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Moved to the USA - My 10 week update
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31-03-2013 7:37pm#1This is my first attempt at writing anything of this nature so it may be completely uneventful but hopefully in the midst of my ramblings there may be some information that’s of benefit to somebody who’s coming here for the short or long term.
To give a little background: I work for a small Irish software company who do a lot of business with the US – well maybe more some than lots. I was in the past travel a few times year to the US for work and after a month long trip here in August, I decided it was the place for me. I found every time I left, I was a little more devastated that the time before. I asked if my company would assist me in my move over and four months later I was in Dublin Airport with a sobbing family and three large suitcase – everything I had in the world at that point in time. I’m in my very early 30’s *cough* and had never had any interest in property so I was leaving commitment free. Australia never held much interest and America was going to be the place for me!
I should point out that these are just my own experiences and may be very different from what others have experienced. I just found a lot of the information I got was confusing or … just wrong :eek:
VISA’s & all that
My company has a pre-existing E1 visa which meant the process was fairly painless for me, I was actually shocked to be approved while in the embassy. The visa gives unlimited travel rights for the period of the visa and also allows your spouse to come with you and work. The only disadvantage of this versus other visas is that it can’t ever lead to full residency.
Social Security
While I’d heard a million stories of all the things I would need social security for, I was about to get without it:
• Accommodation
• A bank account
• Electricity
• Gas
• Phone (PAYG)
• Broadband
I’ve moved to Boston and based on the advice I was given I waited the 10 days after I arrived for everything “Sync up” – I still don’t know if they was necessary as they re-verified all information again from my landing documentation. I had to give an address (at this time I didn’t have my own apartment so I used a friends). I left the office with nothing except a receipt – the card, a flimsy bit of paper, arrived by post 10 days later. If you’re moving to Boston, the social security off is in the Tip O'Neill building which is right by TD Gardens/North Station. Don’t bring your gun along (they will actually ask you this several times) and bring something to read. I was there an hour which is considered to be very quick.
Your social security number is very valuable here and it is the primary way of tracking your credit history. For the first few months, you’ll be considered a virtual nobody until you start appearing on the systems of the major credit rating agencies. A lot of services (tv, broadband, electricity) may require you to give a deposit to stop you defaulting on payments.
Bank Accounts
Most Americans seem to be drifting away from the bigger banks but I found going with the bigger ones was easier as they were used to the process of dealing with international customers. Boston is full of foreigners (as you’ll be called) so they are well able to get things rolling. I applied for a bank account on day #2 – with Bank of America - All I needed was a passport and my driver’s license – I volunteered a copy of my visa. Once you have minimum of $2.5k going into your account you get most things for free:
• Debit Card (with your own pic on it)
• Checks / Cheques
• ATM withdrawals
• Online Banking with Direct Deposits (direct debits)
Otherwise I think it’s about $15 a month for the banking fees. Basic banking is free (no online) if you don’t have that much money going through your account. Using other banks ATMs will be expensive.
I left the bank that day with an ATM card and a temporary checkbook (3 cheques). The personalized card and checkbook came just over a week later.
It may be a bit of a shock to realize that banking is a little more behind here; checks are still very common, the security of online banking seems less secure, and setting up online payments can more of a nightmare.
Word of warning – Sending money to Ireland from Bank of America is expensive. The exchange rates isn’t great and there a $35 fee.
Accommodation
On average, accommodation is A LOT more expensive in the main cities. If you’re buying it’s a lot more affordable but it’s rarely an option for the newly arrived. In Boston, the culture is that rents run September to September so you’ll find the market constantly listing places that are starting September 1st. At other times of the year you’ll be giving the option to rent until September and then renew from there for a full year.
In Boston the letting agents are crazy. Once your names get out there that you’re looking for accommodation, you will get hounded. The main reason for this? On average you’re paying for their service. Typically here, to move in you’ll pay:
• First Month
• Last Month
• Security Deposit
• Realtor Fee
All of these will generally be a full month’s rent so expect to hand over 4 months’ rent to move in. Some offer reduced deposits etc for those with good credit – again something you won’t have on arrival.
Most people advise you to go via Craigslist to find apartments but I would advise being very cautious. Most of the ads on Craigslist are automatic posts by lettings agencies which are made to look like one off landlords. The process is tiresome and expect the standard of accommodation to be much less than what you would get in Europe. A typical one bed apartment in Boston starts at about $1800 a month.
If you’re thinking of going a little outside the city, which I did, I would recommend starting on the main T line stops of the orange and red. Blue goes to many undesirable places and the green line is extremely slow and gets very crowed. I live on the orange line and despite being 7 miles from the city, it only takes me less than 20 minutes from my front door to downtown Boston. I managed to get a 1 bed apartment in new build complex with standards on par with Dublin for just 1 months’ rent and 1 month’s deposit
Of the online apps available, I found ‘hotpads’ to be quite good.
Electricity & Gas
Thankfully these were super easy to set up. The only confusion I have is that both are the same company (a bit like Bord Gais in Ireland). They send separate bills without telling you the service. Gets very confusing trying to pay it without know what it is you’re paying for.
Phones
I brought my Irish phone with me (unlocked) and just got a pay as you go sim for now. The services are more expensive. Bill pay will generally require a credit check.
I went with the t-mobile package for $60 a month you get unlimited US calls and texts and unlimited data with first 500mb at 4G speed plus unlimited international landline calls and texts. My phone isn’t 4G enabled but the speeds are … brutal! I’d check online before signing up to any service, different cities get very different reception quality.
Broadband/TV
You may faint on seeing the prices for these. If there are a few people in the house it’s obviously cheaper but as I live alone I decided to just go for broadband on its own. A basic 20mb down/5mb up package was $35 a month. You get basic cable for free but it’s mostly a new local new channels. I have an apple tv and both a Netflix and HuluPlus account – much better than tv imho – plus I have an iPad so I use airplay on my iPad for the RTE player for shows/matches etc. I use ‘unblock us’ as a service for setting my DNS for Ireland – it now allows you to pick one of 10 different countries. If you’re trying to watch something live on the RTE player make sure to change your iPad time to Irish time
Healthcare
I’m starting to think it’s cheaper to fly home than to get healthcare here however in Massachusetts you get fine through your taxes for not having healthcare. Expect the minimum month payment to be $250 for a very basic package with a very high deductible – don’t be fooled, this word actually means excess so it’s the amount become which the health company will pay. Doctors are tied to health insurance companies/packages so you can’t just pick at will
Food
As someone who was used to just eating in restaurants I always thought food here was super cheap – I still think that most restaurants are cheaper than back home but supermarket food is WAY more expensive. Quality meat, fruit and veg are much more expensive. I’m kinda fussy about the quality of my food so I avoid most frozen food but all that stuff seems very cheap but the quality looks to be something awful. Frozen pizzas will be dirt cheap, a good fillet steak will be $14.
If you’re bothered to shop around you will get good value. Most of the main supermarkets here are the same price (Shaws and Stop&Shop). I’ve heard Market Basket is much cheaper. I’ve made a few trips to the ALDI near the Wellington T stop and it think it’s great value.
If you want some very good value, I would sign up for CostCo. If you’ve never come across it, it’s essentially like shopping in a cash & carry. Only members can shop there (I’ve made this mistake) and an annual membership costs $55. Everything is sold in bulk but the chicken and burgers there are very good – each is about $20 for giant packs.
Money
If you’re used to coming here on holidays and now find yourself living here, you’ll very quickly find yourself stopping the exchanging of money in your head. For the first few weeks I keep thinking in Euro and how cheap things where but once you start earning in Dollars that all changes.
Cash is becoming very rare here because you can use your card for almost any transaction – I got a coffee for $1.60 the other day and paid with card and that’s not uncommon. Also staff in restaurants/bars are used to the process of splitting between 2 or many cards so having cash to pay someone back isn’t a problem.
Things that are oddly cheap
• Off-license alcohol
• Non brand medicines
• Crap supermarket food
• Fast food
• Electronics – tv’s etc
• Public transport – costs $18 for unlimited travel
Things that are oddly expensive
• Meat, fruit and veg
• Services (TV/Broadband/Mobile Phone)
• Beer – it’s cheaper in shops, about $6 + $1tip in Boston
• Branded Medicine
Massachusetts has some very weird drinking laws – most bars close by 2am which isn't typical for the US. Most shops DO NOT sell alcohol and its common to find off licenses that sell just beer and wine. However there is no sales tax on alcohol so it’s much much cheaper to buy here. It can just be annoying to get
That’s my 10 week update – I’ll pop back again when I’ve figured some more stuff out! Any YEAH for spring
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Fair play to you Dan. Best of luck to you. You sound like you have a really good handle on things. However, I'd question your decision to not get health insurance. Yes, it can he horribly expensive, off puttingly so especially if you are a hale and hearty 30 something without a wife and kids. However, most Americans still try to factor having some sort of coverage into their annual budget.
It not a luxury in the US. It is a necessity, as the cost of health care without it are incredibly high. Something simple like a weeks stay in a hospital with a broken leg can leave you with a bill of over $200,000. Unlike the Irish model, hospitals in the US are ran as profit making corporations. They can and they will pursue you relentlessly for every single cent that you owe them. Medical bills are the #1 reason for personal bankruptcy filings in the US.
I don't mean to alarm you, but getting ill or seriously injured is not something that you will have always have advance warning of that you can make plans to travel to Ireland for. Look into getting some sort of emergency coverage. That is what I got when I was between jobs. I was covered for anything catastrophic that resulted in me being admitted to a hospital via the ER, but the day to day stuff, or trips to the doctor if I had the sniffles, I had to pay for out of my own pocket. It was much, much cheaper than full comprehensive coverage & really set my mind at ease.
I may have confused you all with that .... I have health insurance I'm just in the process of getting it sorted now. I wouldn't risk not having it 0 -
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.danindudlin wrote: »
I should point out that these are just my own experiences and may be very different from what others have experienced. I just found a lot of the information I got was confusing or … just wrong :eek:
TBH I was just trying to write something as I saw it, not lay down the law for how everyone should live in America. I'm still very new to it all and wanted to impart a few bits and pieces of personal experience. I should have also pointed out that I'm a complete over planner so most of what I wrote I think I'd done within the first few days 
My plan was to update as I go - I haven't really gotten very far with credit ratings etc
Hopefully a few people can chip in something similar and we can get some really good info together! 0 -
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I've just copied danindudlin's points to give you a view of my experience.
I live in Vegas. I've been here a few years now. I wanted to move to California but due to the high cost of living there I decided Vegas was good enough for me.
It's close enough to drive to California for weekends but I get the low cost of living of Nevada.
There are no state taxes in Nevada so it makes a big difference on your paycheck.
VISA’s & all that
I won the Greencard lottery. I think I've posted about my experience of that in the megathread already. Basically, it's a long and expensive process but it's worth it.
I can apply for citizenship after five years, or try to renew the GC after 10 years.
I can live and work legally and it doesn't really affect me in my daily life compared to being a citizen.
That said, I will apply for citizenship.
Social Security
I brought my GC and passport to the SS office here. Applied on a Friday and got the card less than two weeks later.
We were in the country two days when we applied and were staying in a hotel. They used the Social Security office address for us and we could go back to pick it up.
We didn't wait in the office very long as far as I can remember.
Bank Accounts
I went with Chase Bank based on a recommendation. I've found them excellent as a bank.
The girl was really helpful when setting it up. I think we used my brother's address to send out the debit cards to, but can't really remember.
I also set up an account with US bank as they do secure credit cards. That's basically where you give them a set amount (we gave $300) and they give you a credit card for that limit. It's perfect for trying to build your score over here. Buy something small and pay it off once a month.
I don't like US bank and have closed my account since.
My score is building. I'ts really good right now. You can tell by the amount of credit card offers you get in the mail.
One thing to look for is how well your bank serves other areas. Places you may live in or visit in the future need to be considered. You get charged twice using another banks ATM. Once by your bank and once by the bank you're using.
Accommodation
Accommodation here is fairly average. We got a 2-bed apartment in a gated community for $909pm.
We had to pay a $300 security deposit, as well as an additional $600 since we had no credit. We also had to pay a 'pet fee' and 'pet rent' per month.
We got a 13 month lease. With that we got one month free rent which we used over the year. So we paid $849 I think per month the first year.
The pet rent is supposed to be per pet. It was $25pm in our complex which was included in the $909 figure. We have two pets but the charged only for one. Water/sewer/trash was also included in the $909 figure.
In the complex there is a small gym, racquetball court and swimming pool open year round.
Nearly all apartment complexes have a gym, couple of pools and tennis court or something.
Our place was maintained really well and we were happy with the guys there. They were pretty quick for repairs and pest control was free.
I saw one cockroach on the whole grounds in two years.
Our rent was slightly on the higher side but we got a spacious apartment and management were decent to deal with.
You can get 2 beds for about $750 average. Stay away from anywhere cheaper!
Edit: Wanted to add, that it's very rare to find a place furnished. Moving in you'll have a fridge, cooker, washer/dryer and maybe microwave. You need to buy everything! Craigslist is key when you first get here.
Electricity & Gas
These were easy for me to set up as well. We paid a small deposit (maybe $80 each) which was refunded through our bill after a few months of on time payments.
Gas ranges from $20-$30 per month. Electricity is $30-$80 per month. Air-con is on all summer so it spikes those months.
Overall, I think they're cheap compared to home.
Very easy to switch addresses too.
Phones
We bought a $10 phone when we got here first. It was a PAYG, but it was awful. After a month we got a rolling contract phone from T-Mobile. It was about $50 each per month.
Now we're on contract phones and pay $60 each for minutes/texts/4g.
I definitely find mobile phone plans expensive here.
Broadband/TV
We have tv/internet/home phone all in one. It cost $140pm.
It's basic tv but has all the channels we watch. Our phone is never even plugged in. It's just cheaper to have it on the plan than without.
Our broadband is really good. I don't know what the exact speed it but we've never had an issue.
There's not contract with these services so we can cancel or change anytime.
They're good for matching prices or giving you discounts to stay.
Healthcare
Healthcare sucks here! We're so spoiled in Ireland and don't even know it.
If you get full time over here nearly every employer offers 'benefits'. Basically medical/dental/vision.
It's considered almost as part of the wages.
Getting your own coverage here can run from $100-$1,000 a month. Get something.
Food
Eating out is definitely normal here. It's cheap and quick.
Supermarkets are good though.
Most places here have a rewards card. But it's not like Tesco where you can redeem points after you earn them. On a lot of products there's a 'without card' price and 'with card' price.
It can save you so much on your bill.
To me, most of the stuff is the same price as home. The differences to me are:
Bread - never buy a sliced pan here. Horrible stuff.
Produce - fruit and veg here is delicious. Ripe and varied and pretty cheap. Tomato's are oddly expensive though...
Meat - there's not a lot of butcher shops here and the ones that are here often have frozen stuff. Not sure why.
Whole Foods is delicious if you can afford it.
Fresh and Easy is owned by Tesco so we can get a lot of Irish/English products too.
Also, Kerrygold is sold in a lot of places. Yum!
Money
Card is definitely King. I think in $$$ now. Stuff is still pretty cheap compared to home but not as cheap as it seems on holidays.
At petrol stations though it's nearly always cheaper to pay in cash. Also diesel is more expensive than petrol.
Speaking of, petrol here is high at the moment at $3.65 per gallon.
Things that are oddly cheap
Alcohol
Petrol
Restaurants
Buying cars
Gas and electricity
Electronics
Things that are oddly expensive
Cinema
Mobile phone bill
Banking
Duvets!
Drinking in Vegas is 24 hours. Both a good and bad thing. Many times I woke up the next day (or same day rather!) after getting home at 10am and wishing they had kicked us out.
You can get alcohol anywhere at anytime. Fremont is relaxed about their open container laws and it's really fun to go there.
Best thing about Vegas is not having to worry about entertainment for visitors.
Life here is nothing like you see on the Strip. If you're local you stay away as prices are insane and service is better off the strip for locals.
We get discounts on everything here though which is great. Plus nothing better than going to Lake Mead on a hot day and renting a boat. Cooler packed and you're good to go.
Weather here is gorgeous. We have two seasons (which I love) - hot and not as hot.
Honestly though, it gets cold November - February.
March-May and September-October are pleasant. Hot during the day, cool at night.
June-August is heaven for me. Coldest it will get at night is probably 30 Celsius.
I love the choice over here for everything. Plus they have better football facilities than we do and they don't even like the sport!.danindudlin wrote: »TBH I was just trying to write something as I saw it, not lay down the law for how everyone should live in America. I'm still very new to it all and wanted to impart a few bits and pieces of personal experience. I should have also pointed out that I'm a complete over planner so most of what I wrote I think I'd done within the first few days My plan was to update as I go - I haven't really gotten very far with credit ratings etc
Hopefully a few people can chip in something similar and we can get some really good info together!
I understand, and I was pointing it out so someone reading it understood exactly that this was your experience and not something to be expected everywhere in the country.
So I also wanted to add points about two other topics. Driving licence and jobs.
Driving licence
We went to the DMV a couple of weeks after getting here. Brought passport and greencard again.
We filled out the application and then immediately we were sent to a room to take the theory test. We were taken aback thinking it would be a couple of weeks like at home.
It's 50 questions and you need to get 40 right. Most are obvious but some are US specific and then state specific which I had to guess on. Use your skip button!
You then queue up to get your photo taken for the provisional and you get a temporary piece of paper. You're actual licence takes about 2 weeks in the post.
You make an appointment for your driving test there and then if you're successful.
Driving test is pretty easy. But you need to have your own car and it needs to be insured. Weird getting insurance without having a licence or the car registered yet.
Test was about 20mins driving around. It's straight forward blocks over here so easy enough. But know about local driving laws, turning right on red etc.
Back at the centre you need to parallel park in a huge space! Easy.
If you pass you can retake your photo if you wish and again will get the licence in a couple of weeks.
Jobs
We looked for any job when we first got here. Just wanted money coming in. Everything is online. Search every company website and apply.
We got a p/t job within a month. I got a f/t job in 2 months. Not sure if it was lucky or not but I've got every job I've had an interview for here.
They do background checks on you for everything and possibly a drug test. The process takes a while but not much to it.
Get money coming in at first and then start looking for where you want to work.
Taxes are a mystery to me but most people will be able to give you advice on what to do with your W-4. If you're worried you can choose to take an amount out of your paycheck, like $10, and then when you do your taxes you shouldn't owe.
Employers send out what you need and there's booths everywhere during tax season to help you.
But it's pretty simply to do it yourself on turbotax.0 -
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VISA’s & all that
My company organized the whole thing. We came in on an l1a visa, an non-immigrant, dual-intent visa. This means that I have the right to apply for immigration, and will not be stopped when I choose to do so.
The process is the same as all visas - DS-160 and an interview. We did ours at the Madrid Embassy, approved on the spot and passport and visa arrived that afternoon.
My wife came in on an l2 visa allowing her to work once she had her EAD sorted.
Social Security
We waited the 10 days and went to the SS office in San Mateo where my company temporarily put us up.
The cards arrived about 1 week later.
Bank Accounts
We applied for bank accounts on day 2 in the country. All they asked for were our passports, visas and another form of ID.
I also applied for a credit card and was granted a full one based on our savings that we lodged into a savings account. This was not a secured card but a normal one.
Credit starts to build as soon as you have SS and bank account linked. 6 months in, I have 700 rating with 3 lines of credit (2 cc's and a car loan)
Accommodation
Expensive as hell in San Francisco. We were in temporary accommodation for 3 months to get ourselves settled. We had to be prepared to move very fast. We saw a place we liked in the city, and 4000 in a cheque later, we had the place.
You need to bring with you references from employers, something that says your yearly salary on it as well as anything else that shows you are responsible.
The rent is 2540 a month for 2 bedroom house in the Sunset area of the city, with parking in the garage
Electricity & Gas
Pretty cheap - in california they are run by the same crowd PG&E. We pay between 50 and 70 a month
Phones
we both have iPhone 5's. $110 a month, plus $200 deposit each that will come back to us. We have 4G LTE coverage. We also have an iPad mini as an add on to our bill for $15 a month
Internet/cable
We went with comcast, 20mb d/l and full cable as well as european sports channels for 120 a month. My company subsidizes this to 100 a month, so we win
Healthcare
Subsidized to hell by my company. We are on the highest tier (lowest deductable and still costs us 180 a month) Haven't had need to use it, but all my co-workers speak very highly of the corporate scheme
Food
Depending on where you go it an be ok or bad.
Trader joes is great for pretty much everything you need. We tend to spend around 130 a week in here for the 2 of us, and top up in safeway for things you can't get there every 2 weeks or so (cleaning supplies etc).
Good meat is expensive as is good veg and fruit
Wine is pretty expensive, but we moved to the US from Spain where wine was 5euro a bottle.
Domestic beer is pretty good, especially from the smaller breweries.
Money
Card is king, i rarely if ever need cash on me (only in bars etc). We have a debit card and credit card, both are acceptable pretty much anywhere.
Weather
It's California, but not as you know it. October/November are summer here in the bay area.
November-> March it rains and is pretty humid
Apriil/May->September - cold and foggy in the city, hot hot hot in the valleys to the south and East of the city.
Sort of like Ireland, but not as depressing.
Driving licence
I had to start from the bottom - i never learned to drive. I went in, did my 50 questions, passed with flying colors.
3 driving lessons later I passed my driving test
My wife had a spanish license. She had to do the same as me, as the european drivers license cannot be ported over.
Jobs
Didn't matter for me, i came for a job. My wife had to apply for an EAD but her situation is pretty unique as she is a doctor, and so is able to get a visa on her own steam. She is in process of completing this now
Taxes
Complicated, as I arrived in October and so was not a tax resident for 2012.
My return will be submitted May 31st as Dual resident. Tax year 2013 will be my first as tax resident.
My company organized taxes for last year, but next year will be getting a CPA0 -
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Visa
Moved with work in 2011 on an L1. Ended up having loads of hassle due to the dimwit immigration attorney who was filing my petition.
Had already sold our house and told everyone we were moving when I got hit with a Request For Evidence from the USCIS folks.
Cue 1 month of late night calls with attorneys manager and send off paperwork & evidence, all the while not knowing if I'd be rejected or not.
Got accepted in the end and getting the visa in the embassy was a formality. Although I was pretty nervous until I had the passports in hand.
I got 3 out of the 4 passports back on time, but 1 of the kids ones only came back 2 days before we were due to fly.
SSN
On our way out of Dublin, the immigration officer never put an expiry date on our I94's. So we had to get that sorted.
I then took 2 months from applying to get our actual SSN's - which caused quite a bit of hassle.
Banking
I work for a very large company, so it was very smooth as the bank they deal with is used to handling foreign transfers (employees). Was preapproved for a car loan (although I couldn't get it without my SSN).
Accommodation
Had temporary apt for 2 months then we bought a house in the district we wanted. Stressful enough process as they are a lot stricter than I remember them being in Ireland when it comes to how much money they'd give me for a mortgage. Love the house, but it's expensive to maintain a wooden house compared with regular brick houses.
Car and Insurance
I thought the insurance was pricey enough at first, but I've gotten used to it now. Bought an old Nissan sedan when we got here with a car loan from the bank to get my credit score started. Still have that and now we have an SUV on lease. Never would have considered leasing before moving here.
Driving test was the easiest thing I've ever done. Quick spin around the town while the driving test lady chatted about the area. Very friendly. Scored 94/100 and only lost points due her distracting me so much with her yapping!
Health Insurance
We have pretty extensive coverage, so I don't need to worry too much. Which is good considering the amount of times I've had to take the kids to the hospital so far. :mad:
Phone/TV/'Net
Have 2 cell phones from ATT for me & the missus for about $160 pm. Loads of minutes that we never get close to using, unlimited data and texting. Didn't bother getting a home phone.
Have basic cable and fast internet from Comcast for about $60 pm. Use Netflix & Amazon a lot, but need the cable for sports & The Walking Dead.
Weather
Pacific North West. Expected it to be solid rain and darkness but it's actually better than Irish weather. Not much wind, so the rain doesn't drive into you. Summers are awesome. Proper seasons.
Food and Drink
Find most of the chickens you buy in the supermarkets to be very fatty. Hard to get quality meats without paying a lot. Beer is cheap & plentiful though and eating out is also good value for money.0 -
Visa
My partner got a H1B with a large company here. I went working for a different company on the 12 month J1 after college, which led to a H1B. I found both visa processes very smooth. I was able to adjust my status from J1 to H1B so didn't have to leave the country to change the visa, but I went home for Christmas so just made an appt to visit the embassy to get the new H1B in my passport while I was at home.
SSN
Visited the office in Seattle a week or two after I arrived, had my SSN by the time I was due to start work. (I arrived 30 days before my job start date).
Banking
I am with BECU here, I find them pretty good. I had to have a US form of ID (state ID), my SSN and my Irish passport when signing up.
Accommodation
Depends on the area. We previously lived in downtown Seattle, which was fantastic but the rent/parking space rent was insane and increased every year. We moved to the eastside last November for a bigger place and cheaper rent. We'd like to buy eventually.
Car and Insurance/Metro
I don't drive right now but it's on my to-do list (I have my permit). I have an Orca card which is a pass for the buses, ferries and rail in Seattle. I commute to the city every day, bus pass for the month is about $90.
Health Insurance
Got this and dental insurance through my employer. Excellent coverage.
Phone/TV/'Net
Currently I have a line on my partner's plan, we are both AT&T and bills work out at around $70 each per month.
Weather
I can deal with the winters/autumn because its kind of like Ireland but mild. Downtown tends to shut down if they get a lot of snow (none this year). Summer is amazing though. Last summer was my first here and it was fantastic! Temps were between 20 and 30 celcius. Can't wait for this summer
Food and Drink
The variety here is fantastic and can be reasonably priced. Particularly enjoy the mexican and asian restaurants here. We joined Costco and do our big shops there, Safeway for the milk\bread top ups0 -
sleepyescapade wrote: »Visa
Food and Drink
We joined Costco and do our big shops there, Safeway for the milk\bread top ups
Reminds me of the first (and only) time I bought milk from Costco. Couldn't pour from the carton without spilling it everywhere due to a combination of the size and the design of the lid/opening thingy.0 -
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I am jealous of all of you with great employer paid health insurance!
I came over without a job, on a spousal visa. Just starting to look now, 4 years later (had little kids).
Actually, I should have added - that you can also come over on a spousal visa
As for jobs, I don't know where you are, but here in the bay area they are pretty easy to come by. A work-mate of mine who transferred over at the same time as us - his wife got her EADS on a Tuesday morning, started as an office manager the next Monday as a temp, and two weeks ago got made permanent with all the benefits. She had no degree, just some experience.0 -
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