axc

We live in Cinco Ranch and walk to one "pub", a few bars and several restaurants. It keeps us sane!!!

Hiro11

To me, "nice lifestyle"=
Own a 3-4 bedroom house
Able to support a few kids
2 cars, 2-3 years old, properly insured
Healthclub membership
Cable TV, central HVAC
~$5K vacation expenses per year
Able to eat out once in a while in a nice restaurant
Clothing budget allows for some department store shopping
Easily afford buying anything you want at the local grocery store, but not at Whole Foods
Some reasonable hobby
Able to save modest money for college (not private schools) and live debt free
Have full health, dental and life insurance

...basically "white picket fence" suburban America. Your vision may be wildly different.

Given that, $100K household seems OK for me for Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and most of the midwest (exception: Chicago). Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Miami is probably $150K, depending where you live ($200K for nicer areas). San Francisco, DC and Boston $200-300K. LA and NYC $300-400K+ (which is outrageous, but there you go). Honestly, I wouldn't move to NYC or LA (2 kids, non-working wife) wthout $500K a year (which is, speaking personally, absurd).

These are very rough numbers, the town you live in and your specific requirements can make a huge difference up or down.

swilt170571

My partner lives in California on approx $80k and I can say has a very good lifestyle. I visit 5xs a year for around 3 weeks at a time and earn approx the same and always say if I live in California on the same salary we would have a fantastic lifestyle everything is so cheap and so much better than over here in blighty. Off course the sunshine helps a lot as well!

Yorkieabroad

Ex SBS buddy suggested "walking" to Baker St one night...reckoned it would only take about 10 minutes. Its 2.5 miles, so I queried his timing.....seems my route along pavements with street lights was only for namby pamby civilians. His route involved crawling through bushes, fording bayous, sneaking through back yards and no doubt crapping in a baggie en route.

I drove.

He "walked".

I got there second.

Yorkieabroad

Solar panels?

Hiro11

I'm sorry but this is somewhat meaningless advice without specifying where exactly in California you are talking about. After all, California alone is roughly twice the size of the entire UK and costs vary hugely, even with specific city limits. Also, you need to specify what exactly is meant by "very good lifestyle".

Pulaski

One for the "You know you've been living in the US too long" thread, I think. "Bayous", in London?

Yorkieabroad

I reckon 125-150 would give a reasonable standard of living for a family of 4 in a decent area of Houston. If you can manage to get that without mortgage or rent to pay (which a lot of people round here do), you'll do very nicely.

Beware of the "hidden extras" if you have school age kids. I've got 3 of them, and by the time we've covered swim team (and costumes), dance (and costumes/competitions) school band (and instruments, uniforms, travel to competitions), soccer (fees, uniforms, competitions), school (field trips, fundraisers, supplies) scouts etc etc I reckon we drop close to a grand a month on average over the year.

Yorkieabroad

I guess in London it'd be the canals....although they're easy as you can either use the lock gates or hop from one half submerged tesco trolley to the next. And you don't have to watch for 'gators...

jeffreyhy

A bayou is not a canal. Although, a bayou could be converted into a canal as an expanding city fills in swamps and marshes to create more 'usable' land. Perhaps in the days of yore London did have bayous?

Regards, JEff

Speedwell

I think YorkieAbroad was referring to the so-called "Baker St. Pub & Grill" that is in their area, not the actual Baker Street

jeffreyhy

I find the numbers being discussed in this thread to be an interesting contrast to threads, common in the marriage-based forum, where people ask what to do because they don't have incomes that excede 125% of the poverty level - currently $18,912 for a family of 2, add $4,950 for each additional family member.

Regards, JEff

Speedwell

Well, the values for "comfortable" pay rates in various areas have little to do with the discomfort of not-well-off people who are panicky because they can't apply for their families to immigrate and work in the US and, god forbid, help them. Or maybe that was your point.

COSPhil

I would be exceedingly shocked if anyone could sensibly live on $18,912 (or 125% of that figure). $23650.

That's a monthly income of $1970, taking a crude 33% away in tax that leaves you with $1319.90 to live from (Rent/Mortgage, Food, Transportation, Medical and anything else).

I am looking at how we can earn "side money" to ensure that we are able to survive. The irony being that I earn almost double in the UK what I am basing my assumptions on for the US!

Albeit I live & work in London and I'll be moving to Colorado Springs which is obviously significantly cheaper than London (although according to the earlier CNN thing, surprisingly more expensive than Houston!).

Bink

I didn't realize it was that high although I knew that these expenses did exist. I've got a few years yet before I start getting hit with those thankfully!

I cannot see how someone could survive on that amount and be self sufficient (i.e not live at home wit ther parents paying no rent). I'm always surprised by those threads and the quality of life they are expecting in the US at those income levels.