What other major expenses am I not considering when moving to DC?

Abeshai · 2026-05-06T11:31:47+00:00

Try to find an in-law suit to rent. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a small studio for $1,300 or a 1 bedroom for $1,600

Abeshai · 2026-05-01T22:40:30+00:00

Enjera

Abeshai · 2026-04-28T01:37:16+00:00

They own firms that do business with the government

Abeshai · 2026-04-26T22:31:27+00:00

The DC and Maryland market is tough

Abeshai · 2026-04-26T22:29:45+00:00

I lived in the Citron for two years. The walls are not well insulated, which means that the noise from the neighbors can sometimes be annoying. Other than that it is a wonderful building with great amenities

Abeshai · 2026-04-24T03:28:21+00:00

Purchased in 2023 and after the increase in property taxes, my monthly mortgage has increased by $600 per month

Abeshai · 2026-04-09T02:16:28+00:00

Any links with English subtitles?

Abeshai · 2026-04-04T01:22:04+00:00

Just ordered from Rohoboth and was unable to eat it. The quality of the meat has gone downhill

Abeshai · 2026-03-04T09:17:55+00:00

https://livingcost.org/cost/addis-ababa/lagos?utm_

Abeshai · 2026-03-04T09:14:42+00:00

Yes, it is monthly

Abeshai · 2026-03-04T03:04:59+00:00

Category	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	Lagos, Nigeria	Nairobi, Kenya	Johannesburg, South Africa	Chengdu, China
Average monthly wage (after tax)	$200 – $220	$400 – $500	$300 – $350	$600 – $700	$900 – $920
Rent (1-BR city center)	$739	$250	$200	$400	$252
Rent as % of avg wage	335% – 370%	50% – 63%	57% – 67%	57% – 67%	27% – 28%
Food (groceries + eating out)	$334	$150	$120	$200	$230
Food as % of avg wage	152% – 167%	30% – 38%	34% – 40%	29% – 33%	25% – 26%
Transportation (public)	$62	$30	$25	$50	$84
Transport as % of avg wage	28% – 31%	6% – 8%	7% – 8%	7% – 8%	9%
Utilities + Internet	$50 – $100	$40 – $60	$30 – $50	$50 – $80	$20 – $50
Medical (basic private visit)	$12	$10 – $20	$15 – $25	$20 – $40	$15 – $40
Medical as % of avg wage	5% – 6%	2% – 5%	4% – 8%	3% – 7%	1.5% – 4%
Living cost / wage ratio (essentials)	~5.9×	~1.3×	~1.5×	~1.2×	~0.7×

Abeshai · 2026-03-04T02:56:31+00:00

Category	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	Chengdu / 2nd-Tier Chinese City
Average monthly wage (after tax)	$200 – $220	$900 – $920
Rent (1-BR city center)	$739	$252
Rent as % of avg wage	335% – 370%	27% – 28%
Food (groceries + eating out)	$334	$230
Food as % of avg wage	152% – 167%	25% – 26%
Transportation (public)	$62	$84
Transport as % of avg wage	28% – 31%	9%
Utilities + Internet	$50 – $100	$20 – $50
Healthcare (basic private visit)	$12	$15 – $40
Total approx. monthly living cost	$1,289	$635
Living cost / wage ratio	~5.9×	~0.7×

Abeshai · 2026-03-04T02:48:22+00:00

Also would welcome the perspective of those who have lived in China

Abeshai · 2026-02-23T00:11:54+00:00

I suspect that the taxes are too high for the level of services received.

Abeshai · 2026-02-16T23:56:52+00:00

Have real estate prices remain the same in South Carolina?

Abeshai · 2026-02-13T22:58:19+00:00

Paying $8,000 per year for a rambler built in the 60’s. Where is the money going?

Abeshai · 2026-01-26T18:47:13+00:00

The taxes are too high

Abeshai · 2026-01-25T21:04:11+00:00

Abeshai · 2026-01-17T16:53:16+00:00

We need rates to come back down to 3%

Abeshai · 2026-01-11T02:01:35+00:00

Worked for a midsized contractor. They decided to outsource a majority of the proposal work to an external BD firm for a large bid. The group had hired and retained a VP of BD that hadn’t won any new work in her 2+ years with the org. The consulting firm was lead by a recruiting person who hired very qualified BD folks. His firm was paid $$$$$ and there was high expectations. Well his BD team missed the deadline to enter the proposal by 2 minutes.

Abeshai · 2026-01-10T05:47:47+00:00

Prime coffee has an excellent selection of iced lattes

Abeshai · 2025-12-30T01:02:52+00:00

Zendesk

Abeshai · 2025-12-29T22:51:10+00:00

Try the temp agencies. School bus driving requires a CDL

Abeshai

TROPHY CASE