Cost of living

[MTP]

Hi All,

We are still progressing our plans to move to the States, and are trying to gauge how much income we will need, in particular in the first two years when I would be at college and therefore not earning. One of the comments is that the cost of living is a lot less in the US, ie your money goes further.

So saying, for example, you income is the same in the US in dollars as it is in the UK in sterling (eg comparing earning $10k per annum against £10k), how do those that have made the move find it.

(I am not trying to pry into people's income, but I will still hopefully be able to earn an income as a shareholder in our UK company, and Aileen will work in the State's while I am at college. We need to try to guage what income we need to draw from our UK company)

Many thanks to you all.

Euan

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by MTP

Hi All,

We are still progressing our plans to move to the States, and are trying to gauge how much income we will need, in particular in the first two years when I would be at college and therefore not earning. One of the comments is that the cost of living is a lot less in the US, ie your money goes further.

So saying, for example, you income is the same in the US in dollars as it is in the UK in sterling (eg comparing earning $10k per annum against £10k), how do those that have made the move find it.

(I am not trying to pry into people's income, but I will still hopefully be able to earn an income as a shareholder in our UK company, and Aileen will work in the State's while I am at college. We need to try to guage what income we need to draw from our UK company)

Many thanks to you all.

Euan

I don't know about FL...but here in Mass the cost of living is way higher than the UK.....$200+ a month gas bills.....in winter.....$150 cooling in summer....food costs a lot more per week....patrols cheap...thats all I found cheaper....healthcare can add up even with good cover if you go to the docs a lot....so can the dentist....a root canal and crown can run into $2000 a go even with cover....so have good teeth....I'd say we needed more wages to live in Mass than in the UK.....but we can knock off around $40K a year if we move to FL.....its what State you live in....and if you can own your home almost outright.......

[florida4sun]

Overall I dont think it is any cheaper than living in the Uk. Sure some things are cheaper like cars but then other stuff is more expensive. Over the lst couple of years food has become very expensive.
I would say a family of 5 with an average 4 bedroom house and a car, health care, would need around $60k - $70k a year to live OK. We by no means have an lavish lifestile but do enjoy going out and seeing the place. It is extremely easy to spend money over here.
One thing I would be extremely careful with is healthcare. Make sure you get this sorted. If you are looking at working for a company who supply this as a benefit, be careful. I have met a few people who are caught in trap. A member of their family has claimed on the insurance and thus cannot get coverage elsewhere (the illness is now a pre existing condition). I know two people who are stuck in jobs they hate because of this. We have very good health covergae for the kids. Alex has Muscular Dystrophy (dioesnt actully need that much medical help) and hannah has type 1 diabetes. We are just doing some taxes and I am amazed to find out that last year year we spent $6000.00 on stuff not covered by insurance and co payments, this is on top of the monthly premium - remember we have some of the best insurance going!!!!
It is great place to live if you have money, if you havent its the pits

Martin

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by florida4sun

Overall I dont think it is any cheaper than living in the Uk. Sure some things are cheaper like cars but then other stuff is more expensive. Over the lst couple of years food has become very expensive.
I would say a family of 5 with an average 4 bedroom house and a car, health care, would need around $60k - $70k a year to live OK. We by no means have an lavish lifestile but do enjoy going out and seeing the place. It is extremely easy to spend money over here.
One thing I would be extremely careful with is healthcare. Make sure you get this sorted. If you are looking at working for a company who supply this as a benefit, be careful. I have met a few people who are caught in trap. A member of their family has claimed on the insurance and thus cannot get coverage elsewhere (the illness is now a pre existing condition). I know two people who are stuck in jobs they hate because of this. We have very good health covergae for the kids. Alex has Muscular Dystrophy (dioesnt actully need that much medical help) and hannah has type 1 diabetes. We are just doing some taxes and I am amazed to find out that last year year we spent $6000.00 on stuff not covered by insurance and co payments, this is on top of the monthly premium - remember we have some of the best insurance going!!!!
It is great place to live if you have money, if you havent its the pits

Martin

I agree with your last statement...America's not the place to live if you are out of work......or on a low wage.....I've also never seen so many people with bad teeth in my life......

[florida4sun]

Aint that the truth. You can meet the most respectable people but once they open there mouths its awful.

[/quote]

I agree with your last statement...America's not the place to live if you are out of work......or on a low wage.....I've also never seen so many people with bad teeth in my life......
[/quote]

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by florida4sun

Aint that the truth. You can meet the most respectable people but once they open there mouths its awful.

I agree with your last statement...America's not the place to live if you are out of work......or on a low wage.....I've also never seen so many people with bad teeth in my life......
[/quote]
[/quote]

And they say Brits have bad teeth......I have a cleaning ever 3 months here...but we now only have $1500 a year cover each.....so no more root canals or crowns for me.......I have to clean floss and mouthwash like mad......lol

[esprit]

I would agree with everything already said. As a tourist, you think it is cheap. That is because you buy gas, eat out and buy clothes and all of those things are cheap. The stuff that residents buy isnt. True, houses and cars are cheaper to buy than in the UK but utility bills are more expensive, property tax is more expensive ( Celebration is $4500!!) food in the supermarkets is more expensive with rare exceptions. As Martin says the prices there seem to have recently gone up. Healthcare is horrific. We are paying $110 a month each and that is with a $5000 excess so it only covers us for hospitalisation and any doctors bills or prescriptions we will have to pay for. The price went up and up as the excess went down. Car nsurance is also dearer. I pay $86 a month for digital TV and broadband. I used to pay £40 per month in the UK. The embassy says minimum $60,000 pa for an E2 applicants owner benefit. My vendors came out slightly lower than that and they made me put in a business plan for some property caretaking to supplement it and bring the earnings up to over the minimum. At the time I didnt see it but now I see that they were right to do so.

As Chrizzy says it is not a country to run short of money in. It is many months before you get a credit rating and access to credit so you live on what you have. It cost us an arm and a leg to set ourselves up here, we just haemmoraged money for the first few months. A lot we didnt know about and hadnt budgetted for like $600 plus to tag ( get a license plate for) the car. Dont underestimate it.

[DMC]

I agree with all of the above - holidaying is one thing but living in Florida / the USA is another.

From our various visits to Orlando, we have been fortunate enough to get to know several ex pats from the UK and whilst we rave about the US, they have a rather different outlook on life.

The cost of Healthcare is their number one concern followed by the recent increase in the cost of living, in short the grass is not as green as it first appears.

Many of the the locals have 2 jobs, just to make ends meet.

That said, if you ask them would they go back to the UK, almost all would rather stay in the US, but wished that they had known some of the issues before they had moved across the Atlantic.

Do as much research as you can and go in with your eyes open - good luck

DMC

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by DMC

I agree with all of the above - holidaying is one thing but living in Florida / the USA is another.

From our various visits to Orlando, we have been fortunate enough to get to know several ex pats from the UK and whilst we rave about the US, they have a rather different outlook on life.

The cost of Healthcare is their number one concern followed by the recent increase in the cost of living, in short the grass is not as green as it first appears.

Many of the the locals have 2 jobs, just to make ends meet.

That said, if you ask them would they go back to the UK, almost all would rather stay in the US, but wished that they had known some of the issues before they had moved across the Atlantic.

Do as much research as you can and go in with your eyes open - good luck

DMC

I for one would never go back to the UK.....unless I was dragged kicking and screaming.....

We have away better life here ...... even with its up and downs.....but I want people to know that whatever you think is enough money for the first 2 years....double it.....

[esprit]

Agree totally!!! The first few months in particular are hard and you haemmhorage money at an alarming rate. We went through $20,000 in a blink of an eye and that didnt include my house deposit or the vast part of my business insurance!!! The utilities take deposits off you if you are unknown to them. That includes your mobile phone. We are due large amounts of money back bext year!!