“Apartments and rentals are getting big for their britches”

Meet a 26-year-old graphic designer from EAV

---

Illustration by Khoa Tran

This 26-year-old graphic designer and animator lives in East Atlanta Village on around $65,000 a year. She says she loves her apartment and living in EAV: It’s lively, there are good places to hang out, it’s walkable, and it’s close to downtown and Midtown. “Nowhere I need to be is more than a 30-minute drive,” she says.

Still, she thinks rent prices have become “really absurd.” “These landlords and rental companies don’t care,” she added. “They don’t care that your stuff is broken, that your car is broken into, that things are low quality. They are making a crazy amount of money on you filling an apartment.”

When it comes to her personal budget, her splurges usually revolve around food. She doesn’t shop with a grocery list, which she thinks is one way to start saving money: “Know what you want to cook with and don’t be like me and want to buy everything that tastes good or that you want to cook with later, but then you might not and it’ll go bad.”

For fun, she does costuming and conventions. “That is a totally unnecessary money sink for the sake of the hobby and seeing friends,” she says. Still, she manages to put at least $500 a month toward savings. 

While she’s currently spending around $1,000 a year on travel, she wants to see more of the world and travel abroad. In the meantime, despite disliking having to drive everywhere, she likes exploring the metro: “I enjoy being able to take myself to new places or quickly leave the city to see forests or rivers or parks and not feel trapped in a city.” 

Soon, she’ll be kicked off her parent’s health insurance plan. “I’ve been dreading this moment, but I knew it was coming,” she says. “I’m getting a lot of healthcare out of the way this year.”

---

Job title

Graphic designer, animator

Age

26

Neighborhood

East Atlanta Village

Annual gross income

$65,000

Rent

$1,760

Student loans and credit card debt

$30,000 in student loan debt

Health insurance cost per month + cost of any prescriptions

$30 on prescriptions, but I’ll be kicked off my current health insurance plan at the end of the year. 

Phone plan and monthly subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, food delivery services, apps, etc.)

$150

Utilities per month

$120

Transportation (car payment, car insurance, gas, public transportation, Uber)

$295 car payment + $40 on gas a month

Groceries

$100 to $200

Restaurants, fast food, drinks at bars, coffees

$200

Savings/401(k)

I try to save at least $500 a month if possible. I have $5,000 in savings at the moment.

Vacations

$1,000 total for weekend trips, vacay, etc.

Fun (concerts, books, movies, recreational drugs, etc.)

$25 to $75 

Clothes/beauty (new shoes, laundromat services, makeup)

$50 to $150, depending on the month (hair services, nails every other month)

How much money would you need to live comfortably in Atlanta? What hourly rate or annual salary would you be happy with?

$80,000 to $100,000 would be a delight.

What’s a nonessential item that you treat yourself to?

I seem to splurge most on food. I enjoy cooking a lot, and, where I could be way more money-conscious on groceries or takeout, I tend to get a little excited and overzealous and spend more to enjoy new cuisines or cook new, interesting things. I also do costuming and conventions, so that is a totally unnecessary money sink for the sake of the hobby and seeing friends.

What would you like to have (that you don’t)?

I'm extremely fortunate to have most everything I need and then some. I’d like to travel abroad more and gain new experiences. I feel like this could be in reach, but due to work, other bills, and things I like to spend frivolously on at the moment, it seems out of reach.

What can be done to improve the cost of living in Atlanta?

I think a lot of apartments and rentals are getting big for their britches. 

What’s the most challenging thing about living in Atlanta?

DRIVING EVERYWHERE. And rent.

What do you love most about Atlanta?

I love how everywhere you go, in and out of the Perimeter, it feels wholly different. There are so many people to meet, foods to try, history to learn, and things to do and see. While I dislike driving, I enjoy being able to take myself to new places or quickly leave the city to see forests or rivers or parks and not feel trapped in a city. •