PetrifiedExPat

Rubbish of the highest order. Have you left your county recently?

Pulaski

No, no it isn't. As Olly said, it's a myth.

Some things in the US are cheaper, like hotels, restaurant meals, and gasoline, which is great as a holidaymaker in the US, but as a resident of the US you don't live on restaurant meals and gasoline, but you do get expenses that you don't have at all in the UK, like health insurance and non-covered health care expenses, and having to pay for electricity to run an AC system. Not to mention things which are massively more expensive in the US, such as car insurance. .... Later if you settle here and buy a home you will learn about the costs of replacing AC systems, and roofs - both of which typically have a life in the range of no more than 15-20 years, and depending on the size of your home, and the quality of the product both can easily cost $10k or more to replace!

Perry_1990

yea I just got back from Orlando last week and been to Orlando 15 times.

PetrifiedExPat

Thank you sir

Owen778

We lived in Bridgeland, which is a master-planned community on the western side of Cypress. It's essentially the outer 290 suburb. Traffic on 290 can be bad, but then traffic on I-10 through the energy corridor is probably worse, which you'd be using from Katy. Schools are also mostly excellent in Cypress, and there's probably more of a range of families than Katy. That said, either place will live you with a slow and stressful commute. If you can find an area closer in that still has decent schools, low crime etc., that may be better, but it may also be outside your budget.

It might be possible to take the commuter bus from the Cypress park and ride, but I don't know how easily you could get to your work from the Northwest Transit Center. It's not that far, but not walkable given Houston road layouts and heat.

Property taxes get passed through to renters by increasing their rent. The first value I found for property tax was an average of $6000 for 77433, which is the zip code we lived in in western Cypress. I'd consider that reasonably representative of the nicer parts of the city.

Perry_1990

yeah I understand that and totally agree but it’s the same in the UK. If after 10 years you want to change kitchen it’s going cost you £10k+ in the UK so no real difference.

To say that I am on £75k now and I need to be on $200-$250k a year to live in Houston it a bit extreme I would say. If I was on $250k a year I’m sure I could find somewhere better to live.

as I have mentioned before, it will be $100k salary maybe a bit more. I am just trying to understand how comfortable I could live on this, getting told to be on $200k doesn’t really help me to be honest. If I was on £100k in the UK I would live a different life than I am now but I’m not and in Houston I would be on $100k

christmasoompa

The consensus seems to be 'not very'. So at least that will help give you an idea and hopefully you can negotiate up. Do also check that it would be fair market rate for your job so that you're not being underpaid.

And don't forget relocation costs, make sure you know what your company are offering as a relocation package and if you'll have to swallow any of the costs yourself - it's really not cheap to move a family abroad!

Pulaski

Except I was mentioning add-on expenses that UK homeowners don't face. ... So, kitchen refurbishment is an example of expenses that homeowners in both countries do face. In any case $10k won't get you much in the US, in part because kitchens here are bigger and probably have twice as many cabinets. Then there's bathrooms, but in the US most "average homes in the 'burbs" are going to have two bathrooms, and a half bath (powder room). ... And many people in the UK only need one car, but that simply ain't gonna fly in a city like Houston, with the only exception if you (breadwinner) can work from home, or walk to work 100% of the time, so your wife can use "the family vehicle" for work and family needs.

I lived in the UK and owned a home there, as well as seeing the homes my parents owned, and you have to have lived in the US to really understand how expensive US homes are to maintain. The repairs to my home and related appliances and infrastructure are continuous and relentless in a way that is not the case in the UK. Appliances don't seem to last as long (and are bigger and more expensive), and other things frequently need attention or repair. I have joked in the past that my home isn't just a home, it's a hobby too, but after 19 years the joke had worn a bit thin.

So while I might concede that needing $250k to be comfortable in Houston is a bit extreme, I would argue that $150k is probably a better starting point if your income in the UK is £75k, and that $200k household income will put you in a comfortable position if your wife can get a good job, but even $200k won't put you in as nice a place as you might expect. You'll find your your neighbors may have a boat, an RV, a fancy Harley bike, a "weekend car", such as a Corvette or Mustang, or they have a horse. On $150k and with two kids, you won't be owning any of those things.

PetrifiedExPat

Will meet you in the middle at 200k..

I did like Houston when I visited, in the summer for a conference. To the OP.... At the hotel I stayed at, I needed cash, the lovely receptionist told me the nearest BoA was 3 blocks away, she will call me a complimentary cab (I was wearing a suit). I laughed at her, and left to walk... after 2 mins, I returned, drenched in sweat asking for that cab.... My message is to you, cars are a must (well, they were for me!!)

Moses2013

To be honest, it doesn't sound that extreme. I have no idea about Houston but better safe than sorry. It would be the same for me in Ireland and I would probably need 3 x my salary if I were to move from Galway to Dublin and even then I would have to exchange a larger detached house for a smaller semi with a bigger mortgage. There is probably some truth to it.

ddsrph

I would try to hook up with someone in a similar married with children situation at your potential new Houston work department. They could be very helpful and my guess be very eager to help you out with information now and when you arrive. In my military days in the Navy officer Corp it was a standard procedure to assign a “sponsor” to help new arrivals get settled and to provide information before and after arrival at the new duty station. It was especially important for arriving families.

postbox134

The rule of thumb is take the £ GBP salary, double the number and stick a $ sign in front for an approx equilivalent. As said by others, the US is surprisingly expensive to actually live. Of course plenty of people in the US survive on less, but if you're moving across the world why would you do it to just get by. Add in the cost of travel back home etc. too

In your case, the rule gives a USD of $150k which seems about right. $100k would almost certainly be a downgrade in lifestyle from £75k

Jerseygirl

Especially in NJ…it’s one of the most expensive states to live.

postbox134

I agree with this statement

jjmb

I agree with all the other posters, $100,000 for a family of 4 is not a great income but it's doable if you only intend to stay here for a few years. If you intend to stay here, you should try for L1A rather than an L1B. Rents are sky-high in the big cities in Texas, although, Houston might be lower than Austin and the surrounding areas, which is becoming ridiculously high. For renting a reasonable-sized house with a pool, you are looking at $2500 probably. You need AC most of the year which will jack up your electricity bill until you learn to live with the heat and humidity. Groceries are not cheap over here unless you want to eat mostly junk. You haven't said what your profession is but look at sites for wages comparisons. What does your wife do, will her skills transfer over?