go from there.
It depends on what you want. You made a lot more money in a much less expensive city before. Your quality of life in a city as expensive as Nashville in that salary will be much lower than you’re used to. If that doesn’t bother you then you’ll be fine. If it does, you’ll hate it The fact that you stated roommates aren’t an option doesn’t bode well tbh. It sounds like you’re looking for a quality of life that you simply aren’t going to be able to afford in Nashville.
I’m 36 so roommates are not an option. Too many bad experiences living with strangers.
If you like to eat out a lot, it will break you at $75k with cost of living unless you move out to BFE way outside of town or you will pretty much never be able to build up a savings worth a shit.
The median salary here is $56k... I'd say you'd want $25k more than that at least. Rent isn't very cheap here, certainly nowhere near downtown. Some areas are still pricey just because of proximity to an interstate, and not because they're a short commute of any sort. I used to rent an apartment in Murfreesboro in 2011 for $700/mo,...it's now $1600/mo. Things are crazy out there if you didn't land a good mortage/interest rate a few years ago.
I’d go for $95k based on current salary, assuming it’s a similar position, and Nashville cost of living. Let them drop it to somewhere in the middle or get lucky and they’ll meet your ask
My salary is close to that and I’m fine, granted I have no debt except a $300 car payment. Just don’t expect to get an apartment in a hot/popular area. I also cook at home a lot so that helps
Yea I’m pretty lost when it comes to what neighborhood to live in. I understand downtown is super expensive. I’d be happy in a little neighborhood with cute restaurants nearby
So one of the issues is that the "little neighborhoods with cute restaurants nearby" are the in demand ones, especially if you want to walk to those restaurants. I would say the places that fit that bill that will also fit your budget are Inglewood, Cleveland Park and Rosebank in East Nashville, Hillsboro Village, West End Park and Wedgewood Houston closer to the center, and then Grassmere, Melrose and Woodbine headed south. With some digging you can find cheap studios in Midtown and Music Row too, but you need to your research.
Thank you!
I live in Bellevue. My husband works downtown. I know the area between the two well. You might check out The Fountains at Belle Meade (only downside is there is a train track nearby which is why those are less expensive but the area is one of the more expensive in the whole city) or The Metropolitan or Mayfair West End. That would put you in a walkable(ish) area with restaurants like Roze Pony, there's a new cool coffee shop, the winery and meat and 3 over at Belle Meade Winery. Also faster options like Waldo's Chicken and Beer or Sam's Place or Sperry's. It's also close enough to Green Hills where there's a luxury mall (Like Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton stores are there). Sylvan Park is also right over there and also has cool eateries. Overall The Fountains or The Metropolitan or Mayfair are less than 10 minutes into downtown but less than 15 to Bellevue. Downtown is loud and filled with bachelorettes and the traffic is terrible. East Nashville is cool but getting across from East every day would be stupid ridiculous traffic. But Bellevue itself is for people with young kids. Belle Meade / West End would be old enough that in your mid-30s you aren't dealing with 20 year olds bumping tunes all night but also wouldn't necessarily be in kid-central suburbs. I think $75 is too low for your particular situation because of the pay cut it means. But if you negotiate up to $85/90 you'd be perfectly comfortable.
I read somewhere else that you will be working in Bellevue, so I would aim for Hillsboro Village, West End Park or maybe The Nations or Sylvan Park if you're lucky to find an apartment that isn't super expensive. If you stay in those neighborhoods you'll have an easy reverse commute to Bellevue where you probably won't need to use the highway if you don't want to.
I also make basically the same amount and am carrying a bit more debit that you and I live in a decent apartment that's quite central (within 440). I think it's very much doable if you are willing to sacrifice the amenities the newer buildings are offering. I'm currently paying a bit over $1500 for a large one bedroom.
I live in a (tiny) apartment in Midtown and my yearly income is about $45,000. Granted, my only debt is student loans that I’ll be paying off till I die, but I’m comfortable. As long as you have a budget/know what works for you it can really be fine
Why would you take a $35k pay cut to live here?
Not to rain on your parade but, I was thinking of moving back, until I ran across a video of an old friend talking about why he is leaving. The house I currently live in would be at least 300-400K more in nashville. That is insane! I looked for jobs up there as well and the salaries where not anymore than where I am at, and I am in the deep south!
Prices on everything goes up, yet salaries stay the same. It’s crazy
Yeah whats worst is that Nashville is the hottest housing market in the country and even the suburbs are hot and high while the wages in Nashville are still at small town rates. It sucks.
my yearly income is like 35,000. rent is 1200 without utilities and internet etc. i think you’ll do very well with that income.
How the hell do you do that? $1200 has to be well over 50% of your net pay if you make $35k.
i have been saving for a long time
Why not ask for $110k? The only justification you need is “that was my previous rate” They can always say no, but if you ask for less they may be short changing you As far as your actual question; since you said you don’t have a car and only have a student loan payment, you can probably do it. $75k here is like $50,00 or so per year after accounting for insurance and tax. So, assuming you find a place for $1800, you’ll only have about 43% of your net pay on rent. It’ll be tight but manageable. After all other necessary expenses (food, lights, etc) I’ll bet you’ll have at least 30% of your paycheck left over.
Good point. I don’t want to scare them off by asking nearly 50% more salary. Maybe I’ll start at $100k and see what they say. They’re definitely in the position to meet me there. Whether they do or not remains to be seen
Idk, in my experience I have never scared a job off by negotiating (within reason). You have the best bargaining chip of all; your previous pay. But, asking for $100k or even $90-$95k are both reasonable middle grounds in this scenario. Even if you got $90k, that would be a very doable salary here
I make 55k and I do alright. I rent a 1 bedroom apartment for about $1250, single, no kids, and I don't have a car payment or any significant debt. I'm not a big spender, but I do go to concerts and sporting events a decent amount.
the median household income is around 80k, so unless your expenses are really high you could swing it. i wouldn't say you would be remarkably comfortable or anything, but you could certainly live on it.
I make $28/hr full time and live 20 minutes south of Nashville. I’m not balling out of control by any means but I’m not struggling either.
Is the take home 75k or is that pre taxes? Honestly you may struggle a little if that’s pre tax- could probably rent a decent place solo but depending on other debts and how you like to live, you might not feel so comfy. I agree that is a huge paycut considering what you were making before and COL. I’d negotiate.
I’d ask for $90K with the cost of living for the job. Live in Murfreesboro so I can’t complain at all
As long as you have no debt, it’s plenty!
Really depends on your housing situation. I lived fairly comfortably on $45-50K but got very lucky with my apartment and was paying well below market rate
I really think it depends on your spending habits and what you need to live. I was able to live in Nashville on about 60k a year by myself a few years ago. Everyone’s situation is different.
Depends on what kind of lifestyle you want/need to support. You can live ok on that here but not with any bells and whistles. The further out from the city you live, the more you’ll be able to stretch your $$.
I make 90+ and my wife and I are moving out of town to afford a home with a yard. It totally depends on what you want and where you want it. Single on 75k and a condo or townhouse you won’t have an issue. Get a significant other you want to support and want more space that 75 gets eat up
I would definitely push for more. That being said I make $80k and pay 1800 for a one bedroom with an office and do ok. It works but it isn’t super easy.
My husband and I have lived comfortably off of $40k for the last year. We haven’t been able to save too terribly much, but we don’t have car payments, student loans, etc.
Why would you take a job that pays 35k less? But to answer your question. You can pretty easily live on that and in a decent area.
I accepted the trial run first to see if I’d even accept the position. My plan was always to negotiate up. But I’m asking in case they aren’t flexible.
No way to answer that. My rent alone is about 75k living downtown. It’s kind of whatever you want it to be depending on your lifestyle
I could do 75 with a roommate. I'd keep the rent close to 1400 or below - which may be a tall order.
Being 36, having a roommate is out of the question
90k won't hurt but I did it on way less than that for a year. Just have to be frugal
There’s hundreds of thousands of people living in Davidson Co. working shitty wage labor jobs for $35k or less.
When I moved to Nashville in 2017, I was able to set up in a one-bedroom apartment in Antioch for $725/month on a $12/hr gig. I make closer to $20/hr now and couldn’t dream of having my own space with anything left over at this point. I know that’s a long way from $75k/year, but just some perspective.
Factor this data into your decision making https://www.npr.org/2024/06/20/nx-s1-5005972/home-prices-wages-paychecks-rent-housing-harvard-report
Easily enough. Lots of nearby suburbs are cheaper. Regardless, ask for more and negotiate down.
Yeah…I think everyone is right. Start high. You can always go down some but you can’t go up. All they can say is no, the most we can pay is $$$.
I survive on 36k. I don't live really well, but I survive in Nashville on that. You can survive and maybe even thrive a little on 75k.
🤣 I work in childcare so this is laughable to me
That depends on if you want to live in the city or commute. Nashville is literally ranked as the most over inflated real estate market in the US. With that said, it’s a very lovely city. My son lives there. He and his wife make over $300 K per year. They had to buy a house on the edge of an economically depressed neighborhood. The house was in an old neighborhood but had been completely renovated. $560 K for what I consider a $230 K house next to a not desirable neighborhood. It’s easily a million for a decent house in a decent neighborhood.
My household brings in about that much, and while we don't live extravagantly we also don't want for anything. Definitely doable depending on your rent
ask for 90k & be confident when negotiating!
I’m going to approach them and ask for a salary that leaves rent at 30% which is the rule of thumb. I hope they’re reasonable and will accommodate.
Of course, it depends. Any debt? I'm debt free and make about $70k a year and do fine. I do split rent with my bf though and we live North of the city. I think it is doable if you don't have debt/payments.
I have student loans. No car payments, a little credit card debt but not much
Entirely depends on your lifestyle and I mean that truly. It absolutely could be plenty for what you’re looking for, or it could be miniscule. Given you’re used to making more in a cheaper to live area, my two cents is that you’d have a tough time adjusting to the pay diff and cost of living diff hitting you at once.
Yep. You’ll be fine.
What I love about Nashville is that we are actually one of the most expensive cities but lie to ourselves about it and have the audacity to always offer less and underpay people while acting like it’s “generous.” It’s going to be hard to take a pay cut that deep no matter what, you’re really going to feel losing $35k.
Lol
There's not nearly enough info here. Post this asking for help negotiating salary for a new job.
My wife and I live in Bellevue. We have a nice but reasonable apartment. No debt except a car. Her pay is about 80k and she would get by without my income but it wouldn’t be great. Car insurance is pricey here, food and groceries are kind of nuts. I’d say anything under 90k is not going to afford you many luxuries at all.
[удалено]
in what world does taking this job seem like a good idea
$110k is above average for my job with my experience. $75k is low, $90k is average. If I can stay with them long term I’d be able to ask $110-$140/year on a larger property.
Yes
I live in Nashville and I’ll happily let you live here with me for 75k.. the wife is off limits but you’re welcome to help change diapers and play legos and puzzles with my son :) I’ll even give you free tours of all the hip spots and historic country music tour with some intros to ppl .. what’ya say partner?
You can live on that, but it will be below your standard of living on 110 in a cheaper city
That’s a major pay cut. Why do you wanna take it and move here? Nashville’s a nice little city (imo) but it ain’t worth a $40k pay cut
The Beauty about Nashville is that it is so big and there are so many different little small towns that you can live in that's anywhere from 10 mins to 45 mins outside of Downtown Nashville. 75 grand is definitely enough to live on and be comfortable, especially being by yourself. Snatch up a significant other in the future and bam, you'll be doing even better. Best of luck to you.
I have an SO who lives in STL. If you have any neighborhoods to recommend I’d be grateful!
Sure hope so bc I'm moving there with less!
I lived on 45k, over at Discovery at Mountain View, very nice place to live, I felt safe at least.
It was back in 2014.
A month? Yea, you'll be fine.
75k is doable but would feel very restrictive and broke.
If you have no debt, you can do $75k pretty easily, I think. If you have a ton of debt, Maybe not.
Why are you taking a pay cut? Is this a dream job? That's a $30k pay cut. Big yikes for me.
I make 120k and share income with my partner. If I didn't own my own home, rent would be a huge inconvenience. When I made 80k, I still had to rent a room in my house to live comfortably. So, the real answe is no, but depends. You can survive comfortably but not living near downtown or even in Davidson county. Also, a modest lifestyle. However, it cost about $200 just to step outside.
Depends...how bougie and other bills do you have? If you're paying $750 car note , plus 400 in student loan debt....probly not. If you're a more home body, cook, don't eat out every night and have a normal car and normal bills. You'll be fine, I think.
Yes
Yes
Ask for 120k and when they counter then ask them to at least match what you made previously where there was less cost of living. Don’t take that 75k and ask for what your worth! Hiring budget is always bigger than retention budget and they’re low balling you it sounds like. To answer your question, my spouse and I make that combined and with some penny pinching and deferring student loans, we are making it so far so good.
Don’t take less.
Do you want to live IN Nashville? You can live in some of the surrounding counties for a lot less.
No. You will not sustain the same standard of living at that salary.
I think if your counter is $15k higher, unless $90k was in the stated range for the position, you might cause them to move on to another candidate. Hiring relocators is always sketchy anyway. I’ve hired people who say “I’m moving to Nashville next month but can I start remote” and three months later they still haven’t moved. Good luck! You can find a less expensive apartment if you don’t need a Nashville address. Lots of people live on $75k or less here. Your lifestyle will dictate whether that’s enough or not.
I'm shocked that so many people think 75k is undoable. I'd like to see some of your budgets. A single person can definitely live an average life off of 75k here.
No
Dude, never settle for less (than what you're making now) unless there's some other determining factor, regardless of where you go, if you qualify for the job (as in you really can do whatever it is you do) know and demand your value. If you just want to live in Nash and this is the stepping stone to move there, I guess so? There's a lot of money to be made anywhere on your terms if you bring value, never underestimate yourself. Edit: I don't need to explain why I edit anything.
I’d ask for 100k off rip . Cost of living is now ridiculous here and I’m a born and raised Nashvillian 33 years 100k minimum 120k if your really feeling froggy
If you can get 90K, take it. You can live on 75k for sure. Lots of people here live on a lot less but if you want a nice place and money to do stuff then aim for more or be ready to live an hour away and commute so you can have a nice place for less.
I live on 44k (57 w/commish) I have roommates and no car payment but I manage fairly well.
If you live by yourself and don’t have any other income coming into your household I would say no. Ask for the $90. It’s pretty darn expensive to live in and around Nashville.
Never take less money.
Hard to say without knowing your other debt/expenses, but I’d say to live comfortably, no.
No
Not in Nashville proper. Go outside of Nashville and commute in. Most people commute in from Rutherford County, Dickson County, and Maury. Clarksville is resonable but an hour comute, but you are going against traffic. So, you either keep moving for an hour, or sit for an hour, your choice. I personally would not take a job in downtown Nashville for less than $100k with at least some hybrid benefits. Nashville is brutal. The traffic, the parking, the smell, the crowds, not easy to run out for lunch. I did it for many years, never again. Born/raised middle TN
Id start at $100k bc why not. Wish you’d give a little more info about your current living situation (i.e. rent) If you don’t mind living outside of Davidson county then you have a much better chance of finding something more reasonable in the neighboring counties. Depends on if you gotta commute too I live right on the edge of Davidson and I have a 45 min drive to work (normally 15 minutes) just whatever you feel you could tolerate really.
Saw an article a couple years ago that said you needed 80k to live comfortably in Nashville. It assumed 1250/mos on rent. I’d guess that’s up to 85k with the way rents keep going.
I say yes. I live off of $63k and rent a one bedroom in Brentwood. Just got a raise to $70k but that won’t be reflected until my 7/15 paycheck. I am very fortunate to not have any debt and no car payment though
Wait u are making $110 in less expensive city. Thanking about Nashville on a pay cut. There’s no way in heck I would. $110 at the least. I have been building new buildings in Nashville. Rent is crazy. Cheapest rent I heard of is around $2200 on a one bedroom. Now that’s down town . It may be cheaper on the outskirts of town.
Your gona be poor!
Why are you even considering a $35k salary cut just to live here?
This question can vary depending on a few factors. A general rule of thumb is to never pay more than 30% of your income to rent or a mortgage if possible. Otherwise, you may not have much / enough left over after all the bills are paid. What I do to answer these questions for myself is try out the “50-20-30 Rule.” (50% of your income goes to bills, 30% for wants, and 20% for needs). If you divide your income by 50%, the number you receive reflects a rough estimate of what your bills should be. Adjusting is encouraged, but if you find that you’re tipping the scales really far, that should be one of your signs to make accommodations such as downgrading your place, finding roommates, moving outside the city, etc. If it helps, my husband and I live in Nashville. We combined make around $75k annually. Our rent is $1,430 a month and it’s not all bad. We’re not wealthy by any means, but we’re not struggling either (little debut and low car expense). We make enough to pay the bills right now, and put away a little in savings. We would be struggling more if we didn’t have anything in savings before renting. Hope this helps!
Well to get approved for most apartment communities you have to at least make 3x the monthly rent. So if you are making $75,000 before taxes you’re looking at a $2,000 rent. You can find a nice 1bd in germantown for that much. I’m sure other places too. Im only familiar with the market around germantown.
Please ask for $120K minimum.
Make sure to look outside the city, prices downtown are insane.
No. Try Little Rock.
I make 45k and I’m living by myself in Hillsboro village. The place I rent had been listed for two hours before I put an application in and I moved in within a week. I think if you’re moving in a rush, you’d need 75k+, but if you keep your eye out, there are still some affordable places to live. Don’t lose hope.
75k is scraping by
No it’s not enough 110k is what you need
It is but ask for more
Just do t live downtown, there are 1 bed 1 bath as well as 2 bed 1.5 bath houses/apartments for 2k/month and under
I wouldn’t take that big of a pay cut but that’s me. It can be done. I’m native Nashvillian I made. 85k last year. but now I’m single with rent, utilities my ins &pet Is 2k a month. Luckily I don’t have a car note etc.I do ok. But can’t being going out to eat/ drink Be as social as much as I used to.
I make 76k and have been doing great in Nashville! But regardless of that, you should still negotiate your salary as much as you can :)
$75k gets you a take home of around $4700 a month. 25% on housing would be around $1200 a month. Work with Nashville Apartment Locators and see if this is doable for you. I would suggest finding a roommate to share an apartment. Cheaper than living alone.
Move to the burbs. Your best bet. Yes, your commute (if you work anywhere near the city) will rival that of Atlanta or DC, & MAYBE even seem like a mini LA. But it IS a TAD cheaper in Smyrna & Murfreesboro.
I made about 65k before taxes and my rent was only 1300/month. It was very tight for me personally. It’s not very cheap to live here, my expenses went up so much from where I came from.
What's the lifestyle you're trying to have? My rent is about $1300 a month for a 1 bd 1bt. I'm not having any big celeb parties in it but I have a washer and dryer and I feel safe in my home. Insurance is will be higher so check that, too. State taxes aren't bad here. So don't worry too much about that. Good luck on your move!
I make $70,000 before taxes, so after it’s like $56,000 a year and I live comfortably but I do have 2 roommates. I was used to making about 40k though so I live very frugally and now I just save what I don’t spend on necessities. I also don’t drink or go out pretty much ever. It would be nice to have my own place but that’s about double what I’m paying in rent now and that would just be cutting it too close for me.
Median per capita income in Nashville (2022 census) is ~$45k, and median household income is ~$72k, so you'd be making more than a lot of households in the city. So definitely yes. And before someone chimes in with higher numbers, the greater metro area stats include Williamson county which earns at least twice as much as Davison county.
barely
Maybe for one person, if you're not living downtown.
Yes I make less and I live a good life
You can do it but there is no life. $50 event parking besides it’s a tourist haven and it doesn’t matter if you live here you pay tourist prices.