md95065

That really all depends on the company and the quality of the plan - the health plan that I have (which is a very good one) only costs about $60 per month per person covered - so that would only come to about $250 (pre tax) per month.

Does the OP know how his company came up with the $95k figure? Did that come from the UK organization or the US and is it base on his existing UK salary or on something else? In any case it would probably be a good idea for the OP do some research to find out what salaries in NY are like for people in his field with a similar level of experience.

Also, even if you do end up with a salary is sufficient to cover your living expenses don't forget that the "one time" costs of relocation can be substantial - security deposits for an apartment, buying furniture and household goods and at least one car plus all of the other little expenses can easily set you back tens of thousands of dollars in the first few months. (having said that if you are actually in NY city itself you may be able to manage without a car - if you are outside - say in NJ - you will definitely need one - quite possibly two).

md95065

It will definitely help, but (without knowing anything about your skills or current salary) I would probably aim for something higher - ask for $135k and back up that claim with data on salaries for comparable jobs in the US and hope to get at least $125k.

jamesanding

Thanks - great advice in both posts.
I'm an IT Project Manager so it looks like (from looking on places like salary.com) that I should be getting paid anywhere between 100 and 130k so I'll probably go in with the higher end of the scale and see what they come back with.
I got the $500 per month amount for medical from my potential new manager in NY. She said that, like me, she has a family of 4 and her medical is $500 per month for full cover. So it's probably a company plan...

I've been looking at areas and rental costs in Queens and Brooklyn and another place that has come up with quite good rental is Kensington in Brooklyn. Hows that area?

Untitled 3

I don't know Kensigton that well. I do hope your company is providing you with accommodation when you arrive as you will need it to give you time to find the right place. I'd start with checking out schools first then find an apartment in that zone. You can't leave the choice of neighborhood to bunch of strangers on the internet, you need to visit those places yourself and see how they feel.

Neko128

For an IT PM in New York City, $130k sounds low to me. Your mileage may vary. Elsewhere in New York State (I promised I wouldn't rant about people moving "To NY" and not specifying... :-P ) that's quite comfortable.

I don't know the company or the situation. Would you be in a position to live north - Westchester, Dutchess counties - and commute in? Metro North Railroad, for example, offers Monthly ticket prices at approximately half the normal ticket price. That might be workable, if you don't mind the trip, and it'd definitely be cheaper to find a place to live.

Medical expenses vary incredibly, as does coverage. A lot of companies have started shifting over to "HDPPO" (high-deductable plans) that have a massive uncovered up-front deductible before covering a blanket 80%-100% of medical expenses - these minimize company expense and tend to look good because of very low premiums, but can really hurt you if you aren't prepared or are unlucky. Make sure before you accept anything you get specific details on both what's covered (make sure it covers standard annual things and emergency, and be aware whether it covers prescription, dental, or vision expenses. Find out about the possibilty of using FSAs, HSAs, and HRAs) and its cost. My health insurance is exceptionally good and costs me about $150/month for myself + 1, but I work for an insurance company so mine's better than most.

jamesanding

Medical is something I think that I need to make sure is good from what people what mentioned on here! coming from the UK it's hard becaues the NHS (I think) is so good so you don't really need to worry about having private medical.
Yes it's NYC So even 130k sounds low?! They've only offered me 95k so I'm way off the pay grade that I should be offered!
They haven't given me the official offer with line items for the relocation costs etc so once that come in (should be on the 4th or 5th) I'll start the negotiations.
should I be expecting my company to pay for temporary accomodation for when we first arrive? I thought that would have been standard but they didn't mention it...

In terms of living north of NYC, we would consider it but south is the preference as I want to be close as possible to the sea (because I surf).

Neko128

Absolutely.

It's less that I think 130k's a bad salary (it's rather more than I make, after all). I'd go for more than $95k, but somewhere in that range - $90k-$130k - is probably about right for the position (varying by industry, company size, and experience). It's more that it'll probably make living tight in NYC for a family of 4.

Some math (and forgive me if I ramble). Figure $100k. You'll take home something around $65k after taxes and such; you'll be hit with federal, state, and city taxes, after all. $3000/month in rent (and from what I can find, this is *low*, not average) is $36k out of that. If medical is $500/month, that's another $6k. Lets assume no car (*not* necessarily a safe assumption if you want to go surfing, but for this discussion...). A metro card varies on circumstance, but lets assume you're getting 2 (for adults) and your kids are young enough to ride free as appropriate - so that's $180/month, or another $2,160. The food cost average I always hear is $250/month/person, so lets say $10k/year ($830/month total). Time Warner Cable internet + TV + phone will be something like $100-150/month combined, so lets call that another $2k. Lets give you a cheap family cell plan, so maybe $80/month for cell phones, or another $1k/year. Electric will vary depending on location, building, and habits, but lets call it another $100/month or $1.2k. A lot of places will have a water charge (the city does charge, but some buildings will roll it into rent instead of metering), so lets call that another $600/year.

Add all that up, you come in around $60k, and you fit in under budget, but not by a huge amount. Add on top of that incidentals - laundry, entertainment expenses, whatever. Having a car will be a lot more - insurance especially will be expensive as an immigrant, especially in the city, and you can count on thousands for the first year at least.

I mean, I'm working with averages and vague numbers - but this is why I'd be concerned with that kind of salary.

Something like that I'd expect to be covered under relocation expenses. It's not uncommon to have a short-term apartment lease or long-term hotel for a month, maybe (it happens all the time), but more typically I'd expect that to be just you - and for your family to join you a couple of weeks or months in after the details are all set.

I mentioned north rather than south/east because I grew up mostly in Duchess county, which is pretty much the north end of the commuting route into the city. Similar situations exist east and south, but I wouldn't be able to offer you any real info on them.

penguinbar

Long Island trains don't go to Grand Central. They go to Penn Station along with New Jersey transit. Metro North trains go to Grand Central.

Untitled 3

Mea culpa

penguinbar

No problem. Just wanted to correct it in case it would be an issue regarding commuting. Also for those of you thinking of moving to NYC including the boroughs(Queens, Brooklyn) Rents are very negotiable and there is no need to pay a fee for an apartment even if you use a broker. Also the areas that Rete suggested outside the city are really lovely.

mmhendrie

I'm CA based and no expert on NYC by any means. My company is HQ'd in NYC though. Most of our staff there I think would be on $50k-$80k, obviously varying family situations. Almost all commute from out of state. In fact, a couple of our snr executives come in from two states away.

The one big plus I think NYC has over SoCal is the commuting. Everyone in SoCal has a commute, but the commute times are all basically lost time - we're all driving. Our folks in NYC take trains - and can read, sleep, blackberry, ipad, laptop away to their hearts content. The commutes are not lost time.

If salary vs. getting a feel for a cost of living is a major concern (and it sounds like it is) - maybe it’s a good idea to find someone a bit further out, but more affordable. +/- an additional 20-30 minutes on a train each way seems better then the threat of not being able to pay bills. Ultimately, once you've been here a little while, you can make a much better assessment on if you can afford to move closer to your work or not. Or even if that's desirable - I know a lot of folks who've moved out of the city with their family, and much prefer that.

Good luck to you!
-Matt

Bob

You don't intentionally move half way across the world to be financially worse off though...

penguinbar

That's true.

Neko128

Well, I'll argue this to the extent that I know one person who gave up a high-paying job in Japan, moved to Texas, and is now flipping burgers, because he chose being with his (now fiance) significant other over money. But I agree that in this case that doesn't apply.

drbg

You may consider the Bayside section of Queens which generally has good schools, and is a quick train ride on the LIRR to Penn Station. According to wikipedia, "The median household income in 2005 was $62,611". You'll need to consider car insurance also - when I moved over ~15 years ago, I bought a second-hand car for $6K, but it cost $4k/yr to insure it! Also, your relocation package should include an electronics allowance of $5k+.