Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

I am right at the start of my journey so please forgive any stupid questions but if I am going to move to the us its going to happen quickly so a lot of stuff is cropping up already. As my other post mentions my company is considering me for a US wide management role based in South San Francisco. We (my wife at least, the kids are too young to consult) are for it but I want to make sure it's done right.

I need to put together a list of requests (expat package of sorts) for my manager and the one thing I hadn't considered was salary. I earn a decent salary in the UK (current equiv = approx $100k), its myself, my wife and 2 children (6yr and 1yr) and my wife doesn't work - she took maternity for a year and has not returned to work. We currently own a modest 2 bed house and 2 cars. I would say our life is comfortable but in no way extravagant.

Anyway I know this has probably been asked a million times and there are a million variables but I want to put in a salary request which we will be able to maintain a comfortable life but not price myself out of the role.

So saying we rent in a moderately middle class area (if such a thing exists) 30 mins or so commute from south San Fran, get two cars, usual amenities, one child in school. Would $100k be ok to live on? From my limited research it looks like I would need to be earning approx $150k to maintain the same lifestyle. My wife might eventually look for work but it would not be in the short or medium term, so we would be living on my salary alone (as is the case now). I don't want to move myself and my family and be worse off as that would just sour the adventure. I hope I am not coming across as fussy or greedy.

Again sorry for repeating a question but I have searched but couldn't find a related thread.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

Obviously there are a lot of variables here, but if your current UK salary is equivalent to $100k then something around $150k sounds reasonable for the San Francisco Bay area.

Could you, you wife, and two young children live on $100k? Of course you could - lots of people get by on much less than that - but you wouldn't have a "comfortable lifestyle" on that salary in this area.

Have you factored in the possibly massive decrease in the amount of vacation time that you will most likely have if you transfer to the US?

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

There might be some useful info in this thread:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=784027

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

The bay area is expensive primarily because of the cost of housing but since housing is so high, retail employees, handymen, hospitality workers, construction workers, maids, etc. also demand higher pay than other parts of the country. I think the following link will give you an idea of household incomes above $100K, $150K, and 200K for different counties.

The country south of San Francisco county is San Mateo county. Santa Clara county is the center of the Silicon Valley south of San Mateo county. However that doesn't give a clear picture since many in the area have lived in the area since the 1960s or 1970s when the average housing price was in the $15,000-$40,000 range depending on area and much of Santa Clara county was farmland.

Also those figures are from the 2000 census so they are very dated.

http://www.demographia.com/db-sfbay$$.htm

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

So we're not covering old ground, you did read the wiki on relocation packages? http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...nancial_Topics

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

Where are you currently living in the UK on approximately £60,000? If you're working in central London, then $100k might work for you in SF. If you're currently in, say, North Yorkshire or Somerset, then SF on $100k might be unpleasantly challenging. :unsure:

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

He currently owns a home in the UK and that is a big expense in the bay area. Even if he is in London and purchased the home many years ago, £60,000 may be enough but would not likely be sufficient when renting in the bay area.

I live in the bay area and own my home outright so I can live on a fairly low income and still do the things I want to do.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

Hi all

Really appreciate the responses. At least I wasn't too far off on my research. I will have to talk to my boss about this one as I suspect he was hoping I would be willing to just convert my uk salary to the US. No chance! I am not moving from the south east coast (Brighton) of the UK to the west coast of the US to struggle.
As an example our mortgage is $1700 per month plus another $1200 in bills and sundries. We have nothing on lease/credit, we don't have a tv service (we survive on free view and streaming services). As I said its comfortable but not extravagant, I know there will be some sacrifices but we are doing this to downgrade.

If this job goes ahead I would be going as an executive (or sorts) and I am not going to let the company just wing it (its a mature startup but they still have a start up mentality). Another thing is holidays/vacation days. On my current package I get 30 days a year. The company does Pto on the us side and they also have a work from home culture but not sure how that will translate.


For the record I have researched relocation packages Etc.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

If your office is in South San Francisco, these places may be where you may be looking to rent.

Foster City:

http://www.zillow.com/foster-city-ca/rent-houses/

San Mateo:

http://www.zillow.com/foster-city-ca/rent-houses/

Millbrae:

http://www.zillow.com/millbrae-ca/rent-houses/

Redwood City:

http://www.zillow.com/redwood-city-ca/rent-houses/

If you can work at home most of the time, I'd consider Fremont. Although it would probably take an hour or more to get to work, if it isn't done often, it may be worth the trip since housing is normally cheaper.

http://www.zillow.com/fremont-ca/rent-houses/

However in Fremont, I'd look in the Mission San Jose district or the North Warm Springs district since the area is very nice, nestled against the mountains, and the schools in that area are great. Although that area of Fremont is the most expensive, you'll likely get a newer bigger house with a bigger lot than on the peninsula.

You need to look at the schools for each area since you have kids. Use the following California School Performance map to have a quick look at the schools in the areas. Blue is good and red is bad. Click on a symbol to get more information about the school. At the school district web site, there should be area maps that will indicate which school you children will go to depending on the address of your home.

http://schoolperformancemaps.com/ca/...71902%2C12%2C1

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

'Massive decrease in holiday time' So very true in the land of capitalism. Co-workers bragging rights about who put in the most hours every week...like it's a badge of honour.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

Certainly your company has established pay ranges for various job levels and various locations. See if you can find out where you currently stand for your job and location, and what the scale is for the job you will be taking in San Francisco.

If your company does not let the employees know what the salary ranges are, then express it in qualitative terms with your manager.

If it were me I'd want to be at a comparable place in the range, for the location, if the new job has the same salary range as the current job. That is to say, if I were at the midpoint of the range for my current location, I'd want to be at least at the midpoint of the range for the new location. A somewhat lower place in the range might be acceptable if the new job has a higher salary range, such that I'd still be making at least as much based on the location.

Regards, JEff

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

You sir are a legend. I had completely forgotten about the salary ranges chart. As a manager it's published to me so I went in and checked this evening. The mid range salary for my role in the US is $147k so just by transferring me they would be obliged to match that (seeing as I am just above the mid range in the UK). This would actually be a promotion so I should be able to expect a little more.

I spoke to my boss this afternoon and this move is sort of on hold temporarily as there are some changes higher up which need to confirmed first. So I am going to cool it on the research as I don't want to get our hopes up only for it all to go tits up. My boss was a bit shocked with my salary wants but then he also said he hadn't considered it so we put a pin in it till there is some movement. But at least the salary range puts me in a better place


Hopefully something good happens as we were starting to talk about moving to the us but we will have to cool our jets as the saying goes.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

Just in case the "on hold" gets taken off we moved from Norfolk (hubby worked in Cambridge) to the Bay Area 6 weeks ago, so if you want a detailed costs breakdown I'd be happy to help! I think a salary of $150 ish is totally workable here but $100 may be tight, although it depends on rent... We wanted at least a 3 bed house/flat so you may be able to save there.

We have moved to Foster City and love it. Schools are great, it's a nice size, accessible to other places, and the commute isn't too bad.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

I agree that it is probably one of the better places in the area to find decent priced housing, good schools, a very clean city, and near San Mateo restaurants and shopping.

Re: Another Salary comparison question. Sorry.
 

I just wanted to update this thread as I know its quite common for people to ask questions and just disappear.

My boss now has a new boss so this proposal is on hold. I have told him I want it pushed forward so I can get an answer and he has 2 weeks to do something or I will. The problem is he doesn't own a pair and I am reliant on him either finding or growing a pair.

Anyway he still wants me to come out and we have sort of been discussing various logistics.

As a scenario - the visa application starts in January and then takes 6 weeks (just plucking a time here) and if approved we move a couple of months after that - march/april. Would there be any issues with me spending 1 week out of every month in the US while the visa application is going through and even after until we move proper?

I obviously have an ESTA and I would be going to the US during this 1 week visits on business. Would there be any issue with that?

At the moment I personally feel this move is not going to happen. It's been a bit of a pig as myself and my wife started getting really into it and planning how we would go about moving etc. And then to be told it's probably off is a bit of a kick in the stones. We have wanted to move to the US for a long time and this was like a gift. We now can't stop thinking about it to the point that I am now on a track that I will either move with this job or look for another option within the same company or another company. Obviously this will mean it probably wont be next year but I am setting it as a goal.