How much can i save up/lifestyle in Texas. (Austin: for sale, apartments)

[daat]

Hello,
in the next half year i will get a job in Texas, close to Austin. But will be travelling a lot in the USA. I will have to move over from Europe to the USA, in other words i will have a visa for some years and probably return back to Europe after that. I am wondering if my salary will be enough to live in the USA and earn some savings. Maybe you can help me a bit with my estimation about lifestyle in the USA, since i have been there only twice for some days.

My current situation is:
- 1000$ per month for paying off debt for the next 2 years
- i am single but have a girlfriend in my country, she will stay there since i will be travelling back to Europe maybe every 2-3 months for several weeks.


My lifestyle is currently:
- shopping in the supermarket like walmart, i eat reasonably and don't mind eating canned food or microwaved stuff.
- cook at home 50%
- eat fast food as lunch or something in a sports bar or something like Fuddruckers
- Ii would like to buy one clothing item every 4 weeks, like business/cloth pants, a business shirt or 3 tshirts to renew my wardrobe.
- every 3rd-4th day i'd like to eat something reasonable like steak with salad or Fajitas, Burritos, etc in restaurant with a standard pricing. I don't need a cosmoplitan atmosphere, i like cozy relaxed restaurants.

My future company has offered me:
- $85000 gross per year.
- A car to drive with including all gas bills.
- A company credit card for easy payment of hotels, flights, etc. but not for private use.
- Paying moving costs of from Europe to the USA of $2500.
- When travelling inside the USA(which i am supposed to do every 2-3 weeks), i will get all hotel costs paid from the company and additional $80 per day for living/eating away from my rented flat.
- The company offers health care insurance covering all costs if i pay $160 per month.
- Maybe the company will pay the rent in Texas for a $600 flat/studio/etc. per month.

I calculated taxes with a calculator on the net and got a net income of 5191 per month. If i deduct the health care i will be around 5000 without the expenses for travelling inside the USA, which will give me about $700 net salary on top. This leaves me, when deducting my debt payment, with $4000-4700(depending on company flat or not) net per month. How much could i possibly save up per month?



Thanks in advance!

[jennifw]

I come up with about $4700 net per month.

-160 health insurance
- 400 groceries/eating out ($100 per week)
- 80 laundry/dry cleaning ($20 per week)
- 100 cellphone
- 200 apartment expenses like elec/cable/etc
-1000 student loan debt
- 1000 rent (I think you will be hard pressed to find a flat for $600 in the Austin area)
-600 weekends ($150 per weekend to go explore, etc)

That leaves about $1200 to either save or pay for something I forgot. Having your per-diem while you are traveling could bring some of those expenses down.

You will also have the expense of furnishing wherever you live. $2500 to move won't cover bringing much over.
You may also want to save to bring your girlfriend over here for a visit or for a visit back home that isn't covered by the company.


Good luck with your (potential) move.
Jennifer

[daat]

Originally Posted by jennifw

I come up with about $4700 net per month.

[...]
That leaves about $1200 to either save or pay for something I forgot. Having your per-diem while you are traveling could bring some of those expenses down.
[...]

Thank you so much for your detailed listing. I won't come over with a lot of stuff, i probably take 2 luggage bags with business clothes, and a pilot flight case and try to get a small 500-600sqft pre furnitured apartment with a small kitchen, maybe something around cedar creek or within of 30 minutes driving distance. Since i plan on staying for about 2 years it really is not necessary to bring the whole furniture over.

To be honest i expected to be able to save more than you said. But it looks like i have to discuss the salary again with the company. I have been browsing the average job wages again and did several hours of research... I realized i will probably be underpaid by $20k gross per year. A senior software engineer which fits the job expectations exactly, with several years of experience, and topping it even with project management experience should maybe get a bit more salary. I think i try my luck negotiating a better salary.

Marc

[texasdiver]

I think you will be in great shape in Austin with that salary and those benefits. Compared to Europe, Texas has no state income tax so your only taxes will be Federal taxes and sales tax on non-food items. You'll also find that groceries in TX will probably be half what they are in Europe. You can eat REALLY cheaply if you don't mind buying in bulk and cooking your own meals.

If your primary objective is saving money and Texas is a temporary stop then you can save a lot on things like furniture by shopping on Craigslist. So many people are always moving in and out of Austin that there is always lots of cheap stuff there. Skip cable TV and just use netflix or amazon and that will save you more.

One thing to keep in mind is that Austin has some of the most horrible traffic in the nation so a lot of your sanity will be determined by how close you live to work (and perhaps how close you live to the airport if you are going to be traveling as much as you say). So you will probably be better off in the long run if you have to pay a couple hundred dollars more for an apartment close to work as you'll get it back in peace of mind and less gas/commuting expense. If your job is in the north end of the city and you find an apartment across town in the south end you'll go insane. Austin has very poor public transportation compared to pretty much any similar sized city in Europe so you'll most likely be stuck in traffic in your car.

[texasdiver]

If you are in software engineering then you might also ask them provide you with smart phone & data plan and home internet as those will no doubt be used for work as well. Those kinds of things add up. Or at least have them added to your housing budget. I don't know a software engineer who isn't constantly on the smart phone and laptop 24/7.

[daat]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

If you are in software engineering then you might also ask them provide you with smart phone & data plan and home internet as those will no doubt be used for work as well. Those kinds of things add up. Or at least have them added to your housing budget. I don't know a software engineer who isn't constantly on the smart phone and laptop 24/7.

Yes, i forgot to mention i get a company smartphone with data plan for business and private use, also for calls to Europe. Thanks for the home internet hint, i will bring it up. There is a solid reason they should pay it because i have to video conference to Europe often and i sure won't be in the office at 5 a.m. to do that, when the conference is scheduled early afternoon in Europe.

[ChristieP]

Furnished apartments are very rare here, and they tend to be in low-income, less desirable, higher crime neighborhoods. You can buy used furniture inexpensively at thrift stores, yard sales, or on craigslist: dallas / fort worth jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

[jdrtx]

You will fit exceptionally well in the Austin vibancy, diversity, funkiness, strange coffee brew, hippy, live music, I35 traffic, take your dog, chaotic, crazy, BBQ, bring a bunch of rent money kind of place.
Good luck

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Furnished apartments are very rare here, and they tend to be in low-income, less desirable, higher crime neighborhoods.

Actually many of the nicer complexes will provide a furnished apartment upon request, for a fee. It's not something they advertise, you have to ask.

[daat]

Thanks for the clarification about housing and furniture. I did not take into account the crime situation though. It definitely is something to consider.