# LA to Hamburg is $250K enough?



## Jess9876 (Apr 2, 2015)

So here is the dilemma, family of four, 2 small children + 2 adults is considering moving from LA to Hamburg. In LA the salary is $200k where after all the deductions we net $10K per month, where it sounds like a lot but it is not, when after deducting $2,800 for rent + utilities (tiny 800sq ft apt) $1200 car pmts + ins, $1,400 public school and preschool, and $1,500 credit card debt, $300 other ins, etc ends up around $2000 left for food, gas, clothes, where food alone costs $1,200 per month (groceries no dining out). So our standard of living in CA is sad, but after calc German taxes and US foreign income taxes it looks like we'll be taking home only 35% of our salary (42% tax + 5.5 % tax + 15% med ins tax + us tax on income above $100k) so what is a good standard living wage in Hamburg for a family of four after all the tax deductions?
Am I calculating this wrong? Do $350k salary in Hamburg equals $200k salary in US?
What can I afford, and will my children lives be better or worse in Hamburg?


----------



## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Sorry, I literally have trouble understanding what you are saying...



Jess9876 said:


> So here is the dilemma, family of four, 2 small children + 2 adults is considering moving from LA to Hamburg. In LA the salary is $200k where after all the deductions we net $10K per month, where it sounds like a lot but it is not, when after deducting $2,800 for rent + utilities (tiny 800sq ft apt)


Well, Hamburg is not the cheapest area to live in but it all depends a bit on what you expect. It should be possible to rent something for less than this amount in Hamburg.



Jess9876 said:


> $1200 car pmts + ins,


Hamburg has an excellent public transport system and you wouldn't need a car at all if you were willing to make that lifestyle change. (I have never owned a car in my life.)



Jess9876 said:


> $1,400 public school and preschool, and


Public school as in state school? Why do you need to pay for that? How old are your children?



Jess9876 said:


> $1,500 credit card debt,


Monthly??? 



Jess9876 said:


> $300 other ins, etc ends up around $2000 left for food, gas, clothes, where food alone costs $1,200 per month (groceries no dining out).


What do you eat? I hardly ever spend more than 60-70 Euro per week on groceries.



Jess9876 said:


> So our standard of living in CA is sad, but after calc German taxes and US foreign income taxes it looks like we'll be taking home only 35% of our salary (42% tax + 5.5 % tax + 15% med ins tax + us tax on income above $100k)


I hope someone experienced can shed some light on the US/German tax treaties - I thought there is no double taxation?



Jess9876 said:


> so what is a good standard living wage in Hamburg for a family of four after all the tax deductions?
> Am I calculating this wrong? Do $350k salary in Hamburg equals $200k salary in US?
> What can I afford, and will my children lives be better or worse in Hamburg?


Apart from the strange US tax thing, I think 250k should be more than enough - I don't know a single person who earns that much (I think) and people are neither starving nor depriving their families of vacations abroad.


----------



## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

...could be even a luxury problem..

(or he wrote one day to late )


----------



## Ben-HH (Jan 8, 2015)

Jess9876 said:


> So here is the dilemma, family of four, 2 small children + 2 adults is considering moving from LA to Hamburg. In LA the salary is $200k where after all the deductions we net $10K per month, where it sounds like a lot but it is not, when after deducting $2,800 for rent + utilities (tiny 800sq ft apt) $1200 car pmts + ins, $1,400 public school and preschool, and $1,500 credit card debt, $300 other ins, etc ends up around $2000 left for food, gas, clothes, where food alone costs $1,200 per month (groceries no dining out). So our standard of living in CA is sad, but after calc German taxes and US foreign income taxes it looks like we'll be taking home only 35% of our salary (42% tax + 5.5 % tax + 15% med ins tax + us tax on income above $100k) so what is a good standard living wage in Hamburg for a family of four after all the tax deductions?
> Am I calculating this wrong? Do $350k salary in Hamburg equals $200k salary in US?
> What can I afford, and will my children lives be better or worse in Hamburg?


I checked it twice but no, you did not write it on April 1st! Are you really concerned if US$350k will be enough to have a decent life in Hamburg? 
Not sure what your standard is but even if you only take 35% home you have about US$10k net per month, which is about €9.200. That will for sure give you a very decent life in Hamburg.

I live in central Hamburg, we are a family of 5 and I do not take that much home and have a good life.


----------



## Zaikoff (Feb 19, 2015)

Well, I don't live in Germany, but Ireland - Dublin, which is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, after Paris may be. I don't have kids, just me and my girlfriend and we don't own a house but rent and I can say that with €3200 total wage we can live a quality life, pay bills, go out for dinner, traveling Europe 3 times in year at least and more and more and it's enough. If for 4 people even with mortgage and high standards is not enough bit more than €9000, well I don't know what to say. If you ask me it's more than enough for 4 people.


----------

