basementwaj

Come on England!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, the thread.
A friend of mine is moving from London to NYC to start a new job. It will be his first time in NY and will be working off Times Square.

He doesnt really know anything about anything there and wanted some helpful advice to assist his move... if you have any advice please post it and i will send it on to him

In particular he wants to know...
What is the level of inome tax in NYC?
How much is the VAT type of tax?
How much would a 1 bed small apartment cost to rent in the burbs?
What burb should he look at to move too?
How is the commute / would he need a car?
Can he drive on his UK license?
Anything else you can think of that would be of some help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

gopherhound

My first advice would be DON'T DO IT!! I lived in New York for 6 months and hated it. However, some people love it so here are your answers:
1: Income tax is complicated. You will definitely have federal income tax and NY state income tax. If you live in any of the five city boroughs then you will also have city tax. Takes a good chunk out of your wages. (On $38K annually I lost 15% to state and city).
2: If I remember correctly sales tax was about 7.5% but some things are not taxed (clothes up to $50 per item I think).
3: If you want to live out of Manhattan I would say the Bronx or Queens (stay away from the south Bronx though!). The subway still runs there. If you want a really nice place to live I would say Westchester county (south). Very pretty but also very pricy. In the Bronx or Queens a 1 bedroom apartment will cost about $900-1000/month. In Westchester a little more.
4: If you live within subway or train NO CAR. Manhattan is the absolute worst place to drive, parking costs a fortune ($20/day if you're lucky). So does insurance.
5: You can temporarily drive on your UK license however, you would have to get a New York drivers license, probably within 10 days of arriving.

Good luck to your friend.

basementwaj

Wow great stuff, i will forward this to him... thanks for your help!

Andy_LongIsland

Hey mate

You can drive on a UK licence for up to a year (on the stamp of entry in his passprt) then he'd need to get a US one - least that's what the DVN told me and you have to go through the permit stage etc

Hope thats helpful

Jerseygirl

A year? Wow that's a long time best to check their website.

gopherhound

In Florida we only had 10 days and we did not have to go through permit, however, that was pre-9/11 and a lot has changed since then. Best check with NY DMV.

neil

Even if you live out of the city there is a lower rate of city tax that gets paid. About 25% of my pay gets taken in taxes and social security (I live out in NJ so may pay a bit less than someone living in NYC) but there are ways of avoiding paying social security for up to 5 years.

I'm pretty sure it's over 8% now. It used to be the case that there was no tax on clothes but I discovered the last time I bought clothes there that it was no longer the case (although that might have changed again).

I would think you'd be lucky to find something that cheap. One bedrooms in Manhattan are typically over $2000 a month and I wouldn't expect it to drop that much unless you're in a dodgy area. The place where everyone seems to be living/moving to now is Brooklyn. I have rented apartments out in NJ (in nice complexes admittedly) for just under $2000, so I probably wouldn't use a figure of $1000 to plan for coming to NY, especially if using it in salary negotiations.

I agree you probably wouldn't want a car unless you choose to live away from public transport or in an area where you have a long way to go to get any shopping done, so if you're in NYC then you probably wouldn't want one. You can use a UK licence for as long as you want unless you buy your own car. If your visa is for longer than a year then you will need to get a US license and even though they say within a certain number of days you probably won't be able to until you get a social security number. Insurance will kill you.

Jerseygirl

[QUOTE=neil]Even if you live out of the city there is a lower rate of city tax that gets paid. About 25% of my pay gets taken in taxes and social security (I live out in NJ so may pay a bit less than someone living in NYC) but there are ways of avoiding paying social security for up to 5 years.

Don't forget that 25% is the lower end of the tax bracket it does get higher....almost double....depending on salary, where you live etc.

neil

[QUOTE=Jerseygirl] Good point, I'll probably end up paying more as my annual bonus is a hefty chunk of my pay and I haven't been in the job long enough to find out how that will affect my tax return. I should have probably thought about that when filling out my tax withholding form.

Englishmum

I'd suggest to your friend that he checks out Hoboken, NJ -just across the river Hudson...it's a bit wider than the Thames but think of it as the natural barrier between north and south London LOL!

You take the PATH subway or ferries into Manhatten or a bus which goes across the Lincoln tunnel and directly to the Port Authority on 41st-42nd Streets and 8th Avenue -
which is one block from Times Square


Hoboken is a thriving place with loads of pubs, cafes and restaurants and is cheaper than living in NYC...it's really trendy and a new 'W' Hotel is currently being constructed on the waterfront.

Loads of expats -inc Brits - live in Hoboken and commute into the city....some of them even post right here on BE!

This website lists prices of apartment rentals and flat shares in Hoboken:

http://www.hoboken.com/

and this pub has bands on all the time, including quite a number of British bands....it's often a warm-up venue prior to a major tour:

http://www.maxwellsnj.com/

My South African expat friend lived in London and still has her British driving licence. She commutes into NYC by train and has no need for a car and just rents one whenever she goes away for the weekend. She never has any trouble using her GB (photo) licence.

frrussre

Sales tax in NYC (5 boro's) is 8.375%.
Your friend will need to make $90k - 100k minimum, to live okay, certainly not well, certainly not in luxury.
Expect to lose between 33 - 38% in City/st/fed/FICA/Medicaid etc. If he makes, more money, then rates go higher.
Apts 1 BR, even in Queens, Brooklyn or NJ = $1200 for not very nice walk up. Real doorman/elevator/laundry, try from 100's to lower East side, $2000 mo & up.
No, cars, expensive insurance, no where to park.
$7 beer, in small bars. Same bar Hamburger & 1 beer $20 +.
I have lived in NYC for 17 + yrs.
Reg. Frank R.

Jerseygirl

How you doin' Frank?

You forgot to mention that you can't wait to get out of there and are doing just that in the next few days.

frrussre

Hi Jersey, you are 100% correct. Out of here 6/13. I got paroled, good behaviour. I got 18 years, just for saying please and thank you + I held the door open for people. The cops & the Judge said "Thats UN New Yorkish, you must be up to no good"
How are you? Weathers been grim in the city. Raining & cold.
Reg. Frank R.

Jerseygirl

Never known it to be as cold and rainy for so many days in June. If this carries on save a place in your Explorer for me. Wonder if you'll miss NYC Frank? A lot of hubbys ex work partners have moved from NYC to Florida and have never looked back. Good luck Frank.

frrussre

If it does not work out, 4 can move to Brighton/Hove UK.
Reg.