Rickmeister

This is my first time using this site. I've been accepted onto an exchange programme (J-1 visa?) for a year. My work will cover both Pittsburgh and New York city so I can live in/near either. I have a family with 2 young sons (they'll be 1 and 5 when we move out). Does anyone know which would be better to move to with family? If NYC, we wouldn't live in the Big Apple but somewhere nearby like New Jersey or Connecticut. My stipend hasn't yet been agreed, but I've heard from others it'll be in the $7500/month ballpark after tax. We would be looking to enrol my 5yo into a good school so he's not behind when we move back to London. And ideally we'd want to rent a 3 bed house with garden. Any thoughts?

jeepster

two toddler family? Pittsburgh, PA.

Pulaski

If your pay is fixed (not location dependent), it has to be Pittsburgh. The cost of living in the greater NYC area, including NJ, is insane, and you would be likely spending half, or more, of your after-tax income on rent!

Rickmeister

Thanks both. I'm not entirely sure how my stipend is calculated but there may be some room for manoeuvre (probably not much though). Interested ion knowing why having a two toddler family makes Pittsburgh the top choice?

md95065

Pittsburgh isn't the top choice.

The New York area is the bottom choice (because of the extremely high cost of living) and Pittsburgh is the only other location that you gave.

Bob

What's the birth date of the 5 year old? Chances are, won't be going to first grade, so it's kindergarten or private school.

Housing in CT that are in decent commutes of NYC aren't cheap and the commute isn't really that fun, especially in winter.

Rickmeister

He's born in November. Does that make a difference - still trying to get my head around elementary school vs. kindergarten? In London he'd be starting Year 1 primary school in August (when we'd be thinking of coming over).

Bob

Yes.

Each school district have their own cut off dates. Some are more flexible than others, some aren't flexible at all.

You can google the date range for the districts in the areas' that appeal to see what they might be.

He would be looking to go into kindergarten. First grade is for 6 going on 7 year olds, usually.

The thing with kindergarten, depends on the town. It's usually only half day (that is free), with the option of a full day at a cost. Some towns offer full day without charge though, but those towns usually have a lottery/waiting list and isn't the norm.

Rickmeister

Right. I did not know that. That is a big consideration for us because obviously in England he'd be going into full time education, and also he'll have to assimilate back into it once we go back. I think the biggest deciding factor now is where we can get him into a good pre-school (and I'm guessing that means money). Thanks everyone, I'll have a Google around.

Bob

I've no idea about PA, but locally and I'm sure for a lot of areas of NY/NJ/CT, good pre-schools can be hard to get into because of a long waiting list and yes, they won't be cheap.

Burbs of Boston and it could be $1200-1600 a month for 3 half days a week, but then in rural Maine it could be $400 full day, all week, with extended hours a month.

I've no idea what the market will be in the locations you're looking into, but I'd hazard a guess as to which end of the scale you'll be looking at.

city-data.com might be a helpful site for this kind of info.

Pulaski

Private education is not popular among most of the regular posters on BE, and while I agree there are many small and under-funded schools of doubtful educational merit, there are also extremely good private schools, though they can be pricey. I am not familiar with Pittsburgh, but I am sure that being an old city in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh is going to have several good schools with a suitably rigorous academic program. I suspect that there may also be one or more "old money" schools that are expensive, perhaps unnecessarily so.

Here in NC, where costs are lower, for a good quality private school you would be looking at around $1.5k/month, which I agree sounds expensive, but it is easily possible to pay $1k/mth for a school-like daycare-preschool program for 2-5yr olds. Basic daycare for 2-5yr olds in a purpose-built facility starts at $800/mth.

I would guess that comparable prices would be 20-40% higher in Pittsburgh.

Rickmeister

Hi, thanks for suggesting city-data, I'll have a gander. At the moment we really like the look of some places in NJ (like Essex County) but if the costs are going to be prohibitive, Pittsburgh does not seem a bad option. The pre-school thing is really important to us (the $7500/mo is not a dead given, it's just something we heard on the grapevine as a ballpark figure, I'm sure there is room for negotiation).

Pulaski

If you’re going to start negotiating, maybe you should put most of your efforts into having your employer pick up the tab for private education?

MarylandNed

Some might disagree with that.

The Economist names Pittsburgh the Most Livable City (on the mainland) again - NEXTpittsburgh

WEBlue

Indeed. I have friends (a British couple with a child) who moved to a Pittsburgh suburb a year and a half ago, and they love it.