Moving to Columbus, Ohio!
#17
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Moving to Columbus, Ohio!
I have several family members who live in Columbus. It's a decent town. About the taxes, you will have to complete a W4 IRS form. On this form you can claim yourself as a dependent which will mean the government will withhold less tax from your paycheck but you may owe some tax at the end of the year. If you claim zero dependents they will withhold more from your check but you may get a tax refund.
Health care isn't as scary as everyone in the UK make it out to be. Unless you're self-employed or you work in low end service industry your employer will most likely subsidize your health care and you will pay a small portion of the premium. This is how the vast majority of Americans get their healthcare. Usually if your employer doesn't offer health insurance then you most likely have a low wage or unconventional job such as a contractor or self employed. If you're a low wage earner there is a program called Medicaid that pays for healthcare 100% but that would not apply to you. Nothing is free in America.
$60,000/ yr will be a really good income for a single person. $60,000 would be a middle class income for a family of three.
I've never lived in the UK but I love to visit there. Do not have any illusions about public transportation. You will need a car! American cities and towns are nowhere as condensed as town/cities in the UK. Columbus is within a half day to a days drive to many large American cities. Gas as of Sept 2012 is averaging about $3.70/gal. Which would be about £1.00/liter (or litre) haha.
Health care isn't as scary as everyone in the UK make it out to be. Unless you're self-employed or you work in low end service industry your employer will most likely subsidize your health care and you will pay a small portion of the premium. This is how the vast majority of Americans get their healthcare. Usually if your employer doesn't offer health insurance then you most likely have a low wage or unconventional job such as a contractor or self employed. If you're a low wage earner there is a program called Medicaid that pays for healthcare 100% but that would not apply to you. Nothing is free in America.
$60,000/ yr will be a really good income for a single person. $60,000 would be a middle class income for a family of three.
I've never lived in the UK but I love to visit there. Do not have any illusions about public transportation. You will need a car! American cities and towns are nowhere as condensed as town/cities in the UK. Columbus is within a half day to a days drive to many large American cities. Gas as of Sept 2012 is averaging about $3.70/gal. Which would be about £1.00/liter (or litre) haha.
#18
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 15
Re: Moving to Columbus, Ohio!
Thanks for all the wonderful advice so far everybody! I'm feeling pretty excited and good about it all at the moment. No doubt there will be a few bumps in the road ahead but at least this forum is so great!