Emgrating from South Africa to Washougal (Camas: income, job, house)

[Linz]

Have been offered a job in Washougal and desperately need info!
Cost of living
What part of salary will be taxed (%)?
What would utilities for 2 adults in a 2 bed house cost?
How much would groceries for the month cost?
What other expenses should be considered?
Thanks
Linz

[the dufferz]

All except your exemptions will be taxed by the federal government at a rate that is determined by how much money you make after deductions.

Washington state does not have an income tax. You will be charged a sales tax that will add about 8.8% to the cost of whatever you buy except groceries.

The rest will depend a lot on your personality and purchasing choices, so hard to give you a solid figure.

[Linz]

Thanks Dufferz
Just another question ... is there any reliable public transport in Washougal?

[FistFightingHairdresser]

Hi,

That's right, it's hard to give an exact figure but I always use 28% as a rule of thumb. I almost never pay more than that in tax (includes Federal Income tax, Social Security, Medicare). And right again, there is no state tax in Washington.

One other tax to account for is property tax, which you are liable for if you buy a home. Looks like the rate in Washougal is $14.22 per $1000 (so $1422 per year for a house of $100K). Note you're not liable for property tax if you rent.

To get an idea of the cost of homes, I'd head over to www.realtor.com.

I don't think you'll find much in the way of public transport in Washougal. But I'd have a look at the City of Portland's public transportation, maybe they have buses the reach out that far.

The Gorge is a beautiful area. If you're a windsurfer you'll have found your promised land.

[the dufferz]

Linz,

In Washington we are very private-auto centric. Rural country areas are rarely far away so having a car is usually a necessity for most areas.

Expect to buy a car ($2000 - $20,000 is a good range for basic used to very nice used car). You will need to take a driving test of course. Shopping is done at a store or mall that may be several miles away. Many people will drive to a "park and ride" and take public transportation from there. It all depends of where you work and where your shopping is compared to bus routes. If your going into portland you will find pretty good public transportation.

[Linz]

Thanks for the info.
It looks like we'll be coming over in Janaury for a "look-see" before we make a final decision.
I must check if my South African driver's license can be converted ...

[the dufferz]

Originally Posted by Linz

Thanks for the info.
It looks like we'll be coming over in Janaury for a "look-see" before we make a final decision.
I must check if my South African driver's license can be converted ...

You will probably have to at least take the written test in order to get you license, but I am not sure.

Glad you are going to visit before you commit. I think you will be in for a surprise (good or bad) depending on the weather you are used to. Today we are expected to get several inches of rain with flooding.

Keep and eye on seattletimes.com for washington news and oregonlive.com for oregon information.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by the dufferz

Keep and eye on seattletimes.com for washington news and oregonlive.com for oregon information.

Oh! Good idea! I had totally forgotton to include some local news for the gorge. You can check out www.camaspostrecord.com and www.columbian.com. Both are the websites for print newspapers that cover Camas/Washougal and have some good info on the area.

Enjoy!