Expenses for Indian family of 3 living in plano (Dallas, Irving: 2014, apartments)

[livingintheusa]

Hi,

I recently asked living expenses for irving, tx. However, we found out that we will be living in Plano, TX.

We are relocating from BLR, India. I have the following questions, please help us out!

1. How much would it cost us to rent a 2bed/2bath apartment

2. We are planning to go for a second had car: How much would it cost us? What would be car insurance and fuel costs?

3. We are south indian vegetarians. what would be monthly costs for groceries?

4. We have a 1 year old boy. What could be baby costs?

5. My husband's salary will be around $75K. What could be the taxes we would pay? Is this enough to support me and my son there? I plan to work only after an year.

6. Please suggest good places in Plano, to rent apartments. Are there a lot of indians there?

7. What could be the cost of buying basic furniture like couch, king size bed, a crib, a 4 chairs-dining table set, TV, microwave, car seat?

8. Any other expenses that we should expect?

Thanks!

[VegasMan_72]

Dear livingintheusa,

You got lots of great responses last time including a paycheck calculator. You need to plug in your numbers to see what your husband's take home pay will be. The other problem is, your questions are too generic e-g a used car can cost anywhere from $1000- $15000 depending on make, model and year.

Plano is a suburb of Dallas just like Irving is so not a huge diference. I've heard that DFW metroplex has the highest concentration of East Indians second only to New Jersey so I'm sure you will feel right at home. $75K is a decent salary so don't worry too much. Your husband will probably have other Indians working with him so they will be there to help. I'm assuming he is in the IT industry as most East Indians in Dallas are.

Welcome to Dallas.

[abpat2203]

Plano and Irving are very close to each other. What you were advised in the Irving thread will hold good for Plano as well.

[AmitMishra]

Hi All,

I am moving (in March 2014) to irving Tx from Bangalore (India) on H1B visa from an IT company.
I have my first 7 days stay/food covered but then i have to find my way.

Work location: Irving (near Las colinas)

My salary would be around 65k per anum.
My wife would be on H4 visa (no kids)

Can you share your experience and some inputs about following

1) Rent for a studio appt (per month basis)? best web site? ( i usually dont find "Studio apt. options" on websites)

2) What all expensis are mandatory other than house rent? like maintenance cost? Heating/ Air conditioning? any other expense ?/ Insurance?

3) Car on rent (on weekends) in Irving, Tx.. Price? Insurance?

4) Can i easily commute b/w Irving and Plano ? what mode? bus/ or train ? Cost $?
( My friend would be coming there later , Sept, 2014. So i needed this info)

5) What all i should bring from India?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks, Amit

[VegasMan_72]

Originally Posted by AmitMishra

Hi All,

I am moving (in March 2014) to irving Tx from Bangalore (India) on H1B visa from an IT company.
I have my first 7 days stay/food covered but then i have to find my way.

Work location: Irving (near Las colinas)

My salary would be around 65k per anum.
My wife would be on H4 visa (no kids)

Can you share your experience and some inputs about following

1) Rent for a studio appt (per month basis)? best web site? ( i usually dont find "Studio apt. options" on websites)

2) What all expensis are mandatory other than house rent? like maintenance cost? Heating/ Air conditioning? any other expense ?/ Insurance?

3) Car on rent (on weekends) in Irving, Tx.. Price? Insurance?

4) Can i easily commute b/w Irving and Plano ? what mode? bus/ or train ? Cost $?
( My friend would be coming there later , Sept, 2014. So i needed this info)

5) What all i should bring from India?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks, Amit

For $65k/yr, your gross pay will be approx. $2000 every 2 weeks. (It is pretty standard in the US to get paid bi-weekly, however some firms do pay weekly and some government agencies monthly). But your take home pay will depend on your 401k contributions, health care premiums etc.

1) Try Realtor.com. 1 BDRM apt should cost around $1000/mo

2) Utilities (Electricity, Home Phone, Gas) should run you between $200-$250. Another $100 for monthly cell phone bill for you and your wife. Health insurance premiums will come out of your paycheck (assuming the company has health coverage). You will have to pay for Auto insurance and that depends what kind of car you end up getting. Liability insurance is mandatory in Texas and if your car is financed then the bank required you to have comprehensive coverage.

3) Dallas Metro area is not public transportation friendly. You definitely need a vehicle to get around, its very spread out. A small compact size vehicle (Corolla, Civic) will cost you approx $250-$300/month if you were to get a loan. Not having a credit history in the US, you may be required to put down a large down payment.

4) Easily doable. DFW has excellent network of freeways and tollways (not that we don't have any traffic problems).

5) Everything can be obtained fairly easily so I wouldn't bring anything more than your personal clothing etc.

There is a huge Indian population in Irving/Las Colinas, so you and your wife will have no trouble finding a support group and network.

Welcome to the US.