Hey Folks, How easy/tough is it to manage on a single person’s earning post-marriage in bay area? Is it a good decision to take or should I consider finding a working partner? What are somethings I should really consider if I end up being the sole earner? Age : 30 Tc : 180k
rent and living expenses are cheaper with a spouse
It's relatively hard to save much salary. If you drive a car, then probably half of your salary just goes off paying rent and car bills. If you eat outside or plan on trips with your partner, that other half could easily burn out. Consider moving out of Bay area or have your partner work as well if possible to build up your savings. None of that matters if you are having a love marriage lol
Arrange marriage.
Now you have free time to focus on upping your tc. Total win.
Roughly on 200k TC, you save 18k in taxes if you're married and have a single income. More than sufficient to survive with a spouse.
I agree, 180k is very doable in the Bay Area. So your take-home pay would be 100k. So if your rent is 4k/month (high end), and you spend 3k/month on bills, groceries, cars, and eating out (also high end), you’re left with 16k in savings every year. Not terrible, considering the luxury lifestyle. But let’s say you want to go frugal and get a 1-bedroom place for 2k/mo, and you can fit your bills and groceries in 1k/month (it’s doable), driving a used car, you’d be saving 68k/year. This way, you would be able to afford a 10% down payment on a $1M house in about two years. (Or to avoid PMI, about 20% down in four years.) But if you want me to be real with you, once you move here you should start LCing hard and get into a unicorn or FAANG, because with about 8 YOE you can be earning 400k+. The difference is HUGE between 400k+ and 180k. Plus at a FAANG you and your wife will get great benefits and will feel a lot better and more secure.
2k for 1-bedroom? Where?!? Good luck riding the train for 1.5+ hours both ways and/or dealing with shitty apartment
@2muchblind, I have just 2.5 year relevant work experience in US. But yeah, I guess making a job change would help in taking care of lot of things now and in future.
It's hard to save much if you are not having really good package like above 170k. So if you are having like 120k today it may seem tough to save a lot. but no worries to have a good life. Life will still be good. But imagine if u change job to higher TC then problem solved. So I would say give preference for working partner. But if u find a good person who is not working then I think that's still fine. More Money u can get any time changing job. But can't say same for the partner 😎
There are plenty of nontech people in the Bay Area where household income is less than single tech TC. They are doing fine. They probably don’t eat out.
Depends what’s your priority in life at this point. Life doesn’t come up with certain conditions that your salary should be this much, or your partner should be earning. See if you like that girl, see the compatibility. You can always sponsor her studies or she can work on h4. But those things comes up later in life.
@omg?! Was trying to figure out different ways she can come here and work, but given her background it would be hard to be able to find a good job, thus wanted opinion if I end up being the only earner in the household.
Hey @FindingMe, is it more like a BA or MA from there !!