Hallsy_

Morning all,

I am currently a month into an 'actively reviewed' I-130 application at the Potomac Service Center, so looking likely to be 2 years before I am off, however I am looking for some financial advice in regards to how much money would I need for my situation.

First year in the US:

- Will be living with US Citizen parents
- Minimal rent including utilities

Looking for advice on general costs of things like Gym memberships, phone contracts etc etc but also how much would be a good amount to aim to take for setting myself up and not needing to work for the first few months. I appreciate this question is a bit 'how long is a piece of string' but general costings would be greatly appreciated.

The plan is to travel a fair bit in the first year especially to Miami and Nashville as two places I've never been to but always wanted to go to.

Thanks!

Glasgow Girl

Your biggest expense is going to be health insurance and car insurance, unless you intend to be covered by your parents health insurance and driving their cars. You can research health insurance costs pretty easily on healthcare.gov, car insurance will be very expensive in comparison to the UK. I would plan on at least $2,000 annually. Other costs like gym membership and phone you can research very easily on the internet.

civilservant

I would rather shoot myself in the head then have drive daily on a road anywhere in a 40 mile radius around Atlanta, but that's me. Even getting to the airport is a PIA.

A prepaid cell plan might cost you $50, gym membership maybe the same. Anything with the word 'insurance' on it is going to cost you an arm and a leg right off the boat, and that includes car insurance. As an example, I added my 19 year old stepdaughter to my insurance policy and it doubled it, $180 to $360 per month.

Are you planning to fly or drive to these places? If drive, you will need to sink at least $10k into a car I would have thought. They last longer around here than in the North East (no rust to talk about) but because of that even older vehicles hold value to a certain extent.

If you mean to fly, you will still need to factor in a rental car at the other end. Most airports in the US are significantly outside the central business district of major cities and you will still need transportation to get around.

Hallsy_

Thanks both civilservant and Glasgow Girl , much appreciated. Hearing your experiences and perspectives are massively helpful.

$50 for a Gym Membership sounds good to me, I currently pay £140 for mine in the UK ha! I appreciate the cost depends on what quality of product/service you want so the $50 mark I guess is middle of the road. Again, thank you for that.

Like your points about the insurance, are there any other costs that someone from outside the US wouldn't necessarily be aware of? The obvious one is healthcare but you have both covered that off.

The travel would most be by car, that way I get to see more of the country that might not typically see otherwise

civilservant given that your based in GA, you will probably have a better understanding of the intricacies of how GA works in terms of taxes etc. Any hidden fees or general advice you'd give to a newcomer from the UK?

Thanks again both!

civilservant

Since you aren't going to be working, the only thing you will be subject too in terms of taxation is the state sales tax, which varies depending on the type of item you are purchasing.

Don't forget that sales tax is generally not included on the price you see for anything, so expect to pay 7% more. This includes cars etc.

Hallsy_

I will be working eventually, i'll be back into the Tech world. I'm hoping to buy myself 3 months minimum to acclimate, get comfortable with my surroundings and do a little bit of travelling before I join the working world.

I'm thinking $40-$50k all in would allow me to achieve this. Remember this includes the upfront payment of a reliable car as well as set-up fees for banks, phone, gym, insurances and then lastly, travel.

ddsrph

For gym check out Planet Fitness website. Their monthly fees range from $10-25 and are open for business 24/7. They have many Atlanta locations. For car insurance consider liability only and check with an independent agent (They advertise as such) rather than a brand only agent. Somebody has to pay for the TV ads appearing every five minutes for the well known insurance companies. When getting a car make sure the air conditioning works. If you have never lived in the South East US the hot summers may be a surprise.

civilservant

I personally would recommend Farm Bureau. They don't advertise on TV generally and have many local agents. They have always treaded us well, and did not drop me after I cost them $40,000 of insurance claims in a year (1st wreck, my fault, $19,000 person injury claim paid out. 2nd wreck, not my fault, hit and run, $21,000 paid to me for my totaled truck)

I second the need for AC. You simply cannot survive in the South without out.

ddsrph

Farm Bureau is a good choice. If I didn’t have USAA I would most likely have Tennessee Farm Bureau.

nun

Hi there. Just for clarity is there any chance that you are already a US citizen because of your parents US citizenship?

Hallsy_

Hi nun ,

No unfortunately, my father became a US Citizen in the last 5 years or so, originally being a UK Citizen but now holds dual-citizenship. My life would have been far easier if he was born in the US ha!

Hallsy_

Hi ddsrph , civilservant ,

Thanks for the info regarding the insurance, not so worried about that as that is a completely normal thing for us in the UK as well (except $2000 p/a vs £400 p/a *gulp*), more looking for the hidden costs that don't come naturally or are obvious to us in the UK. By the seems of it, it looks mostly covered off though with Health Insurance being the main addition to outgoings which can be supported by family policies/employer supplement.

I am thankful that I am not going over blind and have family on the ground to assist but you can never be too prepared right!

civilservant

How old are you? Your post implies that you think you can get on your parents health insurance, correct?

I don't really know what you mean by hidden costs, there are not really any that I am especially aware of. I guess you are right that health insurance claims are mostly responsible for surprise costs, however beyond that things cost what they cost on the whole.

I think you are somewhat underestimating the cost of car insurance as a young person with zero driving experience to be honest. The insurance company will not take any UK history into account (generally) so I think $2000 pa would be pretty low cost in your situation. I would budget $4k and be happy if it's less.

You also need to be aware that the state minimum insurance ($25k/$50k, meaning $25k per person and $50k per accident) is grossly insufficient. The average new vehicle price in the US is $40k. So cause an accident that totals a vehicle worth $40k, and hurt someone to the tune of $20k and you will be on the hook for everything above your $50k policy maximum.

I have been through the process of being sued, despite it being below my policy limits, it isn't fun.

Hallsy_

civilservant 28 and will be 30 by the time I'm there, which thinking about it will probably require my own insurance policy, being an adult?

Sorry, you're correct. I mean surprise costs rather than hidden costs.

RE: Insurance costs, that is definitely useful to know. Someone earlier in the post reference roughly $2000 p/a minimum. I'm a fairly risk adverse person so if I have to pay more for the better coverage, I will. All this is massively useful to know as I am trying to total an idea of how much money I'll need to set myself up for the first 6 months. If we're estimating $10,000 for a used car, and somewhere around $4000 p/a for insurance, that is already a chunk without taking much else into consideration.

christmasoompa

I'm a bit confused by your posts and your anticipated timeline, what stage of the process are you at? When was the I-130 submitted?