More Bang for Your Buck
Visit these web sites to easily compare the cost of living in your current location and where you are interested in living in North Dakota. The cost of living calculators will show the two cities side-by-side in all the categories you need (housing, food, taxes, etc.) to help you make an informed decision.
"The cost here is much less compared to Michigan. Our first apartment was 475, and 450 without pets. In Michigan the apartment I had was almost 900 per month, and that’s just for rent! When we first started working, I alone had a job and had to support my fiancé along with her Mother and Brother as well, on 425 a month at first. Even with this meager salary we were all able to live comfortably and we all eventually got our own jobs, and we live now in a very nice two bedroom apartment for 725, which with both of our salaries leaves us a lot of room to save/spend.
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"My basement apartment in NYC cost me $800/month including utilities plus I had to pay $89/month for public transportation and a 45 minute commute to/from work. Now in North Dakota, my studio apartment costs $350/month not including utilities, I'm getting by with transportation via biking and walking and my commute is literally a 5 minute walk to/from my apartment to my desk! Yes, the pace here is much slower but frankly, it's a welcome relief to breathe the fresh air, be amongst pleasant, unharried people and save some money!!
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"The value for my money invested in a home in Beulah (built in 1940) very well taken care of over the years without a doubt in my mind is an indicator of cost of living rationale for folks to move to North Dakota (i.e., majority have an economical mind-set which results in taking good care of what you have). "
"My husband was having a difficult time in St Louis, MO finding employment. So we checked out the unemployment rates all over the US. N.D. was the lowest at 3.2 in June/July 2010, St Louis was 10.9. That about says it all. The cost of living is also much better here; housing is 39 % less than St Louis. That is the main reason we moved here. You people that live here should realize you have it better than most of the US as far as the unemployment rate and opportunities and the cost of living.
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"My three bedroom, two bathroom, one stall detached garage home will be over $100 cheaper a month than my two bedroom, two bathrooms, no garage apartment was in Colorado. I will now have my own yard to garden in next summer and my dog has a place to run.
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"The only noticeable difference would be in my commute - and the fact that it takes less gas, because I'm not spending 30-40 minutes one way to get to work. My commute now is 4 miles, and it takes me 10 minutes (with traffic!). That is refreshing!
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"When we arrived in Grand Forks we knew we had made the right decision. From gasoline to housing to groceries everything is more affordable than the area we moved from. It has made our transition into the community so much easier because our savings went farther while we were setting up our household and replacing items we had not brought with us on our move. Spending less on the necessities like housing and groceries makes it so we can afford to spend a little more on non-necessities like date nights and weekend trips to sight-see and get to know the region.
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"I would say that being closer to my family and quality of life were the biggest factors in me moving back to North Dakota, but cost of living is also a definite perk. Because I kept my same job, I was pleasantly surprised when my paycheck came it had about $50 more than I expected. I was a bit puzzled as to the reason at first, but then realized that I had given HR my new address, and since ND state taxes are lower, low and behold I ended up with a larger paycheck just for moving back.
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"Insurance on everything is way lower. For example we have my husband’s tool trailer, the farm, the extra 80 acres with house, all the cars and trucks insured for less than what just our property insurance was in Colo. Registering vehicles is great here too. 2 new trucks, 1 newer car, 3 used cars (kids) and 3 trailers for about $700 a year. What a savings!
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"Overall the cost of living here in North Dakota is much less then we are used to in Michigan, especially for the quality. When we first got here we had barely anything, sleeping on the floor and now within a few months we have a two bedroom apartment with a pool and sauna two feet away. We never imagined we would do so well here, but with the economy here doing nothing but growing it was easier than we thought. I hope our story might convince others to take a risk, as for us it was well worth it!
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