I asked this question in the comment section of one of my posts, but I’ll open it up for everyone: How much, rough estimate, would you say that one should have saved up that they would need to move and start over in a city on the other side of the country?
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I think it depends on several things.
Which city you’re planning on moving to.
How much the average cost of moving in somewhere [security deposit, first last months rent, other things of that nature].
Also depends on if u have a job lined up or not.
I think you should have moving costs plus two months rent.
[even if you get a job before, sometimes you don’t get an actual paycheck for a month. with the state it’s like that. plus ur gonna need groceries & gas, not to mention renting a truck and/or buying new furniture].
average cost in the city you choose i mean.
not like national average.
My sister just recently moved – about a block and a half – and it cost her $3,500 between moving costs, security and rent on the new apartment, new furniture (and not a lot of it either). you can probably get an idea of local rent prices off craigslist or a real estate listing (if you haven’t already)
So I would say start at that and then just start adding on – however you’re going to get cross country is going to cost you several hundred dollars at least, I would think.
It’s going to be mad expensive, though…
Here’s my book on the subject
I was in a similar situation with our move to San Francisco, so I have an idea of how you feel. Even with how unprepared I felt for the move, it was definitely worth it. I had a few more months than you, but I also didn’t want to move to SF – and you do want to go to Seattle.
As far as costs go, I’ll try to help you figure out what it you can expect.
Moving Your Stuff:
This will vary widely, based on the following factors:
How much work will you do? Are you going to attach a U-Haul to your car and drive the whole way? Are you going to box everything up yourself and do the loading and unloading (bribing friends with pizza and beer is helpful)? Will you have a company box up your stuff, load it, and unload it?
How much stuff do you have to move? We had to figure out how much space on a truck we would take up (I think it ended up being 18 feet)
What type of moving truck? U-Haul, Big moving truck that moves several people’s stuff at once? Smaller moving truck?
Are you paying to have your car shipped there? That’s probably at least 1k. However, driving cross-country will put a lot of miles on your car.
Rent Deposit:
It’s typical to pay first and last month’s rent up front, plus a security deposit. And rent is more expensive on the west coast. I’m not too familiar with Seattle rent, but you could get a good idea by looking online. I’d recommend Craigslist. Anyway, if your monthly rent is $1,000, you might have to pay something like $2,750 up front.
Getting your self there:
Plane tickets, or driving cross country? Either way, it’s not cheap.
Emergency fund:
Although everyone should have one (3-6 months of expenses is the recommended amount), someone in your situation should definitely have something to fall back on in case you lose your job for some reason. It might not seem likely, but you never know. Aim for at least 1 month of expenses, in a liquid account. I’d recommend ING, and not just b/c I get $25 for referring someone 🙂 You can access your money within a few days, and they pay 4.5%
I’d also recommend coming up with a spending plan (aka a budget, but that’s a dirty word for some) for Seattle. If you’d like a template, let me know.
I love talking personal finance, so if you have any other questions I’d be happy to help you out 🙂
As far as adjusting to a new city and making friends, I personally don’t think it’s that big of a deal. It can be lonely and difficult at first, but you’d already have a job, so there are co-workers to hang out with and use to meet new people. Church and the gym are my personal favs for finding friends, but find something you like to do and join a club or something to meet people with similar interests. You also have some family there, so that’s a bonus. It sounds cliché, but you’ll meet a lot of interesting people.
And hey – I might be able to visit you later this year, as I’ll be going for my brother-in-law’s wedding.
Enough rambling for now. I hope this helps!
Re: Here’s my book on the subject
So here was what I was thinking:
Could I just hand you my checkbook and have you make all of my decisions for me? Pretty please!? Thanks!
(I should just mention for the record that at this very moment that I am writing this I am in fact buying DVDs.)