Endeavour2

Hi guys,

Can someone help me out with the cost of living and salary etc for Redmond/Seattle?

I ideally need a website (or even personal experience is better) that tells me how much renting costs (for example, a decent sized 2 bedroom apartment in a nice area), how much a house costs (for example, a decent sized 4 bedroom in a nice area with garden, garage etc). I also need cost of living information, eg: how much do utility bills cost etc. I know it's all pieces-of-string question but guidelines will help me hugely.

For example, this is the answer I'm looking for if it was a UK question: in the UK in a major city I'd expect to pay £700+ for a decent sized 2 bedroom apartment. Expect £50 per month on electricity, £30 on water, £50 on phone, £50 on cable tv/internet, £xxx on council tax, etc etc etc. Food about £100 per week for 2 people.

It's all to help me answer the "what do you expect your salary to be" question which I've just been asked. I'd like as much info as possible up front so I can guage whether I'm being offered the going rate. Converting a UK salary to US $ is pointless.

Also, does anyone know of a website where I can look up my industry and role and see a ballpark salary range for it?

This is pretty urgent as this has just come out of nowhere! Thanks!

snowbunny

Do you have a visa that will allow you to work in the US?

Are you working for Microsoft or Boeing?

You will need to add in the costs of a car and its maintenance. You might be able to get by without one but you won't want to.

There are labour salaries out there if you Google for them. Or if you're a brave soul, post it here and there's probably someone with a good idea.

mickmills

This is a pretty good salary calc.

http://content.salary.monster.com/

Endeavour2

Ah, I didn't even think of Monster! Thanks, that was very handy. I tried a bunch of roles that sound similar to what I do and got a pretty broad range, but at least I have a top and bottom estimate now - thanks!

snowbunny, I was assuming my employer would provide me with a car. Are company cars not common in the US then? If not then yep, I'll need to add a car to that (although from what I've seen while over there it's much cheaper to own and run a car than in the UK).

Thanks for the input so far, anyone able to help with the cost of living questions?

TouristTrap

You'll need to get a car, as company cars are seldom provided here.

snowbunny

Trouble is that it's hard to compare a UK to US cost-of-living because the lifestyle is so different.

For example: what will you be paying for medical insurance, and what will you be paying out-of-pocket above what the insurance pays? This one question alone could mean hundreds of dollars.

Are you on an L-1 intracompany transfer visa?

Bob

you'll be lucky if a car is provided, don't usually happen these days...and cost of running it, about the same as the UK tbh, higher insurance, you'll drive it far more etc and maintaining it..

as for grocery costs, it can be cheap, but if you want to eat even half healthily or decent, it'll be pretty expensive.

when you start out here, you'll have bugger all credit history, so loans and mortgages, you won't get the best of rates, same for insurance, so see if your employer has a credit union that might be able to help you out.

And most important of all, check exactly what the medical coverage actually is, because without a doubt if you get sick, that'll be your biggest expense over here.

Endeavour2

H1-B.

Sure, I appreciate that, but can you give me a ballpark cost? All I want to do is add up the "worst case" highest amounts for everything and see how much it comes to, then see how much my salary is. If someone from the US asked me this question about the UK, I'd say "estimate under £100 a week for 2 people for good food and you'll be fine".

I know about the medical thing and I'm prepared for that too. Can someone give me a guideline cost? Again, yes, it depends on xyz, but is $250 per month a reasonable assumption?

I am expecting to be offered a "decent" package from the employer.

As for credit history, I have an MBNA credit card in the UK with a solid history on it. Am I able to ask them to transfer it to the US? If not, worst case I'll pay cash or the higher rates until I build up a credit rating, I'm not worried about that.

As of right now my #1 concern is making sure the offer I get is fair and covers living costs etc.

Partystar

Yep, it's at number 1 in the charts, re - bankruptcy!

anotherlimey

apartments.com will give you a reasonable estimate for renting costs, the rest will depend on exactly where you live and utility usage.

snowbunny

There are websites galore out there if you Google, or go to seattle.craigslist.org -- that will give you information on various costs of living in that city. I think you'll find that housing will be somewhat cheaper than in the UK and that many other costs will be cheaper.

Worst case on medical: you go bankrupt.

Best case: your medical insurance is free and you pay about $100 per month on copayments and incidentals and over-the-counter medicines.

Average case: assuming you are single, $300 per month + copayments ranging from $10 to $75, a deductible ranging from $0 to $1000, and so forth.

If you have a family, multiply the above numbers exponentially.

In the US a job is often down to the healthcare benefits.

Endeavour2

Apartments.com is great, thanks!

Snowbunny, thanks for that ballpark, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Reason I don't just want to google because I know if I did that for UK info I'd get a hundred junk sites with bad info along with 1 good one. Except I don't know how to tell the good one

Any takers on the cost of living?

Elvira

Expect to pay $2.67 for a tall latte. And $2.49 for a BigMac.

scrubbedexpat099

Medical Cover?

Company Car's are not normal, overall cost of car ownership are not that different. Less per mile is usually cancelled out by more miles.

Dan725

Maybe this will be of some use:

http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving.htm


Compares cost of living in cities around the world. Seattle is featured, as are some UK cities to get your bearings.

Edit: Thats not actually as useful as others I've seen, which scores each city. If you have a hunt round the web using "international cost of living" as a start for a search, chances are you'll turn something up a bit better.