How much money do you need to live in America
'07.09.2018'
The articles of the blogger Olga Kovalevskaya will be interesting for newly arrived immigrants or people who are just going to America and need information about what they should expect and what to expect. The question that interests many immigrants is how much money is spent per month, what minimum you need to have or earn in order to feel good here. In your bole ProHappyLife Olga answered these questions in detail.
I will write about the city of Los Angeles - this is a metropolis, so it’s inappropriate to compare the cost of living with small towns, but with San Diego or San Francisco just right. I will also describe my own experience and about what I know. Other people's experiences may vary: everyone has different needs, priorities and opportunities. But I will try to give average ratings and describe as much as possible my experience gained in 2014.
The main items of monthly expenses in the USA are as follows:
- Rental housing
The rental price may vary significantly depending on the area of the city. For example, in Santa Monica, you can pay $ 2,500 for a good, but small studio apartment. For this money, anywhere in the San Fernando Valley you can rent 2 good studio apartments or even 2 studio apartments with a gym, pool and barbecue area. We live in Santa Monica because it is a safe area in the center of entertainment, with good transport links and, most importantly, 10 minutes from my husband’s work.
On average, rent will cost the following amounts:
- a good but modest studio apartment in a lively and safe area - $ 1,300 - $ 1,500 per month. Also, upon arrival, you need to pay a deposit, which is usually equal to the monthly rental price;
- A separate room with its own bathroom (this is called the master bedroom) will cost approximately $ 900 - $ 1,000. I know that many people find it cheaper, but I write from my own experience, since a two-room apartment in a good area will cost $ 2,000 minimum, then dividing it by 2, we get $ 1,000 per room;
- A place in the room can be found for $ 400 - $ 500 per person per month. This is a good option for one person with a limited budget. A two-room apartment is usually rented, and 5 people live there: 2 people in each of the bedrooms and 1 in the living room.
- Medical insurance
From 1 on April 2014, according to a law initiated by President Obama, everyone should have health insurance. For her lack of provides for a penalty - 1% of annual family income, but not less than $ 95 per family member. Usually, the employer provides insurance, you still need to pay for it, but cheaper than if you buy it yourself, because part of the cost will be covered by your company-employer. If you have just arrived and have no income yet, and you have good health, then you can pay $ 95 per year and lead a healthy lifestyle. If there is income, it is not very small, and the employer does not provide insurance, then it makes sense to buy insurance.
Insurance in the USA:
- Employer insurance - we pay about $ 350 per month for both of us. Usually an employer offers a 1-2 insurance plan to choose from;
- For people with low income, there are subsidies for paying for shelving. At https://www.healthcare.gov/ you can find more information on different US states and find out whether you can apply for these subsidies from the state. Their size depends on income: the lower the income, the more the state will help;
- You can buy an insurance plan yourself, online. My husband's employer started helping with insurance payment quite recently, before that we had the cheapest plan from one of the insurance companies. For both of us, we paid about $ 390 per month for 2014 a year, in 2015, they increased the price to $ 420. Now we pay a little less than before, but for the best coverage. The employer pays 80% insurance cost for the husband and 30% for me. This turns out to be about $ 350 for two people per month with a $ 1,500 franchise per person (this is the amount you need to pay yourself before the insurance company starts paying too) + vision insurance (you can buy prescriptions for buying lenses for little money or for free) + dental insurance, which covers $ 1,000 per person cost per dentist per year.
- Food
We spend about $ 1,000 per month on food. This amount includes expenses for cafes and dinners of the husband. We buy a lot of vegetables, fruits and good meat. With a great desire to save, you can reduce this amount by a third. For lunch, Acne spends about $ 15 per day, that is, we get about $ 300 + $ 400 per month to buy food in stores. Total $ 700 per month at a minimum.
Food expenses can also vary significantly depending on addictions. A chicken, for example, can be bought in a store for both $ 2 / lb and $ 8 / lb. This is in the same store, just from different manufacturers and of different quality, cheap chicken will be of unknown origin, and the second is organic, that is, a happy chicken who walked across the lawn and ate grass and that was not stuffed with all sorts of nastiness so that it would grow faster. Eat in a cafe for two on average $ 40. We do not eat much, so this is the price for two main courses + sometimes a snack or dessert + taxes + tips.
- By car
We pay $ 400 per month for a car loan + $ 175 for insurance. We spend about $ 100 - $ 200 per month for gasoline. Now (at the end of 2014 of the year) it is cheaper to refuel due to the fall in oil prices. Previously, one gallon of gas (the American gallon 1 is approximately equal to 3.79 liters) cost about $ 4.2 dollars, now it is less than $ 3.
For newly arrived immigrants who do not have a credit history, it is unrealistic to get a car loan at a low interest rate, dealers will offer a loan at about 20% per annum Therefore, the best option to buy a car for cash, based on financial opportunities.
We bought the car, only a year after moving to the USA, but we live next to the work of my husband + in an area with developed public transport (which is rare in Los Angeles) + used Uber (this is like a taxi) + took the car. In general, without a car can be very uncomfortable. Depends on the area of residence and the distance of work from home. About how the process of buying a car and searching for insurance, I will write later a separate article.
- Gym
We pay $ 80 per person per month. There are gyms for both $ 30 per month (24 Hour Fitness) and $ 300 per month (KRAV MAGA).
- Entertainment and travel
Here, too, everything is individual. Going to the cinema costs $ 12- $ 20 per person, the museum - $ 10- $ 20 on average. In Los Angeles, there are such amusement parks as Universal Studio, Disneyland, Six Flags, Warner Brothers. San Diego, which is 2 hours away, also has many amusement parks. In Los Angeles and its surroundings you can find entertainment for every taste and budget: from free parks and museums to unusual and expensive entertainment.
There are many interesting and visited places in California and the nearby states: amusement parks, national parks and just interesting cities. On top of that, this is an ideal place to surf, and if you are fond of winter sports, then just one and a half hours from Los Angeles you can find the ski resort Big Bear. In general, you can spend on entertainment from a few tens of dollars to infinity.
- Shopping (clothes, cosmetics, small household expenses)
In Los Angeles, the weather is warm all year round, so you can cover up with jeans, T-shirts and flip flops. It’s hard to say about clothes, but it takes us $ 150-200 dollars a month for cosmetics and minor household expenses (paid washing and drying of things, detergents, soap and ryl accessories).
- Utility payments
Water and garbage collection are paid by a landlord from whom we rent an apartment. We pay for electricity, gas and internet. In a month it turns out about $ 80.
- Telephone charges
$ 120 per month for two lines, this includes one phone loan for me and an unlimited number of messages, minutes of conversation and Internet traffic (1Gb of traffic at 4G speed, after 1Gb - 3G).
- Books, English courses
I spend about $ 100 per month on this, my husband doesn’t spend much on this item of expenditure, as he works full time and works at home, and you need to earn money for everything that I described above.
- Other minor expenses: public transport, taxi, gifts, sports equipment, etc.
It takes about $ 100 per month.
That is, for a comfortable life in a large US city, such as Los Angeles, you need about $ 4,000 for two people a month without traveling, expensive entertainment, and major medical expenses. This amount can vary from person to person, but we have something like this.
If you have questions about life in the United States and the cost structure, ask them in the comments, I will be happy to answer.
