Pulaski

This is very poor advice, and a recipe for accepting under-market pay. You need to look at what local market pay is for the job that you do and your knowledge, experience, and qualifications. To be blunt, what you are paid in the UK is largely irrelvant to what you should be paid in the US, and it is not uncommon for technology, scientific, and engineering roles to pay substantially more in the US than merely taking your GBP salary in the UK and multiplying it by 1.8 to get a dollar figure.

Winston_the_Great_Dane

I agree with you 100%, but it's a simple measure of whether it's a raise or not. I've seen people come on this forum being offered low money. The 1.8 figure is derived from the difference between UK median salary and US median salary, not just a figure plucked out of thin air. Absolutely do the research, and lookblook at local market but it's a useful quick check.

Mic1

Where do you come up with that figure? Too many variables to make a blanket statement like that.

Pulaski

Post #14 above.

I agree it's a broad blanket statement, but not a bad rule of thumb.

SanDiegogirl

If you are already thinking the salary is not very appealing, based, I presume, at looking at cost of living (primarily accommodation/utilities?)in Philadelphia, then you probably should not move.
Moving is extraordinarily expensive, even with a re-location package (have you been offered one of these?)
Apart from cost of living in Philly, have you also factored in health insurance costs?

tht

My only advice is crunch your own numbers and negotiate. Despite the name of the forum moving to the US is not like being an expat basically most other places in the world, Brits who go to low tax countries As expats have a lot of benefits that are often not taxed and pay lower taxes, keep their savings “offshore” from the UK and in my experience in Asia, India (most live in gated communities there) and to a lesser extent in NZ and AU there is an actual in person “expat community” that’s meets up very frequently for social events. In the US your just another immigrant like everyone else... some bars will show the english soccer and have a cluster of brits etc, but it’s not the same.

Nutmegger

Indeed, Philadelphia is not cheap.

Pulaski

Agreed, and I would extend that to say, contrary to popular belief, America is not cheap.

Personally I wouldn't move even to a lower cost area of the US as a family of four for less than $100k household annual income. I have previously posted outline budgets that show $60k gross annual income as "borderline survivable" in a lower cost part of America, with no savings and no money for holidays or flights to the UK. And as noted by Nutmegger, Philadelphia is not a cheap area, therefore I would considered $100k household income to be "bordeline survivable" in the Philadelphia area.

kokolino23

I was hoping that a $100k household income would be a very decent one but looks like I have to do more research and budgeting. Thanks for pointing this out to us.