cost of living by state

 

BIG question. The USA has a lot to offer among its 50 States. There are big cities and small towns. Areas of vast rural or unspoilt countryside, or massive vibrant cities with a fast pace of life. There are places that rarely see rain, and there are other places that spend a large part of the year in cold, rainy or weather. So – what do you want. What will suit you?

Obviously if you have family or friends here that will be a great help and a draw to a particular area. Your desired career/work might determine where you should settle, or perhaps religion will play a part in your decision. You might want to find where people from your homeland settle so that you can “fit in” or you might decide to throw yourself into the cultural melting pots of the bigger cosmopolitan cities.

Getting these things settled is about deciding what sort of life you want to lead. That is important. As a new immigrant you are putting yourself through huge change and tearing yourself away from friends and so on. So – you want to choose well, so you don’t have to do that all again when you realize you chose to live in the wrong place for you.

Once you have an idea of what sort of place you want to live in, try and get some possible places. Research those places using the internet. What is the cost of living by state? What is the economy like there? How about the cost of housing?  How about unemployment rates in the area, or education, or leisure activities. Really – put some thought into it. America is a BIG country. Many Americans never travel outside of America – and that is partly because you can get a totally different experience just by being in another part of the country!

 

OK some tools to help with your research.

To find out about salary levels in a given area or type of work – Glassdoor

To compare cost of living from one place to another – CNN cost of living calculator.

To get a high level “review” and information on living in a specific area – AreaVibes

Interesting article on good places to live based on salaries etc – Forbes article

Home search site (rental and sales)  – Zillow

 

I hope that helps!

cost of living by state