rent for Baltimore bartender

April 22, 2009 6:46 AM

My boyfriend and I are moving to Baltimore in a couple of months. I will be going to grad school and he will look for bartending jobs. How much can we expect him to put toward rent as a working bartender in a more casual/dive bar in the city of Baltimore itself?

I will be working off loans, at least in the beginning, so I will pay for my share with that money..we just don't know what kind of rents we should be looking at.

posted by myturnplease to work & money (5 comments total)

I used to be a bartender in Balmer (while in grad school). I pulled in much more money from my bartending gig than I did from my grad student stipend. That being said, it really depends on which bar you work at. Mine was a popular jazz bar that attracted an older crowd with money to spend.

Be warned that bartending can be a tough job to get. It took me almost 3 years there to land that job and I had a lot of experience.
posted by overhauser at 7:16 AM on April 22

This is tangential to your question about wages in Baltimore, but I wanted to make sure you know that Baltimore is full of very balkanized neighborhoods, so be sure you know your potential neighborhoods of your potential rentals so you don't end up living somewhere you'll end up hating.

This, in turn, affects housing prices. But I wouldn't always use housing prices as the primary indicator of neighborhood flavor or quality.
posted by kalessin at 7:29 AM on April 22

I dated a bartender in Baltimore. She paid ~500 in rent (Baltimore has a lot of cheap rent), and was able to do that working ~3 days per week. She had very few other expenses.
posted by OmieWise at 7:29 AM on April 22

Not to be a pessimist, but, if he doesn't already actually have a bartending job, I'd say the amount you can absolutely depend on having him contribute is zero.

It might take him longer than you're expecting to find work, especially these days.

It's a bummer to think that dude might not be able to find work, but it would be a much bigger bummer, I think, to have to move in the middle of a grad-school semester.
posted by box at 7:30 AM on April 22

So, depending on what you're looking for, you can expect to pay about $800 for a 2 BR in a relatively nice part of Baltimore. 1 BR can definitely be had for $500-600. In my neighborhood, there are small townhouses that go for $800-1000 for the whole place. You can definitely go cheaper, but you sacrifice safety and amenities.

My wife tended bar and waited tables here for a long time. The amount of take home really varies with the place. Feel free to memail if you need info about neighborhoods and bars.
posted by electroboy at 7:45 AM on April 22