Homeiswheretheheartis

Just to give you another idea of costs: Family of four, kids 11 and 9.

Take home $5000.00 (after tax and medical)

Rent: $1700.00
Utilities: $300
Fuel: $900.00
Food: $700.00
Phones: $100 (average usage/average cost)
Car Insurance/rental insurance/Breakdown cover: $230 2 cars
TV: $100
Kids clubs/school requirements $80.00 only do soccer/swimming, school supplies.

Also to consider is even second hand cars are much more expensive than the UK, setting up we spend approx $10,000 thats with two shitty cars and deposits, electrial stuff. We are not spendaholics and we also had free accommodation and car at the beginning

Also maintance of cars is really really expensive here as well.

These are only the very basic costs and I would say we use our money up each month with clothes, car breakdowns, prescriptions, a birithday party here and a couple of meals out. We live very much the same as we did in the UK as everyone has pointed out that costs here balance out the same as in the UK.

But you must consider that your very much alone here and there arn't many safety nets, if any.

natalie33

Whereabouts do you live in America?

HumphreyC

RE cost of things - lobster is so cheap at the moment I see the folks down in the ghetto buying it (you can get it on an EBT card but it has to be the steamed stuff)

davidtheprof

Aside from the current income/costs issue, there are some longer term considerations - would this be a huge boost to husband's career, that would pay off later?
Something about the relatively low pay makes me suspicious of that. He could always try to negotiate upwards, if they value him, he should have some bargaining power.
but what does it do for spouse's work/career, again, longer term?

and if you want to stay in the US for longer (many of us came 'for a year' and are still here 25 years later!) you have to think about saving ridiculous amounts of money for university for the kids, retirement, emergency funds, etc.

best of luck!

Homeiswheretheheartis

I live in Las Vegas.

Bob

$1.50 a pound up in Maine...but it's not that cheap down where I am, still $8/lbs, though much cheaper than usual.

And ironically, it did used to be the poor persons protein back in the day :/

dweh54

Hi there, just found this site. I'm a US citizen but my wife is an ExPat.

My wife moved to Southern Georgia from the UK, but we currently live in the north. After spending time in the Charleston/Savannah area over the years, these are our observations:

Education: Education standard in the South US are not as high as the North

Culture: Interesting place to visit, very historic, but living in the South is very different from visiting. You will be treated as a foreigner. Southerners treat Northerners as outsiders even. However, there is southern charm, some people are very nice.

It is a small Southern city, you can see much of the historical aspect of the city in a day or two, then it is really the beaches and outdoor activities. If that is acceptable to you, then no problems there.

The commentary on the 67k so far has been right on, if you stay outside the city, you will be middle of the road.

Don't expect any British food around. It is hard to find importers, and even more so in the South. (Florida doesn't count as the South by the way)

HumphreyC

$8/lb is expensive in this market - unless of course it's really decent stuff from Shaws or some place like that. Places round me are more like $4-$6. I'm definitely heading down to SS Lobster at the weekend. The low price is really bad for the industry though.

Duncan Roberts

Makes the $20-30/lb round here kind of sickening.

Bob

Ouch...that is a mark up...but then I guess it's got to travel quite a bit to get to you.

FloridaGram

I am a lifelong american moving to the UK soon. Life for the non-wealthy working class has slowly deteriorated over the last 30 years, especially in the areas of healthcare, retirement, salaries and quality of life. Salaries for the middle class and below have not increased in over 20 years, while the wealthy have become super wealthy. Healthcare out of pocket costs can become astronomical, your coverages change annually along with the premiums. With that said, on to Savannah, GA.

I have lived in central NY, South Florida, Coastal Georgia (about 60 miles south of Savannah) and in North Carolina east of Raleigh. The culture shock everyone speaks of is racial percentages, political mindsets, productivity and culinary. In both GA and NC there is plenty of Southern Hospitality, as long as you are passing through. Plant your feet there and you will definitely experience some dislike from being an outsider. Savannah is of the same mindset as "George Bush", and I know from traveling abroad they made a mockery of him. I hated both NC and GA. I spent 2 years living in each state and I'll never live anywhere in the south again.

Georgia is a "right to work state", meaning you can be fired for any reason with no ramifications to your employer other than a short term of unemployment. Here's a for example: Say you or your husband had a horrible auto accident or cancer. Your employer, by law does not have to hold your job for you until you recover. If you are not earning a full-time paycheck, you must pay the full premium of the healthcare insurance. If you become disabled and cannot work at all you will be entitled to Cobra insurance for a short period. If your insurance or cobra is canceled for non-payment (30 days delinquent), it will be canceled. In America we make disabled people wait 3 years before they can get healthcare through the government.

If your are going to move to the U.S., you should stick with the Pacific Coast, NE (Washington DC and north) and South Florida.

As for me and my family, we are coming your way. Thinking in the vicinity of Manchester? Maybe you can give me some good honest advice?

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

If you are moving to the UK I suggest you take a look at our Moving Back To The UK Forum. There is also a forum called UKYankee.com...it's similar to BE but for Americans moving/living in the UK.

Good luck.

Sally Redux

Just for clarity, I believe those states are both "at will" meaning you can be fired for any or no reason, and "right to work", which is an anti-union measure.

Jerseygirl

There are many states that are 'at will' states. NJ being one of them.

Sally Redux

It looks like they all are although some have a little more protection than others:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment