uetian2k1

what is the cost of living including grocery,house rent,occasional shopping and reasonable hotling? please provide me good enough detailed material..thanks for ur kind cooperation !

somegroovychick

depends on where you're living... each part of the states has different neighborhoods and each neighborhood has different specs. is the place downtown, midtown, uptown, the suburbs? is it a 1 bedroom apartment or a 3 bedroom house? is it close to transit or away from it? there are too many variables- you have to provide a better question.

Sahar02

SGC is right. Location makes all the difference. What part of the US are you considering?

uetian2k1

well its Chicago...and preferably it wud be a 1 or 2-bedroom apartment.provide details about both..it won't be a suburb and downtown..i dont know about the community area but mainly where r most pakistanis living in chicago..

how do u people manage the things there? u have ur own house or apartment or rented apartment.
consider me as a newcomer and completely unaware of the financial and social status there.. i wud be thankful if u guide me in the right way...thanks in advance !

somegroovychick

hrm, well from when i visited chicago, it seems like most people live in devon...
here's a useful website
http://www.devonavenue.com/

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/05...inois-usa.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Avenue_(Chicago)

to find apartments-
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...ern-devon.html

Cheegum

Since you will be brand new to the place it will really help to stay at devon because its close to all the desi amneties, shops, masjids etc. The one problem about living at devon is that the houses here are really, really old. Thats not necessarily a bad thing because theres tons of desis living there right now.

If you're two people you would need a 1 bedroom aparement atleast. Rent could cost you around $700 - $900 per month. (Here's a listing of aparements at devon). Utilities (heat, gas, water, electricity) could cost you around $150-200. Personal grocery around $200-$300 a month. Personal shopping like clothes etc could cost two people average $300 a month. These are very general and i should say a bit modest estimates. Your situation could be different.

You would need some furniture to furnish your apt (if the one you get isn't furnished already). Thats a one time cost that'll set you back around $1000-$1500 for dining table/chairs, sofa set, bed, almaari etc. If you do end up buying furniture, try to get something thats light weight and easy to assemble/disassemble/move as you will find yourself moving from this place within 6 months to a year.

I didn't get the last part about 'hotling'. Do you intend to live in a hotel too at times?

uetian2k1

thanks Cheegum for providing me such useful pieces of information..

Ira

I agree with the estimates Cheegum has provided. By hotling you mean dining out?

TeenDabbyWala

I live in Texas, and it costs around $3000 per month to live. $4000 - $5000 per month if you want to live comfortably.

Cheegum

Comfort is a matter of perspective and ones own definition of need vs want. I've known people (in Texas too) who've lived on $1500 a month and have been very comfortable.

X2

by hoteling he meant going out to eat at restaurants etc.
that cost can vary depoending on how often, and wha types of restaurants. ON devon 2 ppl can go have a meal for 12 bucks and be good at some places. then there are places were $12 barely gets you an apetizer.

be careful with area around devon, between devon and loyola there are some real nasty areas.

note that the old houses in devon area are not very energy efficient so the $150-$200 estimate can go out the window in summer and winter.

uestian, dont forget other costs like, car/fuel/insurance/maintenance and/or public transport.

dish/cable/internet/phone/cellphone

uetian2k1

$3000 wud b enough to live in a 2-bedroom apartment,leasing a car with $400 /month ,grocery items, dish ,cable net,mobile , Electricity,water and anothers if u know or can think of?

once u r on H1-B visa,and u r a tax-payer ur child or children will be eligibile to get free educaiton in Government Schools?

is it allowed to have a 2nd job in the evening for 2-3 hrs? what r the opportunities of part-time job apart from the regular office job.

and yeah how do u classify in Chicago the areas as downtown,middle town and uptown?please specify the names..

uetian2k1

yes dining out..how about halal restaurants? r they easily available?
and economical as well or not?

uetian2k1

what do u mean by nasty areas and energy efficient?

Cheegum

$3000 should cover it

Free education for kids on H1-B hmm X2 might be able to answer that

2nd job is fine as long as its not your primary employer's competitor but thats something your employer will clarify.

City of Chicago has a downtown and Devon street is about 20 minutes drive north of downtown. Devon i guess could be classified as middletown? The suburbs are outside the city limit and there are other cities outside chicago like Vilmette Skokie Des Plains Schomberg etc which are considered part of Chicagoland but they're not really chicago.

There are approximately 15,000 halal restaurants on devon street alone and a new one opens up every 15 seconds. I'm kidding, yes theres plenty of halal places on devon street.

Dining out costs are variable depending on your taste and tolerance for no-frills service. If you want top notch dining experience a one person meal can set you back $15-$20. OR you can choose to take-out from Ghareeb Nawaz where two people can eat comfortably for $8.

Nasty as in buildings and houses are 50-60 years old. They have old technology furnaces and radiators which rack up higher utility bills. This isnt necessarily a bad thing as people are living there and life goes on.

Consider Devon street a landing spot where it will be easier for you to create a home base with all amneties and resources within walking distance. You do not want to live there forever though and you might want to consider moving out to other areas within a year or two.

Oh and if you plan on owning a car, beware parking is a NIGHTMARE in the city of chicago, especially Devon area.

Mirch

With 3000 dollars a month you can afford to live in decent suburb of chicago in a 2 bedroom appt. But mind you in Chicago they have 2 room per person law so if you have 3 or 4 kids you cannot rent a 2 bed room apparment.
As for the car . I would advise you to lease/buy a low budget car to the tune of 250 dollars max.
As for second job I do not know what is the law for H1b visa holders. As for school once you lease an appartment your kids can go to any public school in the area.
I would advise you to live away from the Devon area . You can go for eating out but do not live there.
North Western suburbs of Chicago are nice. In every appartment complex you can find dozens of desi people living.
But the problem with living in North Western Suburbs is that if you work in downtown then your commute/drive will not be less than 45 minutes.

Cheegum

^ Aray bhai, andar to aanay do. Coming from pakistan and going straight into a cul-de-sac is really tough. You have to gain some ground in a city type area where public transit is readily available and amneties are closer first and then move out to the 'burbs.

TeenDabbyWala

On H1 visa you are not allowed to have a second job (unless second job gives you an H1 visa, which is very very unlikely). Your spouse will not be allowed to work. Working for 2-3 hours per day will barely make the trip to work worth the hassle, you wont even break even.

You have a very optimistic view on things, you need to think of worst case scenario for everything, and then decide if you want to come or not. You sound like you are either from Dubai or some other gulf state. If you were coming by yourself, then yeah thinking with optimism is great, but not when coming with family.

And before you make any decision, don't even think about breaking or bending any visa rules regarding work or overstaying. If immigration finds out (which they will), you are in so much trouble that you can't even imagine.

uetian2k1

once u r coming on H-1 B Visa and u have a confirmed employment offer ranging in $60-70K / year and considering the fact that i will be landing alone and after a couple of months my family will be coming there then wud it be easier to meet all the expenses in a decent way?

no one told about the education" free of cost " for children? wud it be possible being on H1-B visa?

somegroovychick

^