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USA is worth to go or no

Vichel said:
Here's a very good article on purchasing health insurance. Read the comments too because they contain valuable insights from others:

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/11/01/our-new-237-per-month-health-insurance-plan/

Even if you disagree with the author's decision, it's got a lot of helpful info.

Yeah, some of those costs above are on the high side, imo. Everyone's wants and needs are different though so it's hard to define. We tend to be on the frugal side.

Some of our costs so far (for two people plus dog):

Water $138 for June (higher than it should be due to a leak in the pool, plus power-washing outside)

Electricity $152 for June. A/C is set to 82 during day, 80 at night. It will be lower in the winter.
No gas here unfortunately :-(

Cell phones $60 and $30 per month.
The $60/mo gives you 2.5G of data at 4G, unlimited text and calls. The $30 is a basic plan, no data.

House insurance with hurricane coverage $2,030/yr. (Compared to our CA house insurance: $1570/yr + $640/yr earthquake insurance.)

One paid-off 2012 SUV, insured for $918.
Initial registration, inspection and new plate was almost $400 but registration after this will be about $60/yr.

High-speed unlimited Internet and the basic channel pkg for TV is $65/month. No landline.

Groceries $800/month - I watch the specials and we eat on the healthier side, so very minimal junk, snack, sweet or processed foods. We eat at home mostly and we eat very well.

About $120/month on liquor (my favourite Aussie Shiraz here is $9 vs. $16 in Oz!)

About $100-$150/month on restaurant meals, eating out 2 to 3 times per month. We don't eat in expensive restaurants.

Gas here is about $3.50/gallon.

Lawn maintenance: $70/month

Pool maintenance: $80/month (we'll be doing it ourselves soon)

Pest control of the outside is about $20/month (this is fire-ant country!).

We have found the US to be cheaper than Australia for a lot of things. We still have our house in Australia and our tenants' electricity bills are in the $220/month range ($260 in summer), plus about $60 for gas (hot water & cooking). Food costs are ridiculous in Australia and restaurant meals even more ludicrous, especially in Perth where they're charging $10+ for a pint, and $25+ for a pub steak.
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That linked article is very interesting. Personally I wouldn't take the risks he has, but it shows very well what you can do with some thought and shopping around.

Also your costs sound sensible and it sounds like you are cutting your cloth according to a sensible budget. That makes sense, but I found American living just encouraged us to live differently (and probably wastefully). For instance seeing you talking about eating out 2 or 3 times a month - I would say most of my friends would be eating out 2 or 3 times a week at least. However, if you don't have it, you don't spend it - and you can be just as happy at any income level just as long as you spend less than your income....
 
Thanks Vichel..will check out the link and thanks for the detailed, insightful rundown on your expenses. Are you renting your place or did you buy and are therefore responsible for those maintenance things?
Wow...your tenant in AUS has an extremely high power bill...we witnessed (to late 2011) how electricity prices started to really skyrocket...such a shame. Yet...many houses are not well insulated and a lot goes to waste, too.
But imagine...in our apartment over here in Germany, we started paying 72 Euros per month...and they cut it down to prepayments of 50 Euros due to our low consumption! We cook daily (electric stove, oven), use coffee machine, washing machine (good German front loader), the lot...however (and this is similar to our house in Australia), our hot water and heating is via an internal gas heating...which costs only 72 Euros per month!


Anyway, it's just interesting to see what life is like in the US...from a living expenses perspective.
The more I learn, the more I appreciate that there is no perfect place. But one has to know where we see ourselves in 3, 5, 10 years from now to determine what would be better for us.

Another factor that speaks against Australia is the decreasing value of the Aussie Dollar...things get imported and therefore even more expensive.
 
britis , 600$ for health insurance per months that is too much, dont think it is high for a single young guy ? , u would have a good health insurance with 170$ per month at max
 
britsimon said:
That linked article is very interesting. Personally I wouldn't take the risks he has, but it shows very well what you can do with some thought and shopping around.

Also your costs sound sensible and it sounds like you are cutting your cloth according to a sensible budget. That makes sense, but I found American living just encouraged us to live differently (and probably wastefully). For instance seeing you talking about eating out 2 or 3 times a month - I would say most of my friends would be eating out 2 or 3 times a week at least. However, if you don't have it, you don't spend it - and you can be just as happy at any income level just as long as you spend less than your income....
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I know, we tend to be on the low side as far as eating out. I absolutely love cooking so I prefer to cook. And apologies if I sound like I'm bragging, but I find I can make a lot of dishes better than what they serve in most restaurants. Unless it's a posh restaurant but even then, I'll give it a good go ;-) and have fun while I'm at it.

Frugality seems to be in both my husband's and my genes so we've always focused on keeping to a sensible budget. This has allowed us to do a lot of traveling and to put together a sound investment portfolio.
 
OnTheGo said:
Thanks Vichel..will check out the link and thanks for the detailed, insightful rundown on your expenses. Are you renting your place or did you buy and are therefore responsible for those maintenance things?
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We own outright. We were lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the bottomed-out real estate market, catching it as it started to rise.

OnTheGo said:
Wow...your tenant in AUS has an extremely high power bill...we witnessed (to late 2011) how electricity prices started to really skyrocket...such a shame. Yet...many houses are not well insulated and a lot goes to waste, too.
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Yes, Australia's power costs are very high. Poorly built houses are part of the problem because whatever heat is generated almost gets cancelled out by the cold coming in through the single-paned windows and uninsulated walls. We insulated the ceiling, of course, but that only helps a bit. Same for summer ... the A/C struggles to keep out the heat. Here in Florida, it doesn't get as hot as Perth and our house is well insulated so we don't need to keep the A/C as low or running as much as we did in Oz. Plus, the design is far more sensible with a lot of openness and very tall ceilings with overhead fans. It's very comfortable inside. We have 2100 square feet on 1/3 of an acre.
 
Hi guys,

One question, said if you get your visa after the interview and you have 6 months to go to US and at this time you sell off your property in your home country. Do you get tax for the profit you made from the property you sold from US since as a gc holder you need to report income from other country?
 
@britsimon I think your numbers are unrealistic. If you want to live a luxury life sky is the limit but you need a fraction of this cost in order to have a decent life. Even in the areas cost of living is high.
 
lvnp said:
@britsimon I think your numbers are unrealistic. If you want to live a luxury life sky is the limit but you need a fraction of this cost in order to have a decent life. Even in the areas cost of living is high.
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That's fine - I think I made it clear that this was based on my own experience and others certainly would live more frugally - especially in cheaper areas. My experience is not typical, but then my experience is of spending twice the amount I was suggesting to Momo was a good living.

Mind you, if I am wrong, I wonder why so few people in the USA actually have any savings and I wonder why 30 million people have been uninsured.
 
Sm1smom said:
For those who love the use of data and numbers, here's a good overview of health insurance coverage and the uninsured in the US:

http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/uninsuredintheus/ib.shtml#overall
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Some very worrying numbers! I really think it's sad that they have still not managed to implement a federal health insurance for each and every citizen that is paid for via general taxes. Furthermore, you have to ask why health insurance is so unaffordable for so many people...it does not have to be that way if medical service providers were not allowed to charge what ever they wanted. From what I hear, everything is 3 to 10 times the cost of the same services provided in other modern nations. This is where the Federal Government needs to step in. I am not seeking a socialist America but basic health insurance cover at an affordable and sensible rate is a commonsense requirement for a whole Nation to prosper. It takes away the worry and creates an environment where people feel safe. Ultimately, the good health of men and women of a Nation should not be subjected to a bunch of marketeers.
Moreover, what the heck is the social security tax (a.k.a. self employment tax) for...it contains a portion for Medicare...yet that seems to only benefit those who are not actually paying the contributions...another thing I find really weird!
 
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OnTheGo said:
Some very worrying numbers! I really think it's sad that they have still not managed to implement a federal health insurance for each and every citizen that is paid for via general taxes. Furthermore, you have to ask why health insurance is so unaffordable for so many people...it does not have to be that way if medical service providers were not allowed to charge what ever they wanted. From what I hear, everything is 3 to 10 times the cost of the same services provided in other modern nations. This is where the Federal Government needs to step in. I am not seeking a socialist America but basic health insurance cover at an affordable and sensible rate is a commonsense requirement for a whole Nation to prosper. It takes away the worry and creates an environment where people feel safe. Ultimately, the good health of men and women of a Nation should not be subjected to a bunch of marketeers.
Moreover, what the heck is the social security tax (a.k.a. self employment tax) for...it contains a portion for Medicare...yet that seems to only benefit those who are not actually paying the contributions...another thing I find really weird!
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You are having an interesting argument with yourself OnTheGo! :)

On the one hand you think it is sad that "they have still not managed to implement a federal health insurance for each and every citizen that is paid for via general taxes". I agree with your statement - it is VERY sad.

But then you raise the issue you raised earlier about medicare benefiting those not actually paying contributions.

However, if everyone got health insurance paid by the taxes of those working there would be a HUGE number of people that would get health insurance without paying taxes (since the majority of the uninsured earn so little that they pay no or very little tax).

As for not seeking a socialist America, that makes me chuckle. They already have enormous social programs, but seem to be in a media induced denial about it (because socialism is a dirty word that most Americans think is communism). What social programs? As well as medicare, they have social security, unemployment , Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, farming subsidies, bailouts and so on. 50 million Americans receive food stamps!

Anyway, we should probably avoid discussion religion or politics in this forum - so I will try to shut up now. Honest!
 
britsimon said:
Momo, I'm interested to hear what your tax consultant says. The whole starting balances thing is an issue for me. I am leaving assets in the UK and Europe and those things have been purchased with tax paid money. I need to know how to account for profits later and whether there is something I should do before I emigrate to avoid paying an unfair amount of tax later. I'd be interested in sharing experiences later...

Incidentally, I think in general US tax rates are lower than the UK, and the UK and Spain (the other place I have assets/income) has a tax treaty with the US - so that might make things different for you and I.
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Simon, I'll certainly fill you in on the details once I speak to a tax consultant there. I've got similar circumstances here in the form of assets and shareholdings. In fact today we've got a piece of real estate investment in my name which we're trying to figure out how to account for the rent locally and in the US and the tax implications.


Case No - DV2013AF0007XXXX (applied the first time and got it the first time - lucky me!)
Entry Checked - 1st May 2012
Forms Sent To KCC - 10th May 2012
Received By KCC - 12th May 2012
Confirmation From KCC - 25th May 2012 after I sent them an email
2nd NL - 14th June 2013
Police Clearance (TZ) - 13th June 2013
Police Clearance (UK) - 21st June 2013
Medicals - Completed 24th June 2013
I-134 - 16th July 2013
Bank Statements - 22nd July 2013
Interview - Wednesday, August 7th 2013 @ 8am - US Embassy Tanzania
Visa Pick up - Hopefully August 11th 2013
Departure Date - August 17th 2013
Port of Entry - Washington Dulles
 
Excellent reading/posts you guys have and it gives some real insight into comparisons.

I'll share mine and why I think the US is cheaper:


Electricity (and half the bloody time we don't have electricity) - $200 per month

Diesel for generator (when there is no electricity) - $150 per month

Water - $30 per month (this is the only cheap utility)

Groceries/Veggies/Fruits - $1,500 per month easily is what my mother told me she spends

Fuel for my car - $250 per month (about $1.5 per litre)

Fuel for dad's car - $250 per month (about $1.5 per litre)

Fuel for mom's car - $150 per month (about $1.5 per litre)

Mobile phone bill postpaid for me (phone 1 and phone 2 combined) - $350 - this includes phone and data (both crap service)

Internet (dedicated fibre optic shared between my home, my branch office and my factories) - $1,600 (bloody rip-off for 2.5Mbps)

Landline at home - $50 per month (we mostly use mobiles because landlines don't work half the time)

Restaurant meals - it varies from place to place; we pay between $80 to $100 depending on where we go

Home 1 (three bedroom villa) - bought in 1998 for $177,000

Home 2 (three bedroom villa in the same compound as home 1) - bought in 2007 for $250,000

Today's value of home 1 and home 2 combined plus over 1,500sqm land space (both houses in the same compound) - approximately $2,000,000 (real estate is nuts in Tanzania)

Health insurance per person (AETNA) - $2,500 per year. BUPA used to cost us $7,000 per person per year

Domestic workers - $800 per month




I still say we don't get our money's worth in Tanzania and things are too overpriced. If people tell me the USA is expensive then in my opinion Tanzania is over-expensive considering half the stuff isn't available here or is and isn't properly provided.

From a general overview I say the US is cheaper even after taxes and all that stuff. Take the internet charges we pay here; that much money is a monthly mortgage payment in the USA!

There was an e-mail that was being circulated some months ago about how much is needed to live a comfortable life and it was ascertained that for a good middle class life, the take-home should be net $6,000 per month which is obscene for Tanzania.



Case No - DV2013AF0007XXXX (applied the first time and got it the first time - lucky me!)
Entry Checked - 1st May 2012
Forms Sent To KCC - 10th May 2012
Received By KCC - 12th May 2012
Confirmation From KCC - 25th May 2012 after I sent them an email
2nd NL - 14th June 2013
Police Clearance (TZ) - 13th June 2013
Police Clearance (UK) - 21st June 2013
Medicals - Completed 24th June 2013
I-134 - 16th July 2013
Bank Statements - 22nd July 2013
Interview - Wednesday, August 7th 2013 @ 8am - US Embassy Tanzania
Visa Pick up - Hopefully August 11th 2013
Departure Date - August 17th 2013
Port of Entry - Washington Dulles
 
Momo1980 said:
Simon, I'll certainly fill you in on the details once I speak to a tax consultant there. I've got similar circumstances here in the form of assets and shareholdings. In fact today we've got a piece of real estate investment in my name which we're trying to figure out how to account for the rent locally and in the US and the tax implications.


Case No - DV2013AF0007XXXX (applied the first time and got it the first time - lucky me!)
Entry Checked - 1st May 2012
Forms Sent To KCC - 10th May 2012
Received By KCC - 12th May 2012
Confirmation From KCC - 25th May 2012 after I sent them an email
2nd NL - 14th June 2013
Police Clearance (TZ) - 13th June 2013
Police Clearance (UK) - 21st June 2013
Medicals - Completed 24th June 2013
I-134 - 16th July 2013
Bank Statements - 22nd July 2013
Interview - Wednesday, August 7th 2013 @ 8am - US Embassy Tanzania
Visa Pick up - Hopefully August 11th 2013
Departure Date - August 17th 2013
Port of Entry - Washington Dulles
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Great thanks. I'm speaking to an accountant here who specialises in UK/USA tax issues. I just want to be sure I am not causing an issue because of lack of planning....
 
Brits, do you have good websites how to make a good resumé in english, how to look for job for a new immigrant, or anything in relation whith that ?
 
Princedriss said:
Brits, do you have good websites how to make a good resumé in english, how to look for job for a new immigrant, or anything in relation whith that ?
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Hmmm - I'm pretty bad at that, because my work is relatively "niche" so companies that need me will find me or would be happy to get cold called by me. It's also a lot easier when you are searching for a specific job as opposed to being quite open about what you could do.

For my resume I got hold of a template and edited it to make it mine - but I only go back a limited number of years. I would say the template method is a good way to make a good looking resume and it is worth getting the English checked to make it stand out for the right reasons. PM me with your email address if you want to see what I use...
 
Princedriss said:
Brits, do you have good websites how to make a good resumé in english, how to look for job for a new immigrant, or anything in relation whith that ?
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Princedriss, inbox me your e-mail address. I'll e-mail you my CV which I copied off my brother because his mentor (who worked for Morgan Stanley and now teaches at Harvard and Georgetown) showed him how to prepare a simple but good CV for job apps.



Case No - DV2013AF0007XXXX (applied the first time and got it the first time - lucky me!)
Entry Checked - 1st May 2012
Forms Sent To KCC - 10th May 2012
Received By KCC - 12th May 2012
Confirmation From KCC - 25th May 2012 after I sent them an email
2nd NL - 14th June 2013
Police Clearance (TZ) - 13th June 2013
Police Clearance (UK) - 21st June 2013
Medicals - Completed 24th June 2013
I-134 - 16th July 2013
Bank Statements - 22nd July 2013
Interview - Wednesday, August 7th 2013 @ 8am - US Embassy Tanzania
Visa Pick up - Hopefully August 11th 2013
Departure Date - August 17th 2013
Port of Entry - Washington Dulles
 
Princedriss said:
MOMO and brits, i PM my email, waiting for your feedbacks

thanks guys a lot
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Hey Princedriss,

I've sent you the CV template. If you need help filling it out let me know.



Case No - DV2013AF0007XXXX (applied the first time and got it the first time - lucky me!)
Entry Checked - 1st May 2012
Forms Sent To KCC - 10th May 2012
Received By KCC - 12th May 2012
Confirmation From KCC - 25th May 2012 after I sent them an email
2nd NL - 14th June 2013
Police Clearance (TZ) - 13th June 2013
Police Clearance (UK) - 21st June 2013
Medicals - Completed 24th June 2013
I-134 - 16th July 2013
Bank Statements - 22nd July 2013
Interview - Wednesday, August 7th 2013 @ 8am - US Embassy Tanzania
Visa Pick up - Hopefully August 11th 2013
Departure Date - August 17th 2013
Port of Entry - Washington Dulles
 
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