scrubbedexpat099

I have been here sometime so may be out of touch, but take the view that there is not much in it on average.

Somebody's out of the ordinary needs may tip it, like having significant medical needs for example.

petitefrancaise

Colorado is a more expensive place to live. I was there for 2 weeks last year and everything cost more. But it is really nice! I love it and will be going back this summer too.

I can't compare UK and Austin prices because it's a long time since I lived there but run of the mill food here is cheaper than France. I moan about the quality of the food but I was spoiled in France. Good French wine is cheaper here which amuses me, before anyone shouts me down I'm not talking about the vin de crap you can buy in France for €1 a gallon.....a $10 bottle of wine is much nicer than a €15 one in france.

Look at the coverage for the health insurance. Check the co-pays ($20 for me), co-insurance (10%) and deductible - look to see whether you have to go in-network or whether you can go out of network for a higher payment.

Optical insurance? All my lot have glasses and this costs me a fortune. Target for $150 a pair for the kids under 16 is the best I've seen

Prescription insurance? Our co-pays are usually $5. When you consider that my son's acne medicine (isotretinoin) is $3000 per month, you'll realise that it's worth getting a good policy.

stockhall

bloody hell, $3000 per month, I was looking at it as we do have learning difficulties and dental issues and optical issues so I have read about it a bit, and will get info on husband's insurance and what it says.

Pulaski

Unless your husband has unusually generous employment linked health insurance you are either going to pay fairly handsomely for insurance or pay substantial deductibles, or both. Oh, and budget $2,000/yr per vehicle for car insurance; it will fall over the next 3-4 years, but can be very hefty when you first arrive.

On housing being "cheap", a couple of things:

(i) have you checked property taxes in Texas - PetiteFrancaise says she is paying close to $1,000 a month in property taxes.

(ii) houses in the US can easily become a money pit. The heating and AC systems usually only last 10-15 years and can easily run $15,000-$25,000 for replacement. One BE'er was recently quoted $22,000-$24,000 for replacing his heating and AC which is approaching the end of its life in his 4,342sqft house in the Houston area. Roofs are another absurd recurring expense - don't bet on a roof lasting beyond 20 years and it can cost $15,000-$20,000 to replace that too.

stockhall

I have checked property taxes yes, it is a bit of a minefield what you pay and where rates seem to vary quite considerably regardless of house size really, majority of properties I am looking at are a few years old, so hopefully wouldn't have too many issues, we would invest in the property and keep it uptodate and modernise it. Husband is keen on things like this, and once eldest two have graduated I would consider upgrading further and/or experience other areas.

jjmb

I have read through all this thread and I still have no idea why you have chosen Texas over all the other states available. You say you will be on your own where ever you live, so I presume your husband travels with his employer (government?) and that he is already employed over here. You mentioned $ to £ conversion when he sends over money.

You mention you have a child of 2 and one who is 14. How old are the rest? Where you live in Austin area will depend on your income. I assume you will not be working with such a large family and one that includes handicaps. Pflugerville is a relatively cheap area to live and Henderickson High school is OK but if you want a more academically challenging school, you should consider Round Rock or Eanes (West Lake Hills, a really rich small school district). I would say with a family of 8, you would need an income of about $150,000 to live comfortably. You wouldn't be that well off but better than most.

You will have to drive anywhere in Texas. In the summer, it is just too hot to walk other than in very early in the morning or late in the evening. Even then the temp will be in high 30's C/ high 70'. One summer recently we had 90 days over 100f. Winters tend to be mild but we still get snow at least once a year. As we are having a wet spring (summer doesn't start until 21 June), the weather will probably be cooler than normal which means low 90's from about now to Sept.

Once your child hits 16, the pressure will be on to get them a car so you are not a public transport service, especially with 6 kids. Fortunately, if you already have a green card, your children will be able to work. HEB is a great place for a high school student to work as they will work with their school schedule and they offer scholarships. Don't get me wrong, it not a great job as they are cashier/stock filling jobs but they are a good employer which is more than can be said about most retail employers. Of course the best thing is not to be working and getting extra coaching on their academic studies but the lure of money and car can be overwhelming. Make them work for a car

Public transport is available in Austin, Cedar Park and Leander but both Round Rock and Pflugerville opted out of the transport system in the early 2000's. They are too wealthy to use public transport. That is said tongue in check but it is a truism that public transport = poor. There is a light railway but only has one line and is not available after 6.30 weekdays. Taxis like anywhere are expensive.

Food is cheap I suppose but the quality is not that great unless you go to the upmarket grocery stores such as central market or whole foods. The main grocery chain in this area is HEB with a few Randalls dotted around.

If you have good health insurance, you really do not have much to worry about but as the new healthcare law become more ingrained, the more employers are restricting their health plans and expecting you pay more co-pays. Of course, all that might change with a new government in 2017 (election 2016) just like it changing in the UK (sorry people with disabilities, you are f#####) I have multiple prescriptions and most are in the range of $5-15 for a 3 month supply. A lot will depend on your health plan. My son's plan sucks and he pays a lot more.

You have mentioned other areas of Texas. San Antonio is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't like to live there. My daughter lived in Houston for a few years and I quite like a few of the areas but it is very hot and humid in the summer, plus it can be hit with the odd hurricane or tropical storm every so often. My other daughter studied in Denton which is just north of Forth Worth and Dallas. I was not keen on Dallas but other towns around about seemed OK. Again the weather can be a bit wild up there. Tornadoes in the spring/autumn. Very hot in the summer and often very cold in the winter. Austin really does have the best aspects for weather, very few tornadoes, not too humid most of the summer and not many tropical storms which if they do come in that far inland are not as destructive as on the coast.

As I am writing this from France at the moment, I am really missing Texas at the moment. When I first arrived in 2000, I hated it as it was so different from the UK. It grew on me and now its home.

stockhall

thank you very much for the comprehensive reply, very well thought out, and much appreciated.

researching into where was best was a lot of different sites and recommendations, texas came on top from personal viewpoints and websites. Austin was recommended by a friend as it is the most liberal 'if you can call it that' of all of Texas. I have looked into cedar park along with round rock and pflugerville. Looked at west hills and OMG how much is the average house.

My first choices was northeast, mostly the virginias and new york state, but i dont do loads of snow and I really didn't get the same buzz from the houses. I would love Palo Alto in California but that is way out of our budget.

My kids are 2, 6, 8, 11, 14 and 15. 4 of whom are really excited about living in america. I am not planning on travelling after 6,30 most days as 7.30 is bedtime, so not an issue really, but that is when the car does come in handy.

Bob

Which is great that it worked, but it's not the usual case. No history is generally considered worse than bad history.

Nothing gets reported till the 6 month mark and history is pretty meaningless till the year mark.

Bob

Oh and with so many kids, have you looked into cost of after school activities?

Some town rec departments are better than others, but doing a sport through the town or not, or whatever the activity, usually isn't cheap, once you add in travel and equipment.

Just something else to budget for and be aware of.

Pulaski

I have not seen a case with such little sign of a reason or purpose for relocating to the US. All I have gleaned is "because we can".

scrubbedexpat099

Big House, Car, Cheaper.

username.exe

I've got to agree.
I've been here six months now, and for everything 'thing' that is cheaper here, there's another that seems necessarily expensive compared to the UK.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Pulaski

It can work depending on your mix of needs and choices, but bringing a child to the US with life-long needs for intensive medical support is an interesting decision.

username.exe

My fault for not reading all the posts in the thread.
I agree with your concerns.

petitefrancaise

Here's where it gets interesting......
I'm sure those of you paying attention will have read that my son has celiac disease. Lots of nasties awaiting us down the road. With good insurance, he gets to see the specialists he needs so we can head off a lot of stuff. In the UK, and even in France,it would have been tricky to manage everything. Here, money sorts it out.

If you haven't had a special needs kid, then you don't know how hard it is. Money and good insurance is a godsend.