Hows being a consultant living in DC post grad?

Have a gig lined up in DC after grad in the spring, 120k total comp. Is this enough to be comfortable? I'm not a huge spender or anything, honestly live pretty modestly. Does anyone have any experience living in DC as a young professional? What was it like?

 

lol what type of question is this. 120k is enough to live anywhere in the country. DC is not near NY or SF in terms of COL so you’ll be chilling. I would advise putting that salary in a COL calculator online to see how much you’ll have after tax. If you’re a modest spender you should be able to save like 50k which you can put into retirement accounts, stocks, etc. With rent and other costs you should spend about 35k or less in the year if you’re a modest spender, considering the firm will pay for the meals.

 

aite cool sounds good. people complain like crazy abt the COL so I was unsure where I stood in that sense

 

Got a job in banking in DC and am looking for places to stay. What are your thoughts on Reston/Tysons area? I have 2 days WFH, and then split 3 in Tysons and 2 in DC so having to make the commute on metro twice a week is so-able for me.

Please let me know - and any other recs you may have would be greatly appreciated

 

You'll be perfectly fine with $120K. You can find a good Jr 1-Bed/ 1-Bed in a luxury building in a desirable part of the city on your pre-bonus salary. Better still if you live with a roommate or find a building in Arlington or Bethesda.

DC is a great city to live in if you are at an MBB or equivalent firm, which is what I would assume based on your salary. It's less desirable if you're at a federal consulting firm like Big 4 or BAH doing pointless staff augmentation projects. Congrats!

 

I'm actually going to be on the internal consulting-esque arm of a large financial services firm in the area! So not quite MBB,  but adjacent. Thanks!

 

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