Looking to move from Baltimore to somewhere around Shrewsbury.

Submitted by justonmon3 t3_11u3jwg in Pennsylvania

Hi all,

I have lived in Baltimore my entire life and have been putting some serious thought into moving to Shrewsbury, Stewartstown, Glen Rock, etc. Just somewhere not too far from the MD line and I-83 since my family still lives just east of Baltimore. I work in cyber, so I plan on working from home in this scenario. No kids yet, but am getting married relatively soon (3 years?) and will have kids right after.

I have done a little research, and probably won’t be making this move for another year or 2. I have seen a lot of conflicting info on taxes, total cost of living, etc. Overall, I have ALWAYS heard PA is a fair bit cheaper than Baltimore, MD. I am mostly curious about all taxes. I have heard there are taxes that creep up in PA that make it actually not cheaper than MD.

I’m hoping being close to MD, I can double dip and avoid some of the cons to PA prices (gas, chicken, etc).

Everyone is different, and everywhere is different. I get it. Anyone have any thoughts?

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Comments

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cutiecat565 t1_jcmergf wrote

That's not really an expensive area, so I don't think you need to worry about the cost of living too much. However, depending on your politics, you might be in for a culture shock. That area is very heavy yee haw conservative. That may or may not work with your preferences.

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcmf0vi wrote

Ehhh. I’m fairly moderate. Thanks for the heads up

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the_dorf t1_jcmr3rz wrote

That's good enough...you'll fit in well! There are some in Shrewsberry that are left leaning as well. The local taxes and registering your car annually are the big changes, but dependent on your community, you are saving big on taxes when compared in Maryland. Notably school taxes.

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Super_C_Complex t1_jcp03ek wrote

Are you currently engaged, or are you saying you want to meet someone and get engaged in the next three years?

Because you might find it harder to meet someone in Southern York County than you expect.

It's a beautiful area. There are some great people. But it's sparse in areas. It's aggressively conservative in others. But also blown up with suburbs. I grew up in York and during the early 00's, that area blew up and taxes went up to support the necessary new infrastructure.

You might also not like the commute. 83 is a mess from so many People from Baltimore moving up there.

Gas, milk, and alcohol is more expensive.

But the milk is better

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcp7d3f wrote

Currently in a long term relationship. Marriage coming sooner or later. Won’t have to worry about a Baltimore commute as I’ll be working from home

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Super_C_Complex t1_jcprua8 wrote

What's her opinion on the move and area?

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcpzm4r wrote

Only have briefly talked about it. She likes the land, being close to Hershey, Lancaster, etc. She will be a nurse so being close to York and Baltimore should be sufficient

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Super_C_Complex t1_jcrheos wrote

York is great. York hospital is awesome too, albeit has some recurring issues thanks to covid burnout.

But I'll be honest.

The southern part of the county is beautiful and historic, but terrible if you want a community to live in.

If you want a place to buy a building to live in. It's fine.

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Socketfusion t1_jcrzy9b wrote

I just moved from Maryland to up by York. I was in Harford County for the previous 4-5 years and Baltimore City for about 15 years before that.

The main reason was that properties are considerably cheaper and I wanted a fairly small house on a fairly decent amount of land, which is more common here. I work from home, but wanted to stay within about an hour of Baltimore so I was still fairly close to friends and family. The school taxes can absolutely murder you in some areas, so you have to watch out for that. But the income tax was like 3.5% less than an unincorporated part of Harford County. I make enough that the lower income tax covers all my property taxes and leaves me with about $500 extra a year.

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Jonrah98 t1_jcp5dd7 wrote

Wait until you need to take your car in for a state-required inspection. EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

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Ambitious-Intern-928 t1_jcpx9m6 wrote

As MD should, I see cars with busted shocks and bald tires all the time. Like suspension so messed up the thing will be twerking all over the highway. Like how TF do you think it's acceptable to drive 60-90 mph on a 3-5 lane freeway and your car is bouncing like it's at the club? Assholes.

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcpzfi2 wrote

What is this in response to? lol

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Ambitious-Intern-928 t1_jcqjtr6 wrote

The opinion that yearly safety inspections are dumb.

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcqum9e wrote

Ahhh. Sorry lol. I was walking around when I saw this and did not see that even after a minute of looking

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcp78tk wrote

Small price to pay for less taxes lol

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Jonrah98 t1_jcpqhdu wrote

Is it? It's not free. You need to pay for whatever repairs they say you need.

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justonmon3 OP t1_jcpzbqu wrote

I get what you’re saying. You’re right. However I drive a newer car, and not having a commute to work will theoretically lessen repair needs

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No1WrthNoin t1_jcmnwx1 wrote

As far as state stuff goes, take a look at r/Pennsylvania

I recently found out through there that PA taxes your 401K contributions when the money goes in, but not when it pulls out, and that if you live in PA but retire in a state that taxes the money when it's withdrawn, you end up getting double taxed. Blew my mind.

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Super_C_Complex t1_jcozljo wrote

Pennsylvania doesn't tax retirement income.

But there are taxes paid before you contribute. Plus federal taxes are still taken out

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