LillyRobeson

I have a possible job offer from an international organization in NYC. I'm based in London, partner and two kids, with combined take-home income of about £4000 and we manage fine on that.

So the job offer in NYC would give us:
about $7800 take home pay per month (just me - after all deductions)
for the first 4 years, they'll pay a % of rent - the calculation is complicated but works out best for us to rent in the region of $5000 and we'd pay $3000 with organization paying the rest.
Health insurance is excellent (zero deductibles etc) but contribution of about $800 a month depending on the package I choose
They also pay 75% of private school tuition and my two are in nursery adn Y2 (so pre-K and 2nd grade in Sept - right?)

OK, so that's the package. My partner would want to work so once he gets himself set up we'll have that income. We have the 4 years rent subsidy that gives us the breathing space until he starts earning.

So, my questions for you lovely and knowledgeable folk are:

*If you've lived in London and NYC, do you think they're comparable in price? If we manage in London, will we be OK in NYC, especially since we'll be earning more?

*We love London -do you think NYC is really all that different? I don't really feel any particular attraction to NYC (I've spent quite a bit of time there but never lived there) but am certainly a city girl, so I'm guessing most of what I like in London, I'll like in NYC (minus my Mum of course )

*Is $5000 per month reasonable for a nice Manhattan apartment, easy travelling to midtown east? Any areas in Manhattan you'd recommend? Should we look outside of Manhattan? Any areas you'd recommend there (LIC, Astoria, Roosevelt Island have all been mentioned)?

*I can't get my head around the health insurance stuff. Completely bonkers! Do you guys really pay that kind of money for health? Is that normal?

*What are the public schools like? Are we guaranteed a certain school if we just roll up mid-year (ie not like here!!)? Do we have a hope in hell of getting in to a decent private school? I've heard school entry is insane and there's some kind of NYC baby boom. We've been through it in London as we moved in-year and it was nightmarish. As we're not super-duper rich, would my kids feel out of place at private school? They go to regular state school here in London.

*Does this budget look reasonable to you:
Rent $3000 (for $5000 apartment)
Food/household $1000
Utilities $400
Health $800
Transport $400 (figure $200 for public transport and another couple of taxi rides per week at $25 each)
Other expenses (clothes, going out, trips, kids activities etc) $800
Possibly we'll need to factor in $1000-$1500 as 25% of school fees for 2 children God, I thought London private schools were pricey!!!
(you can see private school takes us a bit over budget until partner gets an income but we have savings we can use plus very generous relocation payment that we can save from if we're frugal)

Thank you so so much! Any info will be incredibly helpful. I'm really torn about this decision. I love London but NYC doesn't seem that bad and the job is fab. Plus the fact that I'm public sector so have pay freeze at the moment and losing child benefit next year makes the NYC move all the more attractive.

Nutmegger

First question, you keep saying "partner." If you are not married he will need to obtain a visa of his own in order to be allowed to work, so that might change your calculations. He could get a co-habitation visa on the back of yours, but that would not permit work. And I realize that you are probably looking at the H visa (the number eludes me!) which does not permit even a spouse to work.

LillyRobeson

Hi Nutmegger

Sorry my partner's my husband

Noorah101

Hi Lilly, Welcome to BE.

You do indeed keep saying "partner". Are you married? If not, you'll want to get married so he can gain a visa on the back of yours.

What visa exactly are YOU getting? This doesn't sound like an inter-company transfer, so probably not an L visa, right? Is it an H1B?

If it's an H1B, be aware that your husband will get an H4, which will NOT allow him to work at all. If he wants to work, he'd have to qualify for his own visa based on his own merits.

Health insurance CAN be very expensive, especially for a family of 4, yes.

Rene

Sally Redux

Are you absolutely sure there is nothing further to pay on healthcare? There is usually a co-pay of some kind for any treatment, prescriptions etc.

LillyRobeson

Yes, I don't why I said partner rather than husband. I realised reading the post back that it sounded a bit weird. But he most certainly is my husband!

It's a G visa (can't remember which one) because I'll be working for an intenational organisation. Spouses can then apply for permission to work which should be granted.

So the health covers 100% for in-network care (is there a reason to use out of network?) with zero deductible. There's a $50 co-pay for ER if not admitted and they don't cover non-emergency ER visits. Doctor's visits have a $15 or $20 co-pay depending on type and drugs have a $15 co-pay per 90 day supply and the rest is covered. So can't see us having signficant additional health costs.

Awesome Welles

Just a quick inquiry, if I may be so bold..... Is this a darling husband, or a conventional one?

emiwar

Hi there,

Sounds like you have quite a lot of info already re your health insurance etc. The amount you mentioned that you would have to pay each month sounds about right in my limited experience.

My husband has a job where health insurance just for him is covered 100% thru his company but if he wants to add me and or children, we would be looking in the region of $800 per month. So I guess since you will be in a similar situ then you would be looking at that kind of outgoing. Good healthcare is key here though so make sure your company is completely clear on what they offer, and also importantly when. You want to make sure you and your family are covered from day 1.

Rent in Manhattan is so variable and I assume you will be needing at least a two bed if not 3 bed place? If so, even $5000 would be tight. It of course depends on the area and the compromises you are willing to make. Right now we are on the hunt for a 2 bed place and $4500 is hard to beat for a decent-ish place. But again depends on your area/requirements. Good rental sites are streeteasy.com, trulia.com and of course craigslist.org. A recommendation from our experience would be to try and rent directly through a building management company, that way you can save on the brokers fee which runs at about 15% of the annual total gross rent. We originally came here looking for a 1 bed apartment in the region of $2000 and that quickly upped to $3000. We have a nice (small) place in the Financial District which seems to offer just a little more with modern amenities for an ok price.

I think food shopping can be comparable to London if not a little bit more expensive. Generally UK seems to be getting more and more competitive in its pricing so things tend to seem cheaper back home whenever I visit. Transport is reasonable and the metro particularly is cheap and can take you far. Most companies offer tax breaks on travel cards so you can pay for them pre-tax which is quite a good service.

Household utilities for us run at around $80 per month, thats only electricity, hot water and internet. Mobile phone costs here are much higher than the UK so expect to pay around $50 at least per month for a tariff per phone. TV packages vary but expect around $100.

Clothes shopping, entertainment etc can be considered comparable-ish but I cant offer much help on the private education info. All I hear is that state/city schools are variable in their qualities but I am sure people with much more experience and know-how than me would be able to give more advice here.

As for living in NYC its a great adventure. You will get used to extreme weather seasons (currently 80+ degrees and humid), more compact in terms of walking through lots of different districts quite easily, and beyond NYC there's lots of exploring to do using the train network.

Hope that little insight helps and good luck!!!

emiwar

HA HA not so little I know

LillyRobeson

Depends on when you ask me, although either way, I usually refer to him as a him rather than a this

fashionista

You might want to check the details of your relocation package. We were told we would get $x amount to spend on relocating (including shipping, buying new furniture etc) and had planned to use some of that cash as a buffer whilst waiting for my EAD (work authorisation) to come through. It turned out that we had to claim it through the expenses system, so we had to spend it to get it.

Good luck with your decision

rpjs

I'd say your package sounds reasonable, especially with the rent subsidy. Manhattan is super-expensive, if you're looking for a three-bed place, a quick look at a site like Related Rentals suggests you'd be looking more at $6K for such, rather than $5K, but you'd probably find a good apartment in a good area in Queens say for your target price or less. A lot of times some of the utils such as heat and hot water are included.

You'll find a lot cheaper outside of the city, if you don't mind not being in the centre of things and can handle commuting. We pay a bit over $2k for a 2/3 bedroom apartment in one of the Hudson Valley towns, and a true 3-bed here would be nearer $3k. The commute to Grand Central is 35-50 mins depending on the train, and it actually costs me less to commute in ($266 per month) than I was paying in NYC income tax each month when we lived in the city.

LillyRobeson

Thanks Emiwar, really helpful!

Wow! So $5000 is tight in NYC??? We'd like a 3 bed ideally but could make do with a 2 bed if big enough. .

I'll check out those property sites and see what I can get, thanks!

LillyRobeson

Thanks rpjs.

I really don't want to commute far and I'd much much rather go out a little bit to Queens or Brooklyn or get a smaller apartment.

Are there any particular areas in Manhattan or close by that you'd recommend?

I'm actually quite shocked that 5k won't cut it! I had visions of a lovely spacious 3 bed overlooking central park!

Nutmegger

You mean just like this?

http://www.nestseekers.com/32904/cen...-home-for-sale