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My family of 4 is moving to Cary in Jan/Feb 2018 and we are trying to determine what would be a good salary.
My husband is a Sr. Project Manager in Construction, he makes $120K plus bonus and we live comfortably (meaning we have enough to save/invest/give and travel). Kids are in private school and are enrolled in at least one extra-curricular activity/sport per semester. I own a small business but I use that revenue for kids college and pay off the mortgage early (I am not counting on that income as I will take me 2-3 years to rebuild my client base). We live in a $300K home and love traveling. Happiness for us means financial security, great friends, community involvement and travel.
Based on this, what do you think it would a good salary range for us? It seems to be that Cary is 4% more expensive than The Woodlands but salaries are lower. I hope my husband can find something comparable or slightly higher there.
It probably just depends what kind of house you expect to live in and whether your kids really need to go to private school when there are so many excellent public school options.
You do have to pay income tax, but I think property taxes are lower, so it's probably a wash.
Also I wouldn't expect a COL adjustment when negotiating salaries. Most people probably consider it to be comparable to Houston.
All of the cost of living difference calculators on-line indicate about an 8.5% COL difference overall.
So basically 130k in Houston would feel like 120k in this area.
I would think that due to recent widespread flooding in Houston, the demand for construction and skills shortages in the area over the next 5-10 years or so should make it easy for your husband to get an offer for the difference in COL between the two areas.
What's driving the relocation, does he have a job with a salary lined up?
Private school for the kids is going to be pricey here. Not sure if you're talking Catholic school or secular...that's going to be a huge chunk of your income here.
What's driving the relocation, does he have a job with a salary lined up?
Private school for the kids is going to be pricey here. Not sure if you're talking Catholic school or secular...that's going to be a huge chunk of your income here.
What size house are you looking for?
Yes, we are Catholic and that was one of the main reasons we chose private school for them. We'd love to continue that way (we have 2 kids) if possible. If not, I know schools in the area are excellent.
Our home is 2300 sqf. but honestly we were happy in our 1650 sqf in California. I am from Europe so I can live happily in smaller homes.
My husband has just started interviewing. What drives the move is that we never felt at home in Texas. We tried for 4 years and are now ready to move on. We were very happy in the Bay Area but it was too pricey unless I kept my corporate job. I chose to be a SAHM with a side business that is my passion and I can grow through the years (I make $50K net profit this year and I was PT).
It probably just depends what kind of house you expect to live in and whether your kids really need to go to private school when there are so many excellent public school options.
You do have to pay income tax, but I think property taxes are lower, so it's probably a wash.
Also I wouldn't expect a COL adjustment when negotiating salaries. Most people probably consider it to be comparable to Houston.
Yes, that's a great point! Home cost and education really impact that salary decision everywhere...
It probably just depends what kind of house you expect to live in and whether your kids really need to go to private school when there are so many excellent public school options.
You do have to pay income tax, but I think property taxes are lower, so it's probably a wash.
Also I wouldn't expect a COL adjustment when negotiating salaries. Most people probably consider it to be comparable to Houston.
I'd plan on 8-10k per child for catholic schools here if that's helpful. I know we looked at two that were both in that range not including the mandatory giving and time commitments they want.
300k will not go as far here as it does there for a house. It will get you a smaller, older house that may or may not be updated most likely. As long as you're ok with that you will be fined the public schools especially in Cary are great too so you may bel able to save that and get a really updated nice house instead.
Most of the project managers I know are in the same ballpark as your husband but they're also all in IT so I don't know how much that varies by industry.
Yes, Catholic school is a bit more expensive here than some other places. I'd plan on at least $8000/child, not sure much the sibling discount is.
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