Cmabbo

To be honest my biggest worry is healthcare. Here we have the medicare system and you have to buy private health insurance if you earn over a certain amount or you get taxed more. Now for private healthcare we spend over $237 per month which is a corporate rate and has risen evey year. I don't mind paying for health care but here it only covers hospital bills and not Dr's or anaethetists fees. The medicare system only partially covers fees. So for example to see a GP you pay $65 you then can reclaim $30 back from medicare. To see a specialist like a paed or ob they do not work on the public system so you have to pay $200 for each app to see them and only get $40 back from medicare. So my worry is like many others if I or my husband or children get sick we can run into thousands of dollars debt even though we have private healthcare. Is this the same in New York if you have top level health care?

Bob

Health insurance depends on what the company offer.

It could be as great as the company paying 100% and it covering 100% costs, right down to them only offering health insurance and you have a huge deductible etc.

So it's hard to say, you'll have to ask HR what the policy is and understand the details of the level of cover, co-pays, deductibles.

Our policy through my wifes employer is $400 a month, we have a $500/1000 deductible depending on what we're using and 90/10 split meaning we pay 10% of all costs after the deductible, which is turning out to be a lot of money, plus co-pay of $25 for every doctors visit.

But that means nothing to you if you've a better or worse policy and it's not something you really can negotiate, it'll just be what they offer pretty much.

sallysimmons

Yes. And you won't get top-level healthcare. You'll get whatever the company gives you. Depending on how good that plan is, you could be fine or you could run up a lot of debt. And don't forget that if your husband loses his job, the whole family loses their health insurance.

(I can't believe that your husband would seriously make a huge move like this because he's tall and there would be more clothes here!!)

I wouldn't rely on that 12% less number - I can't see how they can calculate that when healthcare is such a variant for everyone.

But you seem set on coming here so all I can say is good luck and I hope it works out for you.

Cmabbo

No don't be silly that is not the only reason at all.

It is very hard to articulate all the factors we are considering.

penguinsix

I'd be vary wary of on the surface cost comparisons as they don't always show the true costs of moving from one country to another. For example, while your day to day items may appear to be cheaper, you must also factor in (in some states) the fact that you'll be paying a 5-10% sales tax on each and every item. You'll also have to drive to a large outlet store to get those lower prices, requiring a car, gasoline, insurance and time.

If you have a really good health insurance plan, pretty much everything will be covered, or you'll have cover for say 90% of your bills and you have to pay 10% or a certain amount (like a max of $5,000). Really it varies all over--you won't know what cover is offered until you have a job, and even then you'll have to drill down with their HR to get the real story about how much it covers and what it does not. But generally, if you are looking at a $300k a year job, I'd expect a pretty good health care package.

I should also note that while you might be seeing job listings for $xxx,xxx they are also (generally) looking for someone who went to a school they can easily verify with a network of friends and work contacts through the industry here in the US, a person who has worked with Americans and American culture before, and a person who does not require $5-10,000 in visa processing payments and a bunch of lawyers to sort out. That doesn't mean they won't take you, but there will be some asterisks next to your name.

You'll also have to factor in some other taxation things that aren't easily seen in most salary calculators, such as the Alternative Minimum Tax (basically an added tax on people making more than $250,000) In short, I'd definitely factor in a 10-20% adjustment on the salary vs. what you are seeing in the job ads.

As someone else has said, if you are coming for a career opportunity or just to try out the USA, welcome, enjoy, and good luck with the visa stuff (really, it's a pain in the ass). If you are coming because you think it is a great deal cheaper, than we'd just like to point out all is not as it seems in a general sense and there are a lot of hidden costs that can really start to add up.

FWIW you mentioned Hong Kong where I'm currently on assignment. It's Hong Kong, which is always great and there is a fun expat community here and you have everything from all over the world, but it is also a bit crazy here right now, with a massive influx of bankers and finance folks from Dubai and Tokyo who have moved to Hong Kong as the new new thing, a ton of 'dirty' money from China coming into the property market jacking up costs, and air pollution that is utterly dismal. We rent what is technically about a 1,000 sq foot 3br apartment for around £4,000 a month and we got a 'cheaper' place in the expat area. English-language schools had about a 40% increase in applications this year with a 0% increase in the number of seats available, and this is for the international schools that cost around £10,000 a year per kid.

Bob

Yeah, I looked at the questions that site asked, and just putting in a couple of answers changed Boston from being 33% less expensive than NYC to 35% more expensive....something as trivial as the cost of corn changes massively during the winter compared to the summer, whether you buy at the market or grocery store.

The other one that really affected change was public transport, I mean if you took Riverside T stop, it's $5 parking a day on top of the T, but if you were getting on at Copley, parking is $30 a day. Changes things considerably.

Cmabbo

Thanks Penguinsix for your reply.

This would be a transfer with work so no applying for jobs. Visas would be dealth with by his HR dept. DH just came back from his usual business trip in Hong Kong and although it does seem very appealing and still on the list DH doesn't want to be stuck in an apartment with two highly spirited boys and a baby I on the other hand would welcome a keeper!
He worries about the busy streets with our eldest who is 3.5 with selective hearing! I think we would also be limited to probably disco bay or clearwater bay and again you are right I would have to get the firm to get places at schools sorted out.

I think socialing in Hong Kong and all the conviniences it has made DH realise how boring Sydney is and overpriced it is for what you get.
So our only other option would be New York, where he can go back to a decent commute time it is also closer to London than Sydney and I can visit family without having to drug my children

We are still weighing it all up but thanks everyone again for your helpful comments.

penguinsix

Our son is 4 but has been pretty good when it comes to playing in traffic. He knows to avoid the streets without us and it's one of those things you just have to adjust to in HK.

That said, many of the 'crazy bits' of HK are really not the places you want to live with kids. Families tend to move to DB or CB or Repulse Bay or even Stanley, in part to get away from traffic but also from the dirt and grime and pollution (stuff you had no problems with when you were living single here). If you are interested in places in the New Territories than having a detatched home with a bit of a yard and even a pool is possible though you'll have a bit more of a commute. We live in a quiet bit of the Midlevels just below the Peak, so there is a big forest behind us and a rather large park in front. Actually quite quiet.

If you do consider HK, or are remotely considering it, the very first thing to move on is the schools. You have to get that going even before you pack your first item as the waitlist for some is ridiculous, even if your company has a debenture to ease the way into a place. Some expats actually look for an empty school and move there for their first year, then relocating somewhere else a bit later on.

mandianna

Hey

I live in upstate NY Schenectady it is much cheaper but about 3 hours away from the city. My husband had a job interview downstate and we found it to be too expensive to move down there. All the best with your search I would not want to move to NY we are trying to get out the taxes are terrible we are trying to leave.

Xebedee

I used to work in Niskayuna & lived in Johnstown for 7 yrs
There isn't too much to brag about in Schenectady, but at least it isn't Amsterdam.......did you know Kirk Douglas was from Amsterdam? There's a battered old marker-plinth thingy with his name on it there somewhere.

The big problem is the weather, I know. It keeps people from mixing and saying hello......that and the fact that New Yorkers are a moody bunch.

Good luck with your decision. Its not an easy one to make.

Cmabbo

Hi,

Would anyone be able to give me a rough run down of taxes...
i.e. income tax, propery tax, sales tax and any more that I have missed?

Thanks

Bob

http://www.dinkytown.net/java/Tax1040.html plenty of sites like that to give you an idea.

Property tax and others will depend on the county you live in. Sales tax just presume it'll be on everything and then be pleased when you find the exceptions, some states don't tax clothes or certain food items for instance.

You won't run the risk of being in the poor house on your salary though.

Cmabbo

Thanks for the link Bob,

Qube

This seems to break things down in a bit more detail, it's what I'm using to base my future budget on.

http://www.paycheckcity.com/netpayca...calculator.asp

Brat1

When my husband got the chance of a job in New York, we did a lot of research, came over 3 times to have a good look about and I used BE and Citydata a lot. We originally looked at places like Mahopac and Carmel which are both in New York State. I did a lot of research about schools etc and eventually we decided on Connecticut. Its a longer commute for my husband, about an hour from our home to White Plains, but the town itself here is great. Schools have been brilliant and my 2 youngest kids who are 11 and 13 have done even better than I had ever hoped, so I think my research has payed off in that respect.

Whereabouts would your husband be based, New York is a big place. Also depends on what kind of lifestyle you like, we like the peace and quiet of where we are, but love being able to jump on a train and go to the city for the day, we have the best of both worlds. As for the cost of living, we manage on the one wage, I'm on an H4 so I can't work. We pay rent of $2000 a month for a 4 bedroom, 2,500 sq ft home which sits on nearly 2 acres. Heating the house in the winter has been expensive because of the lack of insulation, we're paying around $500 a month for oil and electricity has been around $180 a month, again, this will vary depending on the kind of house you would be renting. Car insurance has been expensive because of our lack of credit history and we still have to pay cash for oil. Still can't get a mortgage and to be honest, we'd rather rent until we are 100% that this move is for good. As for the health insurance, OMG it's a minefield. I've already changed mine after the first 6 months because it was working out too expensive for me and the girls and even more expensive if my husband was to add us on to his. He had good cover with his work and they pay 100% towards it every month.

Sales tax in Connecticut is 6% I think, we don't pay the tax on this home as the landlord covers that but for this house it's around $6000 a year, again property taxes vary on whereabouts you live. Other than that, I don't find food that expensive, but I have so much time on my hands, I shop about for whoever has the best bargains that particular week, whether it be BOGOF or whatever.

I don't know if any of this helps, but so far, we are all enjoying the experience of living in the States and realise that we are very lucky to be given the chance and even if at the end of the day, we have to return to the UK for whatever reason, I think this has made us a tighter family, you rely on one another more for support through the difficult days, and I am certain that my kids can only benefit from the different culture they are experiencing here and it has made them in to more confident girls.

Good luck with whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll make the right decision