Moving to Dallas, good idea? (Houston, Austin: apartment, to rent, health insurance)

[Brooklyn2007]

Hello,

I'm 33 y/o, single male, US citizen living in Europe (in my native country). I have a job currently that allows me to save about $700/month after all the taxes, and all the living expenses. I have a very peaceful life here, and good quality of care (fresh food, health, shelter, security), but nothing fancy, just a normal life. Job location 20 min distance by walking, and Mediterranean weather (similar to South California). I have 4 weeks of vacations paid by my company and I usually would travel at least twice a year in different countries in Europe. I've been graduated in Brooklyn College (NYC) with a bachelor degree in Business in 2008, and I have already over 4 years of experience mostly in Data analysis and Supply chain/Logistics positions here in Europe. I have also my own apartment very close to the city center. I've been living in NYC for about 6 years, but it is damn expensive to live there and also very stressful.

Now the question.

Do you think It would be sane of me to leave everything I have here and relocate to Dallas for a better career, better standard of living, and money? I have my brother living in NYC which very often we would debate to each other whether it is worthy the move. He says that I'm better off where I am with the current status of US economy. What do you think guys, do I need to make the move? They say Dallas is a place full of job opportunities, polite people and a low cost of living. I want to settle somewhere in US to create my family, and I was thinking about Dallas.

Thanks,

[ChristieP]

Before you get too far into dreaming, think about immigration. You can't just move to the USA. As a foreign citizen, you have to have a visa. The easiest way is employment-based. Very few US companies will sponsor visas anymore due to the expense, and the amount of US citizens who are readily available and seeking work. Does your current employer there have offices here, and could you transfer?

[TrueDat]

Sounds like you have a pretty sweet deal where you are. The weather is not Mediterranean here and the chances of you being within a 20-minute walk to work aren't great. But you can have "just a normal life" here with health, security, fresh food, and shelter -- provided you have a decent job, of course. If you're level-headed, you can save money in Dallas (especially since I'm assuming you'll be paying less in taxes than whatever country you're in now.)

Do you have a job offer and have met all the appropriate visa requirements?

[Brooklyn2007]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Before you get too far into dreaming, think about immigration. You can't just move to the USA. As a foreign citizen, you have to have a visa. The easiest way is employment-based. Very few US companies will sponsor visas anymore due to the expense, and the amount of US citizens who are readily available and seeking work. Does your current employer there have offices here, and could you transfer?

Hello. I said in my posting I'm a US citizen living abroad in my native country

[Brooklyn2007]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

Sounds like you have a pretty sweet deal where you are. The weather is not Mediterranean here and the chances of you being within a 20-minute walk to work aren't great. But you can have "just a normal life" here with health, security, fresh food, and shelter -- provided you have a decent job, of course. If you're level-headed, you can save money in Dallas (especially since I'm assuming you'll be paying less in taxes than whatever country you're in now.)

Do you have a job offer and have met all the appropriate visa requirements?

Same answer that I'm a US citizen . I don't have any job offer. I have only my experience in Supply chain/Logistic/Data analysis position. I have also $15000 savings

[TrueDat]

Sorry about that. I missed the US citizen part.

I'm not personally familiar with your field but I would think you would be able to find something as the job market is pretty decent here. Though $15K isn't a ton of money when you're talking about setting up a new life in a different country without an immediate source of income.

Have you visited Dallas? If possible, maybe you should try and just spend a few days here to try and scope out the vibe. You might not like it and save yourself a lot of time and expense.

[TurtleCreek80]

No, I would not leave the Mediterranean life for Dallas unless 1) you are truly homesick for life in the US and 2) the financial rewards in Dallas are SIGNIFICANT. You are giving up the perfect climate, a walkable lifestyle, and proximity to rich cultural & scenic vacation destinations.

Dallas is less expensive than NYC, for sure, but if you want to live in the more urban areas where there are pockets of walkability, you're talking $1200+ for a small 1br to rent and $400k+ to buy a small historic cottage (2-3 br) zoned to good schools. Property taxes are $8-9k per year on that house, plus $1500ish/yr for insurance. Health insurance - employee costs- range from around $200/mo for an individual to $1,000+/mo for a family. You still will have a $5kish out of pocket max for each year. I know you're single now, but just showing what things can cost with a future family. The cost to buy & operate a car can be easily in the $600/mo range for payment, gas, tolls, and insurance on a non-luxury car. Almost no public transit options unless you select your job and home locations VERY carefully...and rule lot a lot of good options for both!

Typical paid vacation is 1-2 weeks your first year, and at many US companies taking all of your vacation is somewhat frowned upon....definitely not a vacation culture like the EU. I have been with my company 8 years and do have 4 weeks, but I can tell you that's more rare among my friends. Normal is 2-3 weeks with 3-5+ years at one company. This does not take into effect the comparatively extreme climate in Dallas (5 months a year with highs over 90 F....it's late September and today's high is 91 vs mid 70's in NYC) or the fact that Dallas is a 3.5 hour plane ride from the east and west coasts....and 8-10 hours to Europe. There's NO equivalent of hopping on a train or a 1-2 hr flight and spending the weekend in Paris, Copenhagen, Almafi Coast, Greek Islands, Barcelona, etc. We're talking 4-5 hour drives to Austin or Houston, 3-4.5 hour flights to NYC, Boston, Seattle, etc.

Having spent a lot of time in Europe for work & vacation, I can't imagine wanting to live elsewhere unless battling extreme homesickness or getting a 2X+ bump in salary/ total compensation.

[WorldKlas]

If climate and walkability is important to you, Dallas isn't a good choice.
If affordable housing, IT jobs, and living in the USA is more important, then Dallas is a good consideration among many in this country.

I was at a dinner party the other night and asked over a dozen people there -- who all live in the Dallas area but none were born or raised here -- where they would live if given the choice. Not a single person said Dallas. All these folks are living here because their jobs are here. They are all in high level positions and live in beautiful homes. Of the 12 people I asked; half of them live in Highland Park which is the most desirable area here.

Just food for thought.

[loves2read]

Why are you even asking about a "possible" move if you are happy where you are?
and if you aren't happy, why is that???
Do you expect to have the move thrust you into a happier state?
Are you missing your brother all that much???

I don't know what you expect to achieve--especially if you have a home and good job in environment that you appreciate...

IF you are just aware of a malaise--i.e. you aren't as happy as you expected to be--
then I think you need to become more involved in putting meaning INTO your current situation--
do some volunteer work,
take up a new hobby that involves interaction with others--a sport/outdoor activity maybe
work on a higher degree that would gain you better job if you do decide to return to US

personally I think there are people who would kill to be in your situation--metaphorically of course--my son and DIL for two of them although they work in different field than you...

so as some others pointed out--making a move w/o having a better job offer is likely not to work to your advantage...

from what I know owning a home in Europe is much more difficult than in US so you have achieved something that most of your peers there haven't--no so in the US

[Annikan]

Hi Brooklyn,

So I'm a former Dallas resident, now living in Hoboken. Dallas is actually a really great town and unless you are wanting to live in the upper echalon of society, the cost of living in Dallas is much, much lower than most areas in the NYC-tri-state area. Feel free to ask me any specific questions about particular neighborhoods.

Are you looking to rent at first? What would your budget be? Do you want a walkable neighborhood? Young? Artsy? Do you want to try the suburbs where you can get more land? Those answers will allow me to point you in the right direction.

As far as climate goes, Texas is hot--extremely hot---for the entire summer. Spring and Fall are all too short. There is a real winter, but it's not as prolonged as here in the North. In Texas, you will get a string of 3-4 cold days (30 degrees or so) and then it will warm back up to 50 degrees for a few days. It rarely snows in DFW, but will ice a few times a year and basically everything shuts down because Dallas doesn't really have the infrastructure for winter weather. Children will stay home from school on icy days and people who can will work from home.

Dallas has great night life, great laid-back bars, terrific restaurants, really interesting neighborhoods, and I feel like everything is more "accessible" than in NYC. Waiting lists are as crazy, it's not hard to get into nice restaurants, etc. If you want to start a family here, the suburbs are infinitely less expensive than NJ/CT/Westchester county. There are several suburbs where you can have a 3,500 sq ft McMansion for somewhere around $400,000 when you and I both know that I can't even buy a 1 bedroom in a walkup with no parking space for that price here.

Texans are a friendly bunch, generally speaking. You will have to learn how to use "ya'll" properly. And you will drive a lot more, even if you live in a walkable neighborhood. Go down for a weekend and explore...you may really like it.