Have you ever been to either city? Indianapolis is not the kind of place to move to without checking out what you are signing up for. Are you bringing family? If so, be aware that older children will age out on an E-2 visa.

The short answer is that you must report foreign bank accounts annually on a FBAR and/or Form 8938 if the aggregate value of all such accounts exceeds specific thresholds. As little as $10K will require an FBAR to be filed, and $50K/$100K (single/married) will require that Form 8938 be filed. Foreign accounts include just about everything you can think of that has a potential cash value including checking, savings and investment accounts, life insurance policies, and most pension accounts. It is therefore very easy to trigger one or more of these requirements. The penalties for failing to do so are very stiff, easily running into the tens of thousands of dollars. Foreign accounts include anything in an ISA which is not recognized by the US and will be fully taxed.

If you have any investments in any kind of mutual fund such as an index fund, EFT, unit or investment trust (that sort of thing) then these are identified as PFICs in the US and are subject to additional onerous reporting and punitive taxation. You should liquidate any such investments before moving here. If you have any kind of trust that opens up a whole other set of reporting requirements.

The FBAR and Form 8938 reporting is fairly simple after the first year, and something most people can do by themselves in a couple of hours.The PFIC reporting is extremely onerous and will almost certainly require (expensive) professional help, plus the US taxation on these funds will decimate potential profit.

If any of this applies Google FBAR, Form 8938 and PFICs to get a general understanding of the issue and then come back and ask questions if necessary. You will also find a wealth of information on this forum.

You might want to ask your employer for assistance with US taxes before you move, and for the first year (or two) after arriving. The US is very unforgiving for those who do not comply with all foreign accounting laws and cuts no slack to anyone for any reason (short of a catastrophic circumstances).

And, of course you must declare all foreign income on your US taxes even if tax is already paid in the UK on the same income. There are processes in place to ensure you do not get double taxed but that is a whole other topic. Best to become familiar with all of this before moving so that you can organize to minimize taxation, hassle and avoid nasty fines for non compliance.

I would take another look at Dallas. I live in Missouri and pass through Indiana frequently, and previously lived in Austin, Texas. I’m not a great fan of Texas (other than Austin) but would most definitely prefer to live in Dallas versus Indiana, especially if this was my first move from the UK. Nothing wrong with Indiana but as stated previously it is quite run down in many places, although nicer out in the countryside. Unless you like a pretty quiet life, I think you would find it easier to assimilate in the Dallas area. Cost of living in Dallas will be higher, but no state income tax in Texas will help.

Presumably the salary isn't the same for each place though?

If low cost of living is what you're after, the US is not the place to be!

So I will get Tax advise as part of my package which by the sounds of it is deffo needed.

With the E2 visa its just me and my wife so no kids.

The salary is the same for all locations which is why i didn't shortlist San Fran.

Could anyone provide the rough costs of utilities they reckon it would be monthly for a 2bed apartment or 3bed house. A lot of places don't include utilities in the monthly rent so need to calculate the average costs of those.

Thanks for all the replies to much appreciated

In Missouri which is not so different from Indiana about $300-$400 per month (averaged throughout the year would likely cover electricity/gas/water/sewage and trash.

In Texas the electricity would push that up considerably due to running A/C 24/7 year round. Likely more than double. It’s been sometime since I lived in Austin but even back then I had colleagues who were regularly paying $800+ for an all electric house. Likely somewhat bigger than a standard 3 bed though.

It’s going to vary a lot by region even within each state, and where you place your thermostat. Where I live the minimum water bill for even just using a single drop is $70+ per month, on the other hand electricity is a non profit so very reasonable.

That's really odd. Make sure it's a good enough salary, you can use an online calculator to see what you'll have left after deductions, but also find out how much your healthcare will cost. As a general rule, I'd say at least double your UK salary would give you a similar standard of living, depending on whereabouts you are. Most things here cost 3 times what they do in the UK, but I'm in a pricey area.

Our utilities (water, gas and electricity) averaged $455 a month in our first year. Wifi was $30 a month, we don't have cable tv. Our biggest expenses were rent, car, and groceries. Car alone averaged $1900 a month (including gas and tolls) but as above, our insurance is crazy expensive here.

On an E2, make sure you have a good repatriation package as well as the relocation package, you need to ensure they'll cover all your costs for moving back too.

And make sure the tax advice includes a couple of pre-move consultations. We found that invaluable as by the time you become tax resident in the US, it could be too late to change things.

Good luck.

You can buy ahead using International Autosource - I used them myself, and have recommended them many times here on BE. If you sign the contract and pay a deposit you can avoid the sales tax, so while the car prices might not be the cheapest, they are reasonable enough when you consider that it's something you won't have to do after you arrive, and have saved the cost of temporary car rental too. Also if you finance the purchase (BTW you do not need your SSN to buy and finance through IA), you will be building your credit history as soon as you start making loan payments.

But Texas has zero state income tax while Indiana has at least 3%, in case that makes a difference to you.

I thought so too, since the OP had posted different salaries for different places (now deleted).
Can't imagine having the same salary for Indianapolis and Seattle and San Fran - even Dallas

Are you maybe thinking of this thread? Relocating to US from UK

Not that it will make much difference to you but we live in Mississippi. We use A/C nearly all year round. We heat with gas and have a gas stove and that utility bill is separate. Electric comes to about $250 a month in the summer months of May, June, July, August, September. During the winter it will drop to about $175 a month. Gas quarterly is $55-$80.

I lived for a while near Indiana birder, We only used AC for about six weeks in the summer, main utility cost in the winter, and who the supplier is, and when house was built affects the bill- but I would guess in dead of winter 300 to 500 for average house.

Have relative living in Indiana now, their auto insurance 150 a month , like UK variety of internet or combination internet -mobile - cable plans, on average seems a bit more in USA if one has cable television.

Food we found when there much cheaper than UK especially for fruit and vegetables- however we were lucky we lived in area of Amish farms so we bought direct many things. However relatives in the States now all tell me groceries more expensive in USA, and of course full of chemicals and extra sugar.

Indiana one can find decent Mexican food, but like most areas of America hard to find decent Italian food- the Americans have concocted what they call Italian dishes that do not exist in Italy, and often a bit bizarre. When we lived near Indiana, we bought most of our eggs, chicken, sausages, bakery items,milk, from Amish farms - higher quality and often same or lower prices than in grocery stores. Indiana state by and large, so often one can find markets with better quality and lower prices- we typically for repeat items whether from markets or Amish we worked out discounts, and generally since wife knows how to cook and avoids most packaged or frozen food from chain grocery stores , while we were there generally she spent 20% less than neighbors on family food budget - and for pork or beef one can if one wises negotiate with famers too.

I will say for Dallas when I did business there I stayed in Addison area, no shortage of good restaurants by American standards.

I visit a Navy Dentist friend of mine in Indianapolis a couple times a year. He lives in McCordsville which is a very nice area. The better neighbor hoods of Indy are North of city. In Summer there is an abundance of farm produce available, better quality and cheaper than in stores. I lived several years in the southern part of Indiana.

Do they also offer any home search support service as part of the relocation package or is this down to you?