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Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Old Jun 20th 2020, 9:12 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

I say again. When relocated you want your standard of living to be maintained as a minimum, not decrease.

A family of 5 on $190k in the vicinity of NYC is not going to be able to afford the high life, multiple trips home per year etc. Could they live without this? Probably, but it is most often assumed that people on these forums at least want to visit home once a year.

I stand by my previous comments, and so will the multiple others that said the same thing.
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Old Jun 20th 2020, 10:05 pm
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by talkto_menow
You think your advice was smart? We are talking about annual salary, not relocation package. Your advice gives false understanding of reality. Most people do not make 190k per year and they do not live in one bedroom apartment in Bronx either. The idea that you barely scrape by on 190k is ridiculous..
Where do you live? Do you have experience of living in New York? If not, then your opinion is worthless. Just because median income is $57k means nothing, when many people in small or crowded homes, and rely on rent subsidies, free school meals and food banks. At very least they will have relatives and a circle of friends to help them, not least for example grandma can provide pre-school child care and take them to the doctor if both parents are working.

I tried living in New York 19 years ago, just me and my wife, and even then my income of $85k was not able, IMO to support my wife and me in a reasonable lifestyle, comparable with what we had experienced in London, in fact not even close. And if we had tried to buy a home it would have sucked up every spare penny we had, not least because property taxes are barking mad. As it was we rented a small 1-bed apartment in Westchester County for $1,600mth. Later we moved to NC, I took a pay cut to move there, but we bought a four bed, 2,775 sqft house on an acre-and-a-half .... on a 15 year mortgage, for $1,400/mth!

A few months ago, maybe last year, I actually posted a draft budget for someone considering moving to Northern New Jersey, and I demonstrated how $200k for a family of four simply wasn't going to cut it.

Last edited by Pulaski; Jun 20th 2020 at 10:46 pm.
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Old Jun 20th 2020, 10:32 pm
  #33  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Many New Yorkers are single and/or childless. 5 is surely higher than the median household size, making it misleading to look at the median income for OP's purposes. Also, many people in NYC are struggling, living in high crime neighborhoods and/or overcrowded housing. And their kids probably aren't going to top schools, either. NYC's poverty rate is 20%, which is twice the rate of the US in general. Sure, they're surviving, but as Pulaski said earlier in the thread, when people move that far they generally want an increase in their quality of life, not just to survive. Plus, they want top schools and spacious housing, which they would probably need to go to the suburbs to get, anyway.

The median income for the whole NYC metro area - $82,700 - is slightly more useful. But only slightly, it comes with the same caveats above. That number is not the median income of families with 5 kids who live in spacious houses in nice areas with top schools and a quick commuting distance from Manhattan.

Last edited by ss120396; Jun 20th 2020 at 10:38 pm.
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Old Jun 20th 2020, 11:47 pm
  #34  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by civilservant
I say again. When relocated you want your standard of living to be maintained as a minimum, not decrease.

A family of 5 on $190k in the vicinity of NYC is not going to be able to afford the high life, multiple trips home per year etc. Could they live without this? Probably, but it is most often assumed that people on these forums at least want to visit home once a year.

I stand by my previous comments, and so will the multiple others that said the same thing.
agreed. Talking out of their arse.
here in TX $200k for a family of 5 is just about comfortable and not living in the lap of luxury by any means - I would not want to do this in NYC
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Old Jun 21st 2020, 1:28 am
  #35  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

For comparison's sake, I did a quick search and found this property for rent in Montclair, NJ - 5 bedrooms, $3,500 a month:

https://www.trulia.com/p/nj/montclai...42--2429898839

On $190,000 a year, OP is looking at a federal tax rate of 32%. Let's just go with the property I put above, which would add 6.37% New Jersey state income tax for a 38.37% overall rate.

So that leaves net $117,000, of which $42,000 needs to come out for rent. So that leaves $75,000, after taxes and rent.

Will you live comfortably on that? I don't know, how long is a piece of string? What are your savings targets? Etc.

Your kids are US citizens, is your wife? Will she be working? If yes, then that also changes the optics and improves prospects considerably.

You also need to take into account the other factors I mentioned earlier.

All in all, based on what you have posted, I say yes, at least short-term as you consolidate and make future plans.


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Old Jun 21st 2020, 1:43 am
  #36  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

I live in NYC for the last 28 years. I lived in Brooklyn and Queens. There were times when my income was 8k per year. When I married our household income was way below 40k. I never applied for any public assistance. Simply, I had no need for it. Neither, I relied on help of my family. They live in Europe and my wife's family are immigrants just like.me. Some time ago, my in-laws moved to NC and bought a house.
I don't plan to move out of NYC anytime soon. My current household income is $140k. I do not have to worry about retirement, medical, dental etc. My son goes to catholic school. We are planning to buy condominium in range of 450k-500k.I consider myself to be lucky and privileged.
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Old Jun 21st 2020, 2:00 am
  #37  
 
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by talkto_menow
I live in NYC for the last 28 years. I lived in Brooklyn and Queens. There were times when my income was 8k per year. When I married our household income was way below 40k. I never applied for any public assistance. Simply, I had no need for it. Neither, I relied on help of my family. They live in Europe and my wife's family are immigrants just like.me. Some time ago, my in-laws moved to NC and bought a house.
I don't plan to move out of NYC anytime soon. My current household income is $140k. I do not have to worry about retirement, medical, dental etc. My son goes to catholic school. We are planning to buy condominium in range of 450k-500k.I consider myself to be lucky and privileged.
Given that you have disclosed elements of your income history, it would he interesting if you would now disclose certain other data such as what you are currently paying for rent, and what sort of home (sqft, beds, and is it rent controlled?) you have, if your gross household income is only $140k. Presumably that means net income of around $100k? I presume you don't own a vehicle. How much (%) are you saving for retirement? You say you are not worrying about it, why not? What sort of medical insurance / coverage do you have if that is not something you're worrying about either.

In short, the numbers you have disclosed are intriguing, if only because they don't stack up without some additional information. On your income you can surely only be renting a small home, and unless you are living on rice and gruel I don't see where you have the income to pay for anything more than food and utilities. Do you travel? Per above, I am guessing you don't have a vehicle.
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Old Jun 21st 2020, 2:38 am
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Good luck with your move to NY.
You mentioned living in the New York suburbs, but you might find you can have a good balance of cost vs quality of life in the five boroughs. Astoria in Queens has a good IB public school and "relatively affordable" housing. You won't need a car and the subway can get you to Manhattan in about 20 minutes. There are plenty of local amenities. You might prefer the suburbs for more space, but there is a big price to pay in terms of commute time, cost of car ownership, and a certain element of "keeping up with the joneses" which is less common in the non-Manhattan boroughs.
As pointed out by others in their posts, the income with 5 children will not afford an affluent lifestyle, but you can have a very fulfilling rewarding life without being a high earner by NYC standards. It really depends on your priorities in life. It's too easy to get distracted by superficial material wealth at the cost of the wealth of shared experience.
Whatever you choose, will have to be the right choice for you.
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Old Jun 21st 2020, 5:23 pm
  #39  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Given that you have disclosed elements of your income history, it would he interesting if you would now disclose certain other data such as what you are currently paying for rent, and what sort of home (sqft, beds, and is it rent controlled?) you have, if your gross household income is only $140k. Presumably that means net income of around $100k? I presume you don't own a vehicle. How much (%) are you saving for retirement? You say you are not worrying about it, why not? What sort of medical insurance / coverage do you have if that is not something you're worrying about either.

In short, the numbers you have disclosed are intriguing, if only because they don't stack up without some additional information. On your income you can surely only be renting a small home, and unless you are living on rice and gruel I don't see where you have the income to pay for anything more than food and utilities. Do you travel? Per above, I am guessing you don't have a vehicle.
We are renting 1 bedroom apartment which is rent stabilized and we are living in this place for more than 10 years. Current monthly rent is $1650 and it is below what you would have to pay if you start a new lease. New rentals go for about $2500 in this area. I did own a vehicle but I sold it couple years ago. It a was a used car Nissan Sentra 2002. We paid about $15k. It had low mileage. I'm not crazy about driving, so it is not much loss for me personally. Insurance was about $1600 annually. I am a government employee. Both health insurance and retirement plans operate bit different than in private sector and they are at much lower cost. If I'm not mistaken, retirement contributions are at 4%. Yes, we do travel. Our traveling budget is between 4k-6k. My credit card debt is 5k and I will pay it off in next couple months. We eat like everyone else, and go out to restaurants 1-2 per month or having take outs during weekends.
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Old Jun 21st 2020, 5:34 pm
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by talkto_menow
We are renting 1 bedroom apartment which is rent stabilized and we are living in this place for more than 10 years. Current monthly rent is $1650 and it is below what you would have to pay if you start a new lease. New rentals go for about $2500 in this area. I did own a vehicle but I sold it couple years ago. It a was a used car Nissan Sentra 2002. We paid about $15k. It had low mileage. I'm not crazy about driving, so it is not much loss for me personally. Insurance was about $1600 annually. I am a government employee. Both health insurance and retirement plans operate bit different than in private sector and they are at much lower cost. If I'm not mistaken, retirement contributions are at 4%. Yes, we do travel. Our traveling budget is between 4k-6k. My credit card debt is 5k and I will pay it off in next couple months. We eat like everyone else, and go out to restaurants 1-2 per month or having take outs during weekends.
Thank you for clarifying and adding context and details.

That said, I don't see anything in your personal history or current circumstances that has any informative value for Rs2000 and his family under the circumstances that he described.
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Old Jun 22nd 2020, 11:23 am
  #41  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

I agree with Pulaski. You haven't exactly supported your initial argument (which I called foolish, and now stand behind that even more)

- You live in a rent controlled apartment
- You don't own a car
- You're a Government employee
- You don't pay 'average' health insurance premiums.

So what exactly DO you do that is relevant to the OP that makes you think we are all doom mongers?
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Old Jun 22nd 2020, 6:12 pm
  #42  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Some time ago, one of the guests on BBC show claimed that his 80k (sterling) salary puts him in poor category.
To give someone advise that he cannot live in NY on 190k is insulting to many of New Yorkers. Median NY houselhold income is 57k. Less than 20% of US population has salary that is greater than 118k. That means nearly 80% of New York population lives on less than 118k. According to Census Bureau NYC population is 8.3 million. 8 out of 10 people that you meet on the streets of NY have household income that is less than meager 140k. Maybe they all are renting 1 bedroom apartment in Bronx? Perhaps sharing apartment?
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Old Jun 22nd 2020, 6:24 pm
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by talkto_menow
Some time ago, one of the guests on BBC show claimed that his 80k (sterling) salary puts him in poor category.
To give someone advise that he cannot live in NY on 190k is insulting to many of New Yorkers. Median NY houselhold income is 57k. Less than 20% of US population has salary that is greater than 118k. That means nearly 80% of New York population lives on less than 118k. According to Census Bureau NYC population is 8.3 million. 8 out of 10 people that you meet on the streets of NY have household income that is less than meager 140k. Maybe they all are renting 1 bedroom apartment in Bronx? Perhaps sharing apartment?
But we weren't giving advice to New Yorkers in general, and certainly not ones on median income or lower. We were giving advice to some who is presumably managerial and/ or is a high-level subject matter expert, who works for an international corporation which is going to be paying a substantial cost to relocate Rs2000 and his family to New York, not to pay him average NYC salary and shoehorn him and this three kids into a one bedroom apartment!

One thing that is critical here on BE is to give appropriate advice based on who asked the question, not give a one-size fits all answer, so if someone came here to BE saying that they have a US passport but no degree or clear career path, and they have decided to relocate to New York, then your advice would be highly relevant, but it has zero relevance for Rs2000.

Oh, and I don't give a rat's ar$e about New Yorkers' feelings - in my experience they are tough enough to shrug off advice they don't agree with.

Last edited by Pulaski; Jun 22nd 2020 at 6:45 pm.
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Old Jun 22nd 2020, 6:31 pm
  #44  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by talkto_menow
Some time ago, one of the guests on BBC show claimed that his 80k (sterling) salary puts him in poor category.
To give someone advise that he cannot live in NY on 190k is insulting to many of New Yorkers. Median NY houselhold income is 57k. Less than 20% of US population has salary that is greater than 118k. That means nearly 80% of New York population lives on less than 118k. According to Census Bureau NYC population is 8.3 million. 8 out of 10 people that you meet on the streets of NY have household income that is less than meager 140k. Maybe they all are renting 1 bedroom apartment in Bronx? Perhaps sharing apartment?
You're totally missing the point aren't you? Like right-over-your-head, can't-see-the-bottom missing the point.

We aren't giving advice to 80% of NYCs population. We're giving it to this one person who presumably doesn't want to live on the breadline.
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Old Jun 22nd 2020, 6:33 pm
  #45  
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Default Re: Moving from HK to USA- public IB school options around NYC

Originally Posted by talkto_menow
Some time ago, one of the guests on BBC show claimed that his 80k (sterling) salary puts him in poor category.
To give someone advise that he cannot live in NY on 190k is insulting to many of New Yorkers. Median NY houselhold income is 57k. Less than 20% of US population has salary that is greater than 118k. That means nearly 80% of New York population lives on less than 118k. According to Census Bureau NYC population is 8.3 million. 8 out of 10 people that you meet on the streets of NY have household income that is less than meager 140k. Maybe they all are renting 1 bedroom apartment in Bronx? Perhaps sharing apartment?
Did you read the OP’s post? It is not “someone” it is a family of 5, and the OP only noted they will be working meaning 4 dependents to support.

NY is a state, I am sure you could live like a king some places in NY state on $190k salary and probably a lot less. But the OP was asking about living in a suburb (read car/cars will be needed) that has a good public school that offers IB (that limits location) and also wants to be a 1h commute from Time Square (that limits the options even more). That combination may be possible but the only way to know if it will work in their budget is to add up all the big costs and see.... housing being the first on to consider here.

Your not even comparing apples and oranges when you take the OP’s request in to account.

Do all of the 8/10 NYC’ers live somewhere that meet all the OP’s criteria?




Last edited by tht; Jun 22nd 2020 at 6:36 pm.
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