>>>I need some answers today, if possible. I'm considering an offer to work in New York, and I want to know whether the offered salary is anywhere near enough or not.
>>>
>>>So, how much do programmers (in general, but Foxers specially) make in the Big Apple?
>>
>>Hi Dragan,
>> Here's a salary comparison calculator that may be helpful:
>>http://www.monstermoving.monster.com/Find_A_Place/Calculators/SalaryCalc/
>
>The ratio of 540% for NYC or 145% for neighboring areas is enough to kill a horse. And I thought living in a resort was sort of expensive...

Whatever anyone (or any internet program) says about the NYC cost of living, it's worth remembering that most New Yorkers (not necessarily programmers) get by on average incomes not much higher than other parts of the country. I don't know what the average is, but I'm quite sure it isn't that big.

In my experience (mainly from going to college at Cornell) most New Yorkers live in their own tiny little worlds within the huge city. If your boss lives in White Plains, he probably can't tell you whether Sergey's neighborhood in the Bronx is an acceptable place to live. But maybe he can tell you about someplace he thinks you can afford on whatever he offers to pay you. Hopefully he once had to live on that salary himself.

Yonkers is a very working class inner suburb. It probably has more in common with the Bronx than with White Plains, economically. If you found it cheaper, that's why. I haven't been there. I don't know about New Rochelle, but I have been told that there are suburbs way out in Long Island, even in Sussex County, which are as crummy as an inner city slum, though they would look different.

Commuter rail is expensive. LIRR is several dollars a day. My cousin who works on Wall Street liven in Poughkeepsie, in Dutchess County, where he could buy a cheap home. His commute is very long and costs him around $2000/year. However, commuter trains are much nicer than busses or the subway. I think that people expect to get seats. Those people use the time to pay bills and talk on their cell phones.

The quality of the school district is critical. Rents can be much lower in some areas, but you would then have to think about private school. When your daughter reaches high school age, she might get into one of those elite public schools. Working class New Yorkers who want a decent education for their children often send them to Catholic School, which is not that expensive.

If they let you telecommute, I suppose you will do that. Make sure you agree on who pays for hotel rooms when you visit. Those are expensive.

Perhaps there is a Serb neighborhood in Queens or someplace.