Should I move to the USA? (Northern California)

[lsa]

dont call it that if you move here

racist

 

[indo80]

I love Singapore. Good weather, good food.. It's my home now. I'm renting a nice brand new condo (small tho), I live in a good area, I have a job I like.

Problems are that I can't save money because my wife doesn't work, the rent is expensive too. I can't afford to buy a car or an apartment (not even close), and I can't get permanent residency although I've applied a few times.

I'm thinking about how to save money because I want to buy some land and you know...have a family and shit.

Singapore is probably more expensive than california but you will be moving to a new culture. From my understanding Singapore isnt crime ridden and in California you have to watch out for which neighborhoods/cities are to be avoided and which are safe. I'm from the west coast of Canada and i bought the hype about California from TV but the reality was something else. I love the weather in California and i must admit i havent visited all of California but if you live in a first world country than you should think twice about moving.

If you make enough money i'm sure you can buy yourself into a good neighborhood but USA isnt the best first world country to raise a family. Safety is something that is hard to value when your talking about different first world countries but it is something to take into account.

 

[ConnorMacGregod]

1 door to access the driver's seat
1 door to access the front passengers seat
2 doors for access to the backseats (1 on the left hand side and one on the right hand side)
1 door to access the storage compartment at the rear (trunk/boot)

=5

So its a 4 door car, gotcha.

 

[boingyman]

At $90k and what you are asking for is not worth it IMO. Depending on the cost of rent, car payment and lifestyle, you won't be able to save much. What type of field do you work in? If you can make the same amount you'd be better off in Sacramento area like others have mentioned if you want to stay in Northern California. Probably one of the most affordable major city in California when compared to San Francisco, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, etc. Sac is underrated IMO. $90k is still not much in Sac, but you could probably at least live in a decent place and save much more.

 

[mon]

I love Singapore. Good weather, good food.. It's my home now. I'm renting a nice brand new condo (small tho), I live in a good area, I have a job I like.

Problems are that I can't save money because my wife doesn't work, the rent is expensive too. I can't afford to buy a car or an apartment (not even close), and I can't get permanent residency although I've applied a few times.

I'm thinking about how to save money because I want to buy some land and you know...have a family and shit.

Was going to ask what your job was but it's irrelevant as you need to start a thread asking how I can get my wife off the sofa and out to work.

Australia has one of the best standards of living and higher wages but if you're a single earning household and you don't work away(mines, offshore, construction) you're almost always going to struggle and saving takes years.

No kids, not late trimester? If I help around the house when I come home she can get of her arse and work as well. I support women's liberation so she can mow the lawn as well.

 

[TheNinja]

I live in the Bay Area. It's a great place with everything you'd ever want (food choices, sports, ocean, mountains, etc.) but it's sooooooo expensive. If you don't already own something or if you aren't a trust fund kid you are going to have a hard time living a comfortable life. Plus taxes will kill you!!

I'd say if you want an adventure go ahead and live here for a while. I wouldn't make it permanent unless you have family here.

 

[loyalyolayal]

Sure , if you want to live a life of quiet desperation, competing with your neighbors for material gains that don't mean anything at the end of the day..Yea, come on over..

His wife's country perfected it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiasu

Kiasu comes from the vernacular Chinesephrase 驚輸, meaning 'fear of losing’. It is commonly used in Singapore and has been introduced into the English language by speakers of colloquial Singaporean English. It is often used to refer to anxious, selfish behaviour characterised by a fear of "missing out" or "losing out".

 

[Magooglie]

I love Singapore. Good weather, good food.. It's my home now. I'm renting a nice brand new condo (small tho), I live in a good area, I have a job I like.

Problems are that I can't save money because my wife doesn't work, the rent is expensive too. I can't afford to buy a car or an apartment (not even close), and I can't get permanent residency although I've applied a few times.

I'm thinking about how to save money because I want to buy some land and you know...have a family and shit.

Sounds like you'd have similar problems in California. Things are expensive. You'll need a car and that's another expense. Unless you really love driving or live very close to work you'll probably also dislike your commute.

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

How come your wife doesn't work?

Good question. She doesn't know what she wants to do...she doesn't like Singapore and working here is admittedly very tough and stressful. She thinks she isn't up to it. She worked the last 4 years in television industry in Jakarta before we got married in August and she joined me here in Sg.

Singapore is probably more expensive than california but you will be moving to a new culture. From my understanding Singapore isnt crime ridden and in California you have to watch out for which neighborhoods/cities are to be avoided and which are safe. I'm from the west coast of Canada and i bought the hype about California from TV but the reality was something else. I love the weather in California and i must admit i havent visited all of California but if you live in a first world country than you should think twice about moving.

If you make enough money i'm sure you can buy yourself into a good neighborhood but USA isnt the best first world country to raise a family. Safety is something that is hard to value when your talking about different first world countries but it is something to take into account.

This is a good post. My home city in UK I would consider crime ridden, so it's something I know but definitely not something I miss. The safety is one of the things I appreciate most about Singapore.
What's funny to see is when Singaporeans go overseas ....they are like kittens and so naiive. Leaving their phones out on the table in public spaces and shit.

His wife's country perfected it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiasu

She's Indonesian but yes it sounded like he was describing Singapore so much that I had to read the post twice <Lmaoo>

 

[Cajun]

Hi everyone,

Need a bit of advice. I'm thinking about moving to California, USA to work.

The salary seems good compared to what I'm making now. Maybe $90k+ basic salary. The job is in Santa Clara, which from google looks like part of San Jose??

I'm originally from England, holding Irish and UK citizenship. I've been living in Singapore most of my adult life, 7+ yrs, I'm newly married.

My question is not about jobs and work related stuff, but more on lifestyle....is it a good place to live? Is it affordable with that kind of salary to support a couple?

What do you feel think would be the challenges of moving to California USA after living in UK/Ireland/Singapore?

Thanks so much for your advice.

P.s. I have never been to the USA before.

Cost of living can be tough in Northern California. @Graverobber

 

[loyalyolayal]

She's Indonesian but yes it sounded like he was describing Singapore so much that I had to read the post twice <Lmaoo>

That explains why you're having a hard time getting citizenship even with a white collar job AND being white.

 

[Hogey]

90k isn't enough for two, if your wife is not working. It's doable single but even that is not comfortable.

 

[TidWell]

90k is a good salary for a nice Cali suburb, but for Silicon Valley? you will need to make at least 3 millie to live there comfortably a year, that area is expensive.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

Move to another area, somewhere not in California. Like Las Vegas or something. Where cost of living is cheap. 90k gets you a lot here.

 

[Drain Bamage]

the bay area nor cal is one of the best places in the world to live if you can deal with the cost of living and competitive job market (people there be smart as fuck)

 

[esant707]

He can live in the San Jose area and get by or move a little out of the area and commute to live somewhat comfortably. Only thing is that it's the worst commute in the whole bay area. I wouldn't let anyone dissuade you, look into it, you can make it work.

I'm born and raised in the bay area, there is so much here and the surrounding areas.

 

[therealdope]

I love Singapore. Good weather, good food..

Best of any place I've ever been.

 

[therealdope]

the bay area nor cal is one of the best places in the world to live if you can deal with the cost of living and competitive job market (people there be smart as fuck)

It's getting very crowded though.

 

[Drain Bamage]

It's getting very crowded though.

you ever just wanna pick up and move to a bumfuck town like Leith, ND?

 

[therealdope]

you ever just wanna pick up and move to a bumfuck town like Leith, ND?

Nope. I like big city centers and being able to get by without a car. I lived in a small mountain village as a little kid, and then in high school, and then a ski village after university. It doesn't get any better than that but really do like being in a cosmopolitan city.

The problem with the peninsula in the bay area is that unless you are a student and living on/close to campus, you can't get by without a car. Traffic is becoming intolerable in the valley. It was bad during dot.com 1.0 and then after the bust of 2000 traffic lightened up (no joke). Now it's worse than ever.