4 ms·

I moved from the UK to the US recently and I'm not sure it's worth my while. Sure, I make more than 2x the salary, but the cost of living of a bit tech hub chi

I moved from the UK to the US recently and I'm not sure it's worth my while. Sure, I make more than 2x the salary, but the cost of living of a bit tech hub chips away most of it. Specially housing, which has increased dramatically since Covid. Even with my big fat tech salary, getting in the properly ladder seems to be years away. Pay less taxes? sure, but then you have to pay for everything and then some, and everything is incredibly expensive. And we don't even have children yet. I can't imagine being able to afford childcare even with my current income. I agree that I choose the worst time to move over. In the last year we experienced drop in stock prices combined with soaring inflation, which means that both my income went down, and my expenses went up. Also it's not like I can change employers and get a better deal. Even if the job market wasn't depressed, my visa (L1) doesn't allow me to change employers. Also the latest visa bulletin pushed the current date of my visa category back a couple of years, so Green Card seems like a somewhat distant dream. All in, I'm not sure my quality of life in this country is better (and the UK itself is not doing great lately).

FredPret 3y ago
I'm an immigrant too. It took me many years to break even on my emigration. You only get to the part where it's all worth it once you've settled into the new country, gotten a few jobs/promotions/started a business, bought a house, made lots of friends, learnt the new culture (not such a huge shock for UK->US), etc. This takes years and sometimes a whole generation!
nightski 3y ago
The key is to not live in a tech hub or hcol area. You can make a great salary in the 200-300k range in lower cost of living areas and basically live like royalty.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  Between the tech industry particularly leaning well towards remote work and the US being predominantly rural countryside geographically, more people should consider not living in the big cities where housing and costs of living are exponentially higher.
- msikora 3y ago
  Especially if you bought your house at least 3-4 years ago.
- angarg12 3y ago
  My employer forces me to go to the office, which is in a HCOL area. Maybe after I get my green card I can get a pay cut and move to a LCOL area. But again, is it worth it? I can also get a fully remote job and move back to my hometown by the mediterranean.

FredPret 3y ago

I'm an immigrant too. It took me many years to break even on my emigration. You only get to the part where it's all worth it once you've settled into the new country, gotten a few jobs/promotions/started a business, bought a house, made lots of friends, learnt the new culture (not such a huge shock for UK->US), etc. This takes years and sometimes a whole generation!

nightski 3y ago

The key is to not live in a tech hub or hcol area. You can make a great salary in the 200-300k range in lower cost of living areas and basically live like royalty.

Dalewyn 3y ago
Between the tech industry particularly leaning well towards remote work and the US being predominantly rural countryside geographically, more people should consider not living in the big cities where housing and costs of living are exponentially higher.
msikora 3y ago
Especially if you bought your house at least 3-4 years ago.
angarg12 3y ago
My employer forces me to go to the office, which is in a HCOL area. Maybe after I get my green card I can get a pay cut and move to a LCOL area. But again, is it worth it? I can also get a fully remote job and move back to my hometown by the mediterranean.