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voltairelol t1_jbcsqeh wrote

Hey all, thinking about moving to Philly next August (2024) and figured I'd post my situation and see if any residents have any feedback. My fiancee and I (early 20s) live in Cincinnati right now and want to change things up.

I'm a high school history teacher (will be fresh out of my master's next August) and avid traveler (mainly to Europe), which inspired me to look east coast, and Philly is much more affordable than similar places like Boston, NYC, etc. I want to live somewhere everyone knows about and be a part of that culture. The fiancee has high priorities on not having to park on the street (a garage or driveway w/ space for 2 cars mandatory) and at least a small green area for a small garden. Rowhouses are okay but independent buildings are better. She's a social worker, so combined we may have an income around 80k to start out and 90-100k a few years in if we rent for a bit before trying to get a place. Doesn't look like there are many options in city limits that meet our needs but further out may be more suitable.

I've had a bit of a difficult time looking at places in Philly's suburbs, so I wanted to see if anyone has any recommendations or advice on that front. Is Philly a good for us to look? Thanks for any help!

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That_Obligatior16 t1_jbeu542 wrote

Check out Media, Doylestown, Phoenixville, and West Chester if you want area suburbs where if you squint real hard at you can see parallels with charming European villages (although you may struggle a bit because European charm and 2 car garages are pretty much mutually exclusive).

EDIT: typo

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Chimpskibot t1_jbobrlz wrote

You cant really afford anything in the suburbs or the city that will meet all your needs unless you move to the exurbs like the perimeter of the metro area or Northeast Philly and then a garage is unlikely. More likely you'll have a parking lot and will be living in an economically depressed area or an apt building. 100K combined is really nothing here in the metro area. The Median household income in the collar counties of Philly is $75K+, with Chester County being 100k+. Include gas, tolls, CoL adjustment from Ohio you'll probably be scraping by honestly.

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