British Expats - USA living expenses

I am a U.S. Citizen living here in Souther England, and I wanted to give you some information about living expenses in the U.S. that may help you or anyone else.

Renting an apartment in the United States is very different from renting in the United Kingdom. The biggest differences are with the added expenses to what is quoted for the rent. In the UK, you pay for EVERYTHING! Council tax, sewage, and water.

When you rent in the U.S., traditionally, the renter is not required to pay for the "property taxes" associated with the property; that is the responsibility of the landlord since he gets the direct benefit of all the public services.

Traditionally, the renter does not pay for water and sewage. That is included in your rent and basically a "freebie". In America, the only thing you are required to pay for is your rent, phone, cable, electric and gas.

However, if you are renting in the city, you will be paying for city taxes as a stealth tax that is factored into public services when you apply for them. For example, when you have the gas turned on, you may be hit with extra fees for trash pick-up which become a stealth tax for renters.

In the country, you don't have to pay for trash pick-up if you are renting your home. This too is another service that is factored into your rent and paid for by the landlord's property taxes.

Taxes in the United States is very different in every state you live in the United States depending on which state you chose to live. For example, if you live in Florida, you will pay Federal Tax and Florida Sales Tax, but no State or Local Income Tax.

However, if you live in Massachusetts, you pay Federal, State, Sales Tax, and Local Tax which varies for each county. The best way to check which taxes you owe is to contact your local County Tax Office and they will more than happy to tell you how much you owe them.

The good thing about living in the United States is that there are more ways to escape taxes than if you live in the UK. For example, if you live in Massachusetts, you can escape paying Sales Tax on items by driving up to New Hampshire and doing all your bulk buying there where there is no Sales Tax.

Also, In the State of Florida, when you buy a car, you don't pay "road tax" like you do in the UK, you pay a one time Sales Tax on the vehicle that lasts the entire life of the car.

If you know someone in your family who lives in Florida, they can give you an old car as a "gift" and you won't have to pay the sales tax. They just sign the car over to you as a "gift", the car goes into your name, and you don't owe a thing for the tax. The only fees are for the actual transfer of the tag, and title which is minimal.

Hope this helps.