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Didn't know about the E3 special US visa for Australian professionals. I assume that Francesco was aware of this but was keeping mum about it in the forum.
It appears to be only a work visa. I wonder if it's possible to convert the E3 into a permanent residence status?
A US $100,000 salary is a pretty good salary in the US hinterland, but doesn't go far in the US northeast (Boston to Washington) or along the California coast. If the corporation that you work for has offices in the New York metropolitan area, you might want to check out other possibilities. The cities that I would recommend are Dallas and Houston Texas, Atlanta Georgia, Denver Colorado and Phoenix Arizona.
Didn't know about the E3 special US visa for Australian professionals. I assume that Francesco was aware of this but was keeping mum about it in the forum.
It appears to be only a work visa. I wonder if it's possible to convert the E3 into a permanent residence status?
A US $100,000 salary is a pretty good salary in the US hinterland, but doesn't go far in the US northeast (Boston to Washington) or along the California coast. If the corporation that you work for has offices in the New York metropolitan area, you might want to check out other possibilities. The cities that I would recommend are Dallas and Houston Texas, Atlanta Georgia, Denver Colorado and Phoenix Arizona.
They are not dual intent visa's although they don't have the foreign residence requirement that a H1B or L1 has. So its possible that you could abandon foreign residence when taking it up and then convert to permanent down the track. Its a relatively new visa so not alot of history on this subject.
E3 is much cheaper for the employer than a H1 plus there is a limit of 10K or so which means that pretty much available most of the time.
I'm a New Yorker just "off the boat" after living in Australia.
Without a job/salary in hand, it's difficult to say how life would compare.
Eating out would likely be a more common occurrence. Bluntly, it's far cheaper than Perth. Steak dinners are roughly comparable with Australian prices, as in both countries, steak for whatever reason commands a significant premium versus other foods when eating out. Fairly simple options like a classic NYC diner can offer a meal for as little as $8 per person (sandwich, fries/chips/salad, and tea/coffee/soda/water). As I recall, eating for that price was difficult in Perth outside of a few Asian meat+rice places. Some examples of main meal prices at mid range restaurants (sit down restaurants that aren't fine dining): steak $25-53; sushi set $13-25; chicken parmigiana $15; Vienerschnitzel (fried veal Viennese style) $23, Salmon dish $18, Halibut $30, Hamburger "fully loaded" $14, Sweet & Sour Chicken $15, domestic mass market beer $4-6, premium/craft/import beer $5-8, glass of wine $5-11. Prices obviously decline on average as one moves out of city centres. I've tried to average the prices between what I've observed in Manhattan, visiting my friends in Queens (Forest Hills), and what I've observed in Nassau County.
Car ownership is overall a less costly experience. Vehicles generally cost less in the US, as we lack a punitive import tariff. Petrol, repairs, and insurance are cheaper, as well.
You'll need to consider healthcare costs. You and your wife are likely young, but obviously you'll want a solid, comprehensive arrangement for your child's future needs.
Housing varies wildly, as like in any country, the "housing market" is not a unitary entity, but rather a confederation of smaller markets. A $100,000 household income would not allow much more than basic housing in a safe area with good schools in markets such as NYC, DC, LA, or San Francisco. In this regard, you may not find NYC much cheaper (if at all) than Perth. If your wife worked as a white collar professional earning $50k+, obviously your options for housing and added amenities would improve.
As with any move, expat life in the US has its advantages and disadvantages, as do specific areas. Some Australians are disappointed that NYC or Southern California aren't at the near-3rd world cheapness they saw on their road-trip across the American South from Miami to New Orleans. There is also the very real culture shock of moving from Australia to a metro area with 1/2 of Australia's entire population. Religion is a much, much larger facet of American life and even urban centres still have large contingents of religious. I have observed that poverty is much more visible in the US. On the other hand, I have encountered very happy Australians who've managed to retain their 6 figure salary in cheaper second tier cities such as St Louis.
Hi Amelorn,
Thank you for this very informative post.
Houses is one of the main reason for me to move in USA (of course, I'm not referring to a flat in Time Square).
Let's arrange a simple ratio: a decent house outside city center ($500,000, 40 km away from CBD) with a decent salary costs 5 times your annual gross salary.
Dining out is very variable, but generally costly.
An hamburger with beer in one of the pubs in city center will cost you $25. If you want to dine out with your girlfriend/wife will cost no less than $70-$100. A good quality place can raise quite high the expense.
There are cheaper places, like the Asian food court in Northbridge. In this case, a lunch/dine for two will cost around $30.
The difference between social classes is not so evident here. There are few junk cars, but there are also few Ferrari. The majority of the population drives 2000 cc cars with stickers of 3-4 children on his car.
This is good, but one could see also bad aspects on this
Aussie living in New Jersey. For the locals - Superannuation is 401K in the US.
If I assume that your missus is not working and there is no plan for that to change then I'd say the lifestyle in NYC (City) would be of a lower quality than what you have now - although that depends on what your expectations are... Living in the biggest city in North America vs the worlds most isolated city (Perth) has some fairly obvious trade offs and differences.
I think you need to outline your expectations around housing and location. In NYC for a nice 2 bed you are looking at more than you are paying now. A house is out of the question on that number in the city. City Beach WA doesn't really have a comparative spot here - unless you consider moving out of NYC to Long Island perhaps but then its not the city.
Also you need to consider the job side - I'd say that due to the resources boom in Perth your salary is higher than what you might get in NYC but that's a guess rather than anything concrete. Engineers I've met here seem to not earn as much as they might in Perth!
If you have an Australia Citizenship then from a Visa standpoint you can enter for work easily (Google the E3 Visa). If you only have Italian Citizenship then its much more complicated. First step is to always work out the Visa path and then work out what the job situation is. It might be worth getting Australia Citizenship first and then attempting the move.
So whats your visa story ?
Living in New York (state), outside city center would be the idea. Commuting from home to office in the CBD.
I'm getting that Long Island is the equivalent of City Beach here in Perth. But I'm assuming that such a spot closer to the world's most desired city (I know, this is debatable) will cost a fortune to live in.
My expectation is a 2 bedrooms house, 1/2 bathrooms will do. Townhouse outside City center will be preferred, but is not so important.
The E3 is probably the most important information I got from this thread! Thank you!
I'm not an Australian citizen (I hold an European passport plus Australian 457 visa). I always thought at a H-1B visa, but this E3 could dramatically change the plans...
Didn't know about the E3 special US visa for Australian professionals. I assume that Francesco was aware of this but was keeping mum about it in the forum.
It appears to be only a work visa. I wonder if it's possible to convert the E3 into a permanent residence status?
A US $100,000 salary is a pretty good salary in the US hinterland, but doesn't go far in the US northeast (Boston to Washington) or along the California coast. If the corporation that you work for has offices in the New York metropolitan area, you might want to check out other possibilities. The cities that I would recommend are Dallas and Houston Texas, Atlanta Georgia, Denver Colorado and Phoenix Arizona.
Thank you Wells5.
So, $100,000 is not a good salary in cities like New York, Boston, Washington and the California coast. What is a good salary there?
Thank you also for the recommendation about Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix. I heard that St Louis is quite cheap as well.
There could be something moving in Dallas as well (not in near future). I'll put Dallas in the watchlist.
Another question that I would like to make in this thread (that I believe is becoming very informative): what about children education?
I'm assuming that with lower houses costs and lower cost of life, you can save more, but what about schools? In Italy they are public (almost free), here in Australia they have costs, but nothing dramatic. What about USA?
So, $100,000 is not a good salary in cities like New York, Boston, Washington and the California coast. What is a good salary there?
Thank you also for the recommendation about Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix. I heard that St Louis is quite cheap as well.
There could be something moving in Dallas as well (not in near future). I'll put Dallas in the watchlist.
The opportunities in St. Louis are not as good as in the cities that I recommended.
Public education from Kindergarden to 12th grade is free in the USA. However, you would not want to send your daughter to a public school in New York City. Private school fees are very expensive in NYC, upwards of $40,000 per year.
The opportunities in St. Louis are not as good as in the cities that I recommended.
Public education from Kindergarden to 12th grade is free in the USA. However, you would not want to send your daughter to a public school in New York City. Private school fees are very expensive in NYC, upwards of $40,000 per year.
Thank you Wells. I read that article and some others. That is very surprising... I'm getting that it is very hard to live in New York City.
I'll give a look also to other cities, as those suggested by you.
Many thanks to this very informative forum and the kind posters that provide a lot of useful information.
OFS
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