SamiZ

I am close to internally transferring within my company from the UK to the US (on an L1 visa) and I am trying to work out if in "real" terms I will be better off salary wise to what I earn in the UK. I know it is not a like for like comparison as you have different tax systems, cost of living depending on different states varying so much etc...but I wanted to ask if anyone knows a good tool / calculator that will do a salary adjustment to tell me what I can expect as a net salary (I am speaking with my employer and I want to calculate dollar figures they come up with).

I have googled various calculators but there are wide ranging differences...I would be grateful if someone could recommend one they found useful.

Thanks.

Pulaski

Where are you working in the UK, and where will you be located in the US?

The regional variations within the US are huge. If you are paid a London salary and relocated to New York you might be about as well off with your salary converted to USD at around the current exchange rate (though I suspect slightly worse off). I hear that San Francisco is a more expensive to live in than New York, and it seems that way when I visit.

I moved from London to a low cost area in"The South" and took a job for about 30% more dollars as I had been paid pounds, i.e. for every £100 I had been paid in London I was paid $130, and found myself substantially better off.

SamiZ

My UK salary is not based on location and I work as a software consultant. I am looking to move to Southern California (Irvine) as most of my wife's family (i.e. my kids grandparents) and some of my extended family live there - we are all a very close family. Whilst I am acutely aware of housing costs and I have looked at this very closely.

I must mention that the employer has a salary adjuster per state, how much I don't know but there will not be a massive variance in salary.

Hotscot

When you say "software consultant?" what does that mean..it's very vague.

In any case, you can probably search for city data for Irvine but ballpark @ 100K upwards is a decent start. Professional salaries usually start around 80k minimum.

Depends what your doing though...as I said..software consultant could cover many areas.

(Will you have a working wife, and any children? If so that will affect matters obviously.)

md95065

OK, but where do you actually live in the UK?

That will give us a better idea of how your cost of living / quality of life is likely to compare to Southern California.

SamiZ

I live in Basingstoke.

I provide enterprise based marketing solutions to clients, starting from pre-sales opportunities to assessing what a marketing organisation wants to do, what their current issues are. I put technology solutions together, implement them, test the solution(s) and train the users and manage the client relationship. This is what I meant as a software consultant.

Apologies if this sounds flippant but I just need a link to a recommended online tool that will give me a break down of a gross annual salary (I have a figure in mind) and will give me a ballpark net figure that I can work with. An analysis of my current situation is not required at this stage.

That said I appreciate the quick responses and the help.

Thank you.

hungryhorace

What's your salary now (circa)? I would add 15-20% to it for California.

Ozzidoc

A good starting ballpark is to double the number that is pounds, and get more than this in dollars.

eg 60K GBP -> $120K

SoCal is expensive.

Hotscot

Even if you do find an online tool there are so many variables for it to be anything more than a very rough indicator. It's difficult for any tool to take into account your quality of life preferences. I don't imagine you'd find any "official" or "recommended tool".

For example, do you need a Honda Civic, a BMW, a top end Lexus?
A townhouse or four bedroom detached with a pool?
Eat out much or stay in?
Other interests/activities you may be involved in because you're in California?

(I was in software sales when I moved to SoCal in 2000. Working for Adobe. Went from 30K GBP to $85K and that was back then. So roughly about double. Funnily enough, working here will let me afford to retire comfortably back in Scotland.)

sir_eccles

Garbage in garbage out.

hungryhorace

That's quite a jump. Not sure how that would fly with a company? My company certainly didn't do those figures.

Ozzidoc

Fixed it for you.

Sally Redux

Agreed.

Ozzidoc

My husband's did, as did that of many Brits we know in SoCal.

Obviously it's all about market forces.

Hotscot

It feels like you're going about this the wrong way. Can't you indicate how much your company is willing/going to pay and then people here, including me, can give you a better idea of how far it will go?

Surely this has all been determined by now if you're so close to transferring as you've indicated in your original post?