Moving to New York city.

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There’s potential for me, my partner and three primary age children to move to NY, would probably be the end of this year.

I have been to NYC, but as a tourist and I don’t really know the areas that well. People we know who live there say rent is very high (we have a house in London we can rent out) and that schools are variable.
We won’t be using private schools.

Are there areas people can recommend? I don’t know exact budget, but we would want three bedrooms.

Are public schools generally ok? Or is it dependant on area?

Thanks.

I'm not sure I'd be that excited about it. Went 20+ years ago a few times and it was great. Went last year and it was a bit of a shithole tbh. If you live in a lovely area then maybe.

As to where will also depend on where someone will be working, although well connected transport wise it can be a nightmare especially at rush hour. I only lived there for a year and I was young, free and single so a bit different. I would say whilst there are areas to avoid it depends what is important to you really and I'd start the search by filtering on price; groceries etc are more expensive than here too.

What are your priorities aside from schools? Rough budget?

I went a few times 20 years ago and it was magical - it's really not now

Crime/desperate poverty are very present now

I don't think I will go to the States again now

How recently have you visited? We went last year and really didn't enjoy it.

It’s worth moving your post to the Living Overseas page. Lots of people on there will have knowledge.

Repost on Living Overseas.

I divide my time between NY and London. Rent is expensive in NY, but if I had a young family like you, I wouldn't live in Manhattan, especially if you want to use public (ie state) schools. Look in Connecticut or New Jersey instead, where schools are much better. It will mean a commute, but worth it for the private school saving. You need a lot more money for a similar standard of living to London (don't know where in the UK you are) - about double. Rent is high, utilities are high, healthcare expensive, food expensive. What's the package like?

The ex-Pat British people I know who work in NYC live in Connecticut.

Feel the same, have no desire to visit the United States anymore. Really want to visit Canada & parts of South America.

I’ll repost thanks.

We currently live in East London. Income is 120k here in UK, we’re waiting to hear what the uplift will be. No package as such as the move has come from us wanting it, and the company (a European bank) accommodating it.

I last went to NY ten years ago.

I was thinking to live in maybe Brooklyn or Queens or is that silly?

Brooklyn is very expensive indeed these days, not sure about Queens but I don't think it's got great schools.

Unless you get a really significant uplift from 120k, it will be a push, IMO. My rent is more than double for a much, much smaller place vs London (also East London!). Good health insurance is $6k a year, so three times similar in the UK. Food is absolutely insanely expensive, I spend more than double to eat similar standard food.

I lived in NYC for many years pre-dh and kids. What I would think about is your housing budget and the cost of health insurance. I have no idea now what a 3 bed flat would cost, but when I last lived there they were eye-wateringly expensive. I've just had a look and they are even more eye-wateringly expensive.

www.zillow.com/upper-west-side-new-york-ny/apartments/3-bedrooms/

I would assume that you can expect to pay at least $5000-6000 a month. Is that in your budget? Is living outside the city and commuting in a possibility? It's also expensive in the commuter belt areas, but perhaps not quite so much. I would look into what health insurance for each of you would cost. I was paying $300-600 a month when I last lived there just for me, not including the cost of actual medical care - that's just for the insurance.

The main thing I would consider though is schools. Personally, I would not leave a decent UK state school to go to a public (state) school in NYC. With a few exceptions for high school, NYC public schools are not great. There's a reason why many people who move there for education/careers in their 20s move out when they have kids if they can't afford private schools. I would really caution you to visit schools in neighbourhoods you are considering moving to, have a tour around, speak to teachers and staff. I think it would be quite a shock coming from most UK schools to go to a large urban US elementary school.

A final thing to consider is immigration. Are you married? How easy will it be for you to be able to move together? I'm American and Dh is British and it was not as straightforward as I expected for him to be able to get a visa, hence why we moved to the UK.

I am from Connecticut, and highly recommend it vs NY or NJ.

Nope. That's not nearly enough money for NYC. Brooklyn would be much better than Queens but not a hole in hell I'd move on that salary.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll have a look at Connecticut.

The salary will be more, just not sure how much.

You'll need double to be comfortable OP. NYC is not a cheap city. You'll easily spend 5k a month in rent. CT would be a slightly cheaper option but not by much.

NJ has some stunning nooks and crannies as well as good transport into NYC.

All three states will be expensive, but CT has some of the best public schools in the country (second only to Massachusetts). Especially if you stick to Fairfield County.

I would go over there and do proper research on areas etc before agreeing to this. A friend of mine was recently about to relocate there for work and has pulled out in the end after a few visits as she felt unsafe and felt there was is much crime and poverty. We visited last year and I felt it had notably declined since my last visit.

Also factor in the cost of the kids extracurriculars... East Coast families do several at a large cost. It's alot more competitive than here & mc families get dragged into the rug rat race!

You say “partner”. Are you married? There is no visa that allows an unmarried partner to accompany the visa holder. Or are you both getting visas independently or are you all US citizens?

If you’re going to go be going on a visa, the company has to sponsor it. Are they aware of that? I’m in an expat forum and Facebook group and if I had a dollar for every “I’ve gern offered a job in the US” thread where the person never actually ends up
moving here, I could retire tomorrow. Being offered a job does not guarantee a visa. Has the company said which visa path they will be following? Are you planning to get married? Depending on the visa type you may not be able to work at all. So your husband’s (as he would have to be) salary would need to take that into account. I’m on the other coast and make $190k a year. No children. My husband is a househusband. We are comfortable. If we had children I’d need to be on at least $250k to maintain this lifestyle I have become accustomed to.

Do people live on less here? Sure they do. There are lots of people getting by on minimum wage. But they didn’t move across the globe for it. And they probably have a lot of family support and are able to access government assistance programs. Note that bids holders in the US are not even considered residents. Many programs are for citizens only. Some include residents. There’s almost nothing for visa holders.

I wouldn’t even start looking at Zillow or schools until you know for sure that the job qualifies for a visa and that the company are prepared to complete all the paperwork and pay all the money that involves.

Without a package from your company, other than increased salary, it will be difficult. You'll need to either pay for shipping or buy new furniture. If they were pushing the move you'd have more negotiating power... but if it's your choice they'll be more costs involved including flights, car, health insurance for the trailing spouse etc...

I lived in nyc for 8 years and left 4 years ago. From the people I know still they’re I’d say look to Brooklyn, westchester and Long Island and commuting in if you have children. Nyc is great, and this is just my opinion, but the city is not ideal for raising children. If you’re really looking as close to Manhattan as possible look at Brooklyn heights, prospect park, greenpoint and Long Island city. They are 5-10 mins away on a subway from the city. If you have the money to be in the city, TriBeCa Or upper east or upper west are family friendly.

Connecticut is a shlep. It takes nearly an hour to get from Stamford to Grand Central and that doesn't count getting to and from the train. New Jersey is your best chance for a good price and decent commute. Even traditionally inexpensive parts of Brooklyn are getting pricey. NYC schools are a total mix and the system is complicated to navigate (there are zoned schools and then choice programmes). In the suburbs it's generally much simpler and you go to your zoned school. However, be aware that parts of New Jersey don't have train service--you get the bus to Port Authority instead. I would pay extra to be on an NJT or PATH line. Queens actually has some very good schools but many are not in very convenient neighbourhoods. (My mother's family is all in and around the NYC area; I think I have at least six cousins teaching in and around the city.)

Remember the pound is in the dumps so even before adjusting for anything, the US gets expensive. You can't just multiply by 1.2 to get the currency conversion. And it's always more expensive when you'e moving countries, as you have setup costs, you don't know how to shop, etc.

Sorry I just read the prior comments. Ct is nice, husband is from there, taxes are high though. The nearest decent CT stop to nyc is Stamford, it’s still an hour away though. If I had that long oh a commute I’d rather go on the metro north line up the nyc Hudson River. Great trains and so many commuter stops that are more affordable and family friendly. Dobbs ferry, tarrytown, Harrison and cold spring are all great. Make sure that your income of $120k becomes closer to $200k if moving. We’re in a different city but barely make ends meet on close to $250k so fight hard for raises. Private school costs here are no joke, do research the hell out of your areas school districts.

Schools are highly variable. You have to pay careful attention to catchment borders. This is true pretty much everywhere in the us. Some areas have larger swaths of quality schools and others it comes down to making sure you are on the correct block.