Mums in the US which states are expensive/cheap to live in?

[MrsHeffley]

So dp will be job hunting soon.Was wondering if you could let us know how your state does on the expense stakes ie tax,rent,utilities,food bills,other expenses,if state schools are good(so no need for private) etc.

It would help us work out salary issues ie how low we could go depending on the area.

We're aware of the need for medical insurance to be included.

Many,many TIA.

Well, we're in the San Francisco area. I have one son who is 2.5 yrs old. unfortunately that salary won't go very far in the Bay Area. My husband earns in the ballpark of that and we practically live month-to-month. our main outgoings are mortgage, healthcare, property tax and cars. Ideally you want to have both of you earning that amount to make things work here in the Bay Area, especially in Silicon Valley and areas close to the city. Bay Area salaries are high for a reason- it's expensive to live here (plus a lot of people have college debt to pay off so need the higher salaries for that too). UC Berkeley have just proposed to change their fee structure so that you pay after you graduate (like in the UK) but that's still all talk at this stage. Nevertheless, it could be the start of things to change elsewhere.

But you know, this is just my opinion. We are all different and value different things. I know some expats over here who are glad they have made the move, and others who wish they had not. At the heart of it, it kind of boils down to how much they earn relative to where they live as the ones who love it are the ones who earn good money for where they live and can afford to buy the dream. The great thing about the US is that you CAN buy the dream...if you have the money to do it... but that's just the thing... you buy your life over here, even the basic one, rather than have it handed to you on a plate like back in Europe.

I only really know the East Bay and here the good school areas are Lafayette/Orinda/Moraga, Pleasanton, San Ramon. Rents for something like a 2bed apt/townhouse in not the bad end of townn are going to be in the region of about $2500-$3000 per month. More if you want to be in an actual house. Because of the economy, rents have really gone up the past couple of years.

If your visit over here is for just a limited time, I would wholeheartedly recommend it for the experience of living abroad. But for anyone thinking of settling here permanently, I would recommend thinking long and hard as hand on heart, I feel that with the NHS and the education system, the UK is the better place to live (and retire) (but obviously if you earn a ton of money over here and can afford all the 'essential luxuries' then it becomes more open to debate).

Just stumbled across this thread, wondering if any of you would have an opinion on whether you would choose Texas or California to move to given the choice?
Texas seems like the better deal from a financial point of view (lower taxes etc, more house for your money.. but the whole california lifestyle thing feels like a high draw especially as I don't know much about Texas living and it seems the weather there is a bit crazy!
Also have two little ones so schools would be a big consideration..

Sorry to slightly hijack thread op but any thoughts gratefully received

120K is not a lot for Bay area. I'd still rather live there than Chicago, but I am not a huge fan of winter weather and they get plenty.

We have good insurance but a high deductible so in practise not a whole lot gets covered for day-to-day healthcare. DS#1 managed to badly sprain five toes and get a compartment injury and needed it x-rayed and see a podiatrist. The whole shebang once we had paid everyone and for everything (Xrays, boot, crutches etc) was about $1500. I also miss the NHS.

Also, depending on what visa DH gets, you may not be able to work. I have had ex-pat friends whose visas don't allow them to work.

Hi pickles - Texas or California - depends where in each place - city or small town? I live in Tx and I would love to live in California - weather, perceived open-mindedness of people etc, but at the same time there are advantages to Texas - houses are relatively cheap etc. I'm sure each outweighs the other. It would really depend on what you were coming over here to do, and what aspects of your life are you willing to compromise. For example, it is about to get impossibly hot in south Texas, and that will last until halloween (always the point when it is almost bearable to wear jeans again) so no playing outside for little ones, unless you have a pool to go to - and that means you would be watching them constantly. You can't sit out and enjoy the evening air unless you have a mosquito misting system.

(sorry hit post too soon), but on the other hand you won't need a coat here... so it really depends on the individual.

Hi ladies
We are currently applying for an EB5 visa to give us permanent residence and green cards.
We own 3 properties in Florida already.
3 bed pool house 5 mins to beach cost $190k by time we put new roof on - taxes $2k per annum
2 condos were around $110k with taxes of $900 per annum, management fees of $4k per annum - electric $70/mth and water $50/mth. Cable TV phone and internet $48 a month. These are seasonally rented at the mo and showing a profit.
We're going to see where the work is when we get the green cards through - will have to follow hubby's work as he is the larger earner so we may end up elsewhere in the US until we retire.
Just waiting to sell house in the UK at the moment (sigh).....

I think there are good and bad things wherever you end up - but we just really want a bit more sunshine!

We are in NJ and whilst our lifestyle has improved immensely, it is costly. We have a cushion of around 30,000 dollars in case of unexpected medical bills etc. Our house tax is over 10,000 dollars a year, though we are in a brilliant school district.
Our medical insurance is over four hundred dollars a month and we would still end up with huge co-pays if anything went wrong. I'm often found shouting at the children 'stop doing that, we cannot afford for you to break an arm.'
So we love it over here but in NJ, anyway, you pay through the nose.
We also don't have the texan system of moving, you move when your house sale goes through.