Family of 6 living in midwood Brooklyn

amother

Jade

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 8:32 am

My sister is considering moving with her family from a very cheap area in the mid west to Brooklyn. Any idea what the pre tax income should be for a family of 6, all boys ranging from 5-16? I would say they are not yeshivish or modern, they are right in the middle. TIA

amother

Hotpink

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 8:42 am

It's really hard to say. Depends on lots of things. Firstly it's a hard move. I wouldn't be able to do it. Coming from space and being cramped into Brooklyn is hard. Anyways is she planning on buying a house? Renting? Rent a big space for a family is really expensive in brooklyn. Depends area and how many bedrooms she would want but 3000$ would be my guess. Next is tuition. So in Brooklyn schools tuition is approx 8000$. So for 4 boys that's 32,000$. Unless she will ask for a cheaper rate which in that case depends on school but cheapest would be approx 20,000. So you are already up too 68000 on school and home with no bills, food, and lots of other things. Another big expense is health insurance....

doctorima

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 9:11 am

I would say 200k-250k just to be able to live reasonably without stress - housing, tuition, camps, Yom Tov, etc. Schools are actually cheaper here than in many OOT communities, but her #1 issue will be the cost of housing.

A house in decent condition that's big enough for her family will be at least $1 million, and possibly much more. Does she have a large down payment? Otherwise, rentals can be hard to come by and aren't cheap, and are much more crowded than what they are likely accustomed to.

amother

Jade

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 4:07 pm

I'm surprised to hear this. Does that mean that most of these Brooklyn families are making 200k+?
I'm sure some are getting help but I would guess 75% don't make 200k.

amother

Pewter

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 4:12 pm

amother wrote:

I'm surprised to hear this. Does that mean that most of these Brooklyn families are making 200k+?
I'm sure some are getting help but I would guess 75% don't make 200k.

Yes. Even the families in chinuch in my area, are making that (tuition breaks +housing assistance+food assistance+ health insurance), albeit receiving the goods instead of the money.

You want to live without depending on programs? That's about the right number.

amother

Amber

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 4:17 pm

We're a family of 6 earning 150, we live comfortably but not lavishly. We're in Brooklyn in the summer. Our kids r too young for sleep away. I have household help 2x a week. Haven't bought a Sheitel in 6 yrs. hardly any savings. our undramatic house on a semi drum block cost 1000000

amother

Jade

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 4:22 pm

amother wrote:

Not everybody is a doctor, lawyer, or another high paying profession. Surely their are many many families that are in the 125k-175k range. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the biggest group. Something is not adding up.

amother

Peach

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 4:28 pm

amother wrote:

In order to survive with 4 big kids in Brooklyn that's what it costs. Those who make less make up for it in daycare programs, child health plus and other services they receive that allow them to get away with less but if you add those on top of their income it comes out to more or less the same amount being spent per family.

WhatFor

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 5:08 pm

amother wrote:

I don't know costs in the area, but if your kids are too young for sleep away camp, your situation is different from that referenced in the op. Even if she doesn't send to camp, some of her kids are older and IME HS costs more than elementary. Also, not sending to camp in the city can be pretty difficult for some, depending on the situation. The kids can't necessarily run around and play, go out by themselves, although that might vary by neighborhood. If there's a camp mommy/daddy, one parent will probably be bringing in less income that summer.

amother

Sienna

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 6:02 pm

We're a family of 7, similar age range and religious level. At 200k, after expenses and a moderate amount of retirement funding, we live paycheck to paycheck.

amother

Chartreuse

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 6:37 pm

livinginflatbus wrote:

What if ur in the middle class? Plenty of people are and not making 200000

If you have the family size/ ages/ needs op described and you're not earning that amount then you're getting help from programs, or you're in chinuch and getting free or reduced tuition and other types of community assistance to help send your kids to camp.
Otherwise you're moving out to other communities because you simply can't afford housing costs in the big city.

amother

Sienna

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 6:48 pm

livinginflatbus wrote:

What if ur in the middle class? Plenty of people are and not making 200000

I also doubt these people are saving a penny for retirement. I don't see many frum families these days planning for the future.

Mommyg8

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 11:24 pm

That's why only the truly wealthy can now afford to live in Brooklyn, and that's a fact.

I know some chinuch families, and none of them make anywhere near $200,000. Where did you get these numbers from?

amother

Pewter

Sun, Oct 01 2017, 11:29 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

Add the worth of the assistance and breaks they are receiving to their salaries. It's pretty close. Remember $200k before taxes. Their after taxes total when converting the goods and discounts into dollar values is pretty close.

amother

Cerulean

Mon, Oct 02 2017, 10:53 am

HMM well, not everybody is on programs.I'm not, working on the books here in the secular world so no playing around. Make aprox. 45000 too much to qualify for any kind of help. Kids in yeshiva which BH do give me a break, however, even with that I can't afford it. Living in a one bedroom, pay check to paycheck. Seriously considering public school bc this is ridiculous.

Mommyg8

Mon, Oct 02 2017, 12:05 pm

amother wrote:

No, I know how much some chinuch families make, and unless their is a really large second income, this is nowhere close. Even assistance and breaks don't add up to $200,000 (even before taxes).

amother

Peach

Mon, Oct 02 2017, 2:00 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

No, I know how much some chinuch families make, and unless their is a really large second income, this is nowhere close. Even assistance and breaks don't add up to $200,000 (even before taxes).

We pay $500 a month in health insurance costs for each member of our family not including copayments. Tuition is $10k per child. That is $76k right there on top of what they make.