The Cost of the Expat Summer Holiday

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Xpatulator

The air of excitement that we all felt while waiting at the airport to go home for the summer holidays was noticeable everywhere.  It was 11pm, 2 weeks into the summer holidays and yet the airport was still crowded with expats on their way home for the 2 – 3 month holiday period to destinations all over the world.

 

It is the strangest sensation, leaving your home behind.  Locking the doors and knowing that you will not be back in your own home for that period of time.

 

Before we became expats we would never have considered such a long holiday, that would have been insane.  Now after 3 years, it is normal.  We either ship the animals into a boarding home or get a house sitter, cover as much as we can to keep it clean while we are away, say goodbye to friends and neighbors, arrange to meet family and friends on the other side and off we go.

 

Those first two weeks are the best, catching up with family and old friends that have known you forever, that know your quirks, bad and good points.  Getting back into the groove of your home country, slang, driving and food, which takes approximately 1 minute.  Settling down to a good home cooked breakfast that you can only get and have cooked as you have always known it to be.

 

You book every doctor you can think of to ensure that all your routine medicals are completed before you go home.  These lead to more medicals and you spend another two weeks running from pillar to post ensuring everyone goes back to your host country healthy and happy.

 

You try and visit all the local historical sites, places of interest and fun parks to ensure that the kids are having fun and are being educated along the route.  You cram in as much time with Gran, Grandad, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and any other form of relative you can find so that the children can have the time in these 2 months with their family that they have missed out on over the last 10.  Old friends are gathered together for catch ups, school and uni friends of your own, school friends of your children, work mates, and friends that you have made over the years and in the rush you find the excitement exhilarating.  Shopping becomes fun as you hit all the old haunts and stock up on little delicacies you cannot find in your host country. In our case that would be pork and having a glass of wine at a side cafe.

 

That is usually our first port of call, to find a restaurant at the airport as we land and have a good old English Breakfast of Bacon, egg, bangers, tomato and toast.  Then as the weeks pass, there would be the obligatory spare ribs, bangers and mash, pork rashers and pork chops and last but not least a good pork roast.  Having said that these 2 months fill you up for the next 10.

 

Unfortunately during this time, your partner has to go back to work.  Most partners manage 3 or 4 weeks with the family, or do 2 weeks on and then go back and work and come back for another 2 weeks.  This is the period which I call the bachelor / ette time, where the host country sees a menagerie of single people floating around.  They seem lost and without focus and tend to gather around in groups, not quite knowing what they should be doing and where they should be going. Lost phone calls make their way to the home country, of days of missing family and spouses, of missing the constant noise in the house, of missing the mess and rushed breakfasts.  On the other hand, some partners love the time apart to chill, go out and have no responsibilities but for themselves. The spouse in the home country also misses the normality of home life, but is in essence still in the romantized dream of catch up.

 

It is not all roses though, unless you have a home in your own country, you are living with family and out of suitcases.  If you are traveling, you are living in hotel rooms. It is a long time to be away from home.

 

Then there is the time to come home.  To pack and say your goodbyes, knowing that you will not see everyone again for a long time.  It is an idolized lifestyle. You are the expat, the one with the exciting life, the one that has taken the initiative to embrace change.  This does not stop the tears though, each goodbye has its own lonely heartbreak, as you see your children hug their grandparents and cousins that they love so much.  As you cling on to your parents and siblings, knowing that you will only touch again in a very long time to come.  It is tough.  One of the tougher holidays to go home for, as it is longer and you settle back into your home country routine again, things are comfortable and familiar, you know the shops, the people, the roads, the customs.

 

You say your goodbyes and at the airport on the way home the kids start chatting about their rooms, their toys, their friends, their new school year and after school activities.  They talk about what they are going to do in the new school year and how much they are looking forward to the new challenges.  You think of your own challenges, your own room, your own new friends and you know that it is fun and that you are going to embrace the new school year with vigor and enthusiasm to match those of your children.

 

As an expat how was your holiday? Did you go home, travel the world? What did you do?

 

Denise is an Expat, Mom, Wife, writer and Marketing Manager at  http://www.xpatulator.com/ a website that provides cost of living index information and calculates what you need to earn in a different location to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences. The complete cost of living rank for all 300 locations for all 13 baskets is available here.

Posted in 2011 international cost of living, becoming an expat, cost of living comparison, Expat attitudes, expat children, expat kids, expatriate, Expatriate Hardship, Expatriate Pay, Expatriate Relocation, Expatriate Salary | Tagged | Comments Off on The Cost of the Expat Summer Holiday

The Cost of Connecting

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Xpatulator
For 3 years I have been a nomadic expat, for 3 years I have battled to find an easy accessible and cheap way to connect while on the road.  Why?  Well I don’t always stay in hotels where internet access has now become part of the package, although not all hotels offer this service for free and for those who do I am eternally grateful.
Holiday flats also offer the option of connecting to a specific service provider but at quite a hefty fee for a holiday maker who needs to be connected at all times.
Try use an internet connect card from your service provider and you may as well mortgage your home for your trip as well.  Lucky are those who have their corporate accounts to keep connected anywhere in the world.  For the small business owner, or the employees who do not have this as a company benefit when travelling, good luck.
I often travel to destinations where I can vacation with friends or family or simply reside in holiday apartments which offer space and convenience.  However, it requires me devising improved ways of connecting with the outside world with the required connection speed. In my efforts to find better solutions, I have converted most of my family members to broadband and wifi in their homes. Back at home base and I am comfortably settled into my unlimited bandwidth and if I am disconnected for the odd reason or two, I can frequent a hotspot to complete my work without fee payments or bandwidth worries.
Some of the countries I have visited have proven impossibly difficult to obtain easy, accessible and convenient pc cards. One of these was South Africa, I was confronted with the requirements for the variety documents to obtain a simple sim card to connect to the internet ludicrous.  Once I had acquired a card it was immensely expensive, I was buying airtime nearly every 2 days at an obscene expense that eventually became unaffordable.
Fast forward to our first visit to Cyprus, we bought a sim card for our Vodafone laptop connection. It did not work, it would not work due to the fact that we bought the USB Vodafone modem in South Africa, and it proved not to be compatible with the Cyprus Vodafone sim card.  Please explain that?  We had to go through a local service provider to get ourselves set up, in the interim we used a connection in the hotel at great expense.
This year I have looked for hotspots to connect to on my travels, this is relatively inexpensive if you can find the right hotspot with the right service provider. In some countries you find free hotspot points in parks, in others I have found them in airports, coffee shops, restaurants, Bed and Breakfasts, hotels, and hospitals to name a few. You just have to know where to look and then seek and find.
So although there is no simple solution to travelling and having instant internet connection at a normal local rate and in the area you have decided to reside in for that moment, you can find hotspots and some service providers in some countries that are user friendly, cost effective and a lifesaver.
What are your thoughts on connecting when on the road?
I have listed some service providers below that provide payable hotspots :

Denise is an Expat, Mom, Wife and Marketing Manager at  http://www.xpatulator.com/ a website that provides cost of living index information and calculates what you need to earn in a different location to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences. The complete cost of living rank for all 300 locations for all 13 baskets is available here.

Posted in 2011 international cost of living, cost of living, cost of living allowance, cost of living calculator, cost of living comparison, internet connection | Comments Off on The Cost of Connecting

International Cost of living in July 2011

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Xpatulator
The July cost of living rankings reflect a rapidly changing world. This year has seen political uprisings in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain and Syria; Ireland, Portugal and Greece are in financial crisis. At first glance the causes appear to be related to poor management of the economy, combined with other factors such as youth unemployment and political freedom. However it can also be argued that a common issue is the cost of living, particularly for the poorest sectors within each country.
The July 2011 survey covers the cost of living of 300 cities across the world, and measures the comparative costs of 13 basket groups including Alcohol & Tobacco; Clothing; Communication; Education; Furniture & Appliances; Groceries; Healthcare; Household; Miscellaneous (includes items such as stationary, linen and general goods and services); Personal Care; Recreation & Culture; Restaurants, Meals out & Hotels and Transport. Xpatulator.com is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey as it covers every country on earth. The cost of living and hardship data is updated quarterly, while exchange rates are updated daily. Xpatulator.com’s calculators and survey are used by multinational companies and individuals alike to determine compensation for expatriate assignments around the world.
The cost of living has increased across the globe with people dipping into their savings to maintain their standard of living. Food prices have increased 30 – 35% since 2010, due primarily to increased demand and reduced / insufficient supply. Why? Food shortages have occurred due to natural disasters and bad weather damaging crops in traditional food producing places such as Australia, Russia and South America. The booming giant economies of India and Chnia have driven global demand to levels never experienced before. The cost for basic necessities has seen people spending more of their salaries on food than ever before. With natural disasters across the continents from earthquakes and floods in Australia, tornadoes in America, climate changes playing havoc with too much rain or too little and the greatest disaster of all the Tsunami in Japan, is our world experiencing a cost of living crisis?  Is the cost of living becoming too high?
When the 8.9-magnitude earthquake triggered the deadly tsunami in March this year, the world watched in horror as this gentle nation was swept into crisis. This disaster has seen the cost of living sky rocket due to the loss of farmlands, factories, towns, communities with fires sweeping through and destroying whatever was left. The resulting Fukushima nuclear reactor crisis has left the nation with releases of radioactive materials and electricity outages, forcing factories to either shut down or work within the outage schedule, resulting in a slowing down of all manufacturing goods and exports. This disaster has significantly impeded the nation’s economic recovery, with it already having the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the world, it now has to take on more debt and it has to deal with its aging population.  Will the economy of Japan survive this disaster?
Hardship is the relative difference an expatriate employee and their family will experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle when moving between different locations. Xpatulator’s hardship ranking system measures the relative quality of living conditions between locations, and assesses the level of difficulty that will be experienced in adapting to a new location. Level 1 is “minimal hardship”, level 2 is “some hardship”, level 3 is “high degree of hardship”, and level 4 is “extreme hardship”.
For the full cost of living report, click here
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Cost of Living – Alcohol & Tobacco – July 2011

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Xpatulator

Cost of living rank of Alcohol & Tobacco cost of living indexes as at July 2011 for 300 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups). The calculators make use of the cost of living indexes, based on your input and Xpatulator’s data, to create reports online which you can save, e-mail or convert to a pdf file.

Alcohol & Tobacco costs include alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes.

Xpatulator.com is the most comprehensive source of international cost of living index information.

The July 2011 alcohol & tobacco international cost of living rank here

Posted in 2011 international cost of living, Alcohol, cost of living, cost of living allowance, cost of living calculator, cost of living comparison, cost of living index, cost of living ranking, cost of living rankings, Expatriate Prospects, Expatriate Relocation, Expatriate Salary, expats, Tobacco | Comments Off on Cost of Living – Alcohol & Tobacco – July 2011

Which expat are you?

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Xpatulator

The one great advantage when you exercise is not only getting fit and in shape, but also that it gives your mind time to think.  My thoughts during my last session was on the different types of Expats that you get.  I am not referring to nationalities or cultures but more to the country that you find yourself being an expat in which can determine the type of expat you will be.

I determined that there are 3 types of expat country experiences:

1. When as an expat you move to a country that is similar to your own, but you are still culturally different, e.g. an American moving to Britain.  Fundamentally, you speak the same language, you eat similar foods, you have similar cultural habits and have watched movies or listened to music that is, can I say it again, similar.
However, even with these similarities there are differences too, they are minute but they are there. Whether it is a word that is different but has the same meaning, e.g. Barbeque to the South African Braai, or the way you address someone from a courteous “Hello, how do you do?” to “Hiya doin?” There are differences and you can feel and do experience these within the country. Your accent is also a dead giveaway and sometimes as an expat you are shunned purely due to this basic difference.

2. The country in between two extremes, this would be the expat that moves from e.g. Australia (English being the common language) to the Middle East.  Your official business language is English and most people would be able to speak and understand English, but you cannot do the same for their official language.  There is a commonality that exists as well, this host country has been exposed to Western culture through trade and industry, politics and commerce.  Sometimes these expats are more readily accepted as a foreign guest in their country. You are respectful of your host countries culture and traditions and are willing to emerge yourself into becoming part of the culture.

3. Moving to a country that is the polar opposite to what you are used to, your nationality is completely and utterly different e.g. Argentinian moving to China.  The official language is one that most people will battle to learn, so when you are standing in a queue you haven’t got a clue what is being said around you.  Your culture, traditions and habits are as vast as the Sahara Desert. You really have to acquire new skills and make major adaptations to survive.  As much as this type of expat experience can be rather a challeneg, it can have surprising advantages.  If you cannot understand the local language, it incentivises you to learn and forces you to be more adventurous and social in trying to fit in and develop a commonality with the local population.  Expats also tend to support each other more as everyone can feel the vast divide between locals and expats.  It allows groups of expats to formalize clubs that bind common interests and creates a social infrastructure of support.

There is another type of expat that we should include under number 3, this would be a person moving from e.g. China to America.  Commonly when a Westerner moves to a host country as an expat there are systems set up to support these people, e.g. compounds in which to live, social groups to belong to, etc.  However, this is not necessarily the case for non-Western expats when moving from their countries to e.g. America or the UK. These expats are not living in compounds or introduced to groups that are similar to themselves. They are often left to their own devices and need to find their own survival mechanisms. This type of expat experience could actually be the most difficult of all.

Which expat are you and are there more?

Denise is an Expat, Mom, Wife and Marketing Manager at  http://www.xpatulator.com/ a website that provides cost of living index information and calculates what you need to earn in a different location to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences. The complete cost of living rank for all 300 locations for all 13 baskets is available here.

 

Posted in 2011 international cost of living, expat, Expat attitudes, expat children, expat kids, Expat schooling, expatriate, expatriate engagement, Expatriate Hardship, Expatriate Package, Expatriate Pay, Expatriate Prospects, Expatriate Relocation, Expatriate Salary | 1 Comment

The Seasoned Expat continued……

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Xpatulator
While you are preparing to make your move, find an expatriate website or bloggers that you can communicate with and help answer your questions about life in the new country and city.  These are essential support systems that you may find can help you to settle in when you arrive.  Many new expats find that they become good friends with some of the bloggers they come in contact with before arriving in the country.

 

You may also want to consider finding an expatriate company that can offer to assist you on your arrival, these companies will help you to find schools, accommodation, medical and health facilities, and give you a general idea of the layout of the land.  Many of these companies will facilitate you in obtaining Work Permits, Driver’s Licenses, Medical Cards, School applications, Spousal Work Applications, etc.  The more questions you ask and requirements you find, the more they can help you.  Certain companies offer this as a benefit, and it is worthwhile asking your new company to provide this for you.
We should have asked the following questions:
What extra benefits does the company provide, over and above the contract?
What paperwork should you bring with for official requirements?
Do you need work permits, visas, etc and what paperwork will the family require?
What can you bring into the country, e.g. you would not be allowed to bring alcohol and pork into a Muslim country, or certain foodstuffs or animals into e.g. Australia or the USA.
Accommodation and School
What accommodation is available?
Will the company provide accommodation?
If the company does provide accommodation, can we decide to choose our own instead?
What are the better areas to live in?
What are the rentals in these areas?
How far is work and school from the accommodation?
Which are the best International Schools?
What programs do the schools offer?
What will education cost?
What after school activities are there and does the school provide these?
When are the schools holidays and how long are they?
Does the company have any agreements with any of the schools for their employees?
What are the universities like and can the children go to these?
Transport
What is the transport system like in the country, are their buses, trains, trams, etc that you can use to get to and from work and school?
If not is there a transport / car benefit?
Does the company help provide transport to and from work?
Do you require an international driver’s license, or will you have to take a driving test?  How does this work?
Entertainment
What is there to do on a weekend?
What social and sport groups can you belong to?
Is there satellite television, and how much will it cost?
Hired Help
Is there hired help, e.g. house maids, gardeners, etc?
How much will it cost to have help at home?
How easy is it to hire help and what are the processes you need to follow?
Work
How easy will it be for your partner to obtain work?
What recruitment agencies are there or websites can be used in the country to obtain work?
What will work provide
Will work help you to open a bank account or will you have to do this on your own, what is required?
Will work provide local medical aid, international medical aid, or managed health care?
How will this system work and what medical benefits are covered?
Will work provide life or other insurance cover?
Will work pay for education for the children and up until what age?
Will the company pay for the accommodation, water, electricity, rates, etc?
Will the accommodation be furnished or unfurnished?
Will work provide a furnishing benefit or loan?
Will the company pay for furniture to be brought over from your home country and if so how much?
Will the company provide a car allowance?
Will the company pay for tickets home once a year?
What is the cost of an air ticket back home?
How many days holiday will you get a year?
Other
When is the best time to actually come over to start the assignment, e.g. starting work during the summer holidays in the northern hemisphere can be frustrating as many people take leave and you are left as the new person at work who needs guidance but there is no one around to provide this.  Also the children may find that there is no one to play with as everyone has gone away.
Will you be able to afford the move, will your salary cover the costs that you will incur in the new country?
Will your standard of living be the same as the country you have moved from?
The expats you make contact with before you leave will have the knowledge and experience of the country and will be able to answer most of the above questions. It is good to make sure you are happy with your intended move, company benefits, cost of living and new country.
Denise is an Expat, Mom, Wife and Marketing Manager at  http://www.xpatulator.com/ a website that provides cost of living index information and calculates what you need to earn in a different location to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences. The complete cost of living rank for all 300 locations for all 13 baskets is available here.
Posted in 2011 international cost of living, cost of living, cost of living allowance, cost of living calculator, cost of living comparison, cost of living index, expat, Expat attitudes, expat children, expat kids, Expat schooling, expatriate, expatriate engagement, Expatriate Hardship | Comments Off on The Seasoned Expat continued……

The Seasoned Expat continued……

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Xpatulator
While you are preparing to make your move, find an expatriate website or bloggers that you can communicate with and help answer your questions about life in the new country and city.  These are essential support systems that you may find can help you to settle in when you arrive.  Many new expats find that they become good friends with some of the bloggers they come in contact with before arriving in the country.

 

You may also want to consider finding an expatriate company that can offer to assist you on your arrival, these companies will help you to find schools, accommodation, medical and health facilities, and give you a general idea of the layout of the land.  Many of these companies will facilitate you in obtaining Work Permits, Driver’s Licenses, Medical Cards, School applications, Spousal Work Applications, etc.  The more questions you ask and requirements you find, the more they can help you.  Certain companies offer this as a benefit, and it is worthwhile asking your new company to provide this for you.
We should have asked the following questions:
What extra benefits does the company provide, over and above the contract?
What paperwork should you bring with for official requirements?
Do you need work permits, visas, etc and what paperwork will the family require?
What can you bring into the country, e.g. you would not be allowed to bring alcohol and pork into a Muslim country, or certain foodstuffs or animals into e.g. Australia or the USA.
Accommodation and School
What accommodation is available?
Will the company provide accommodation?
If the company does provide accommodation, can we decide to choose our own instead?
What are the better areas to live in?
What are the rentals in these areas?
How far is work and school from the accommodation?
Which are the best International Schools?
What programs do the schools offer?
What will education cost?
What after school activities are there and does the school provide these?
When are the schools holidays and how long are they?
Does the company have any agreements with any of the schools for their employees?
What are the universities like and can the children go to these?
Transport
What is the transport system like in the country, are their buses, trains, trams, etc that you can use to get to and from work and school?
If not is there a transport / car benefit?
Does the company help provide transport to and from work?
Do you require an international driver’s license, or will you have to take a driving test?  How does this work?
Entertainment
What is there to do on a weekend?
What social and sport groups can you belong to?
Is there satellite television, and how much will it cost?
Hired Help
Is there hired help, e.g. house maids, gardeners, etc?
How much will it cost to have help at home?
How easy is it to hire help and what are the processes you need to follow?
Work
How easy will it be for your partner to obtain work?
What recruitment agencies are there or websites can be used in the country to obtain work?
What will work provide
Will work help you to open a bank account or will you have to do this on your own, what is required?
Will work provide local medical aid, international medical aid, or managed health care?
How will this system work and what medical benefits are covered?
Will work provide life or other insurance cover?
Will work pay for education for the children and up until what age?
Will the company pay for the accommodation, water, electricity, rates, etc?
Will the accommodation be furnished or unfurnished?
Will work provide a furnishing benefit or loan?
Will the company pay for furniture to be brought over from your home country and if so how much?
Will the company provide a car allowance?
Will the company pay for tickets home once a year?
What is the cost of an air ticket back home?
How many days holiday will you get a year?
Other
When is the best time to actually come over to start the assignment, e.g. starting work during the summer holidays in the northern hemisphere can be frustrating as many people take leave and you are left as the new person at work who needs guidance but there is no one around to provide this.  Also the children may find that there is no one to play with as everyone has gone away.
Will you be able to afford the move, will your salary cover the costs that you will incur in the new country?
Will your standard of living be the same as the country you have moved from?
The expats you make contact with before you leave will have the knowledge and experience of the country and will be able to answer most of the above questions. It is good to make sure you are happy with your intended move, company benefits, cost of living and new country.
Posted in 2011 international cost of living, cost of living, cost of living allowance, cost of living calculator, cost of living comparison, cost of living index, cost of living ranking, cost of living rankings, expat, Expat attitudes, expat children, expat kids, Expat schooling, expatriate, expatriate engagement, Expatriate Hardship | 1 Comment

The Seasoned Expat

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Xpatulator
An image of a juicy piece of sirloin comes to mind that is ever so lightly seasoned and seared lightly on the outside but still rare inside and so it should be for the seasoned expat, moving from one country to another should be like a trip to your favorite restaurant with the finest meal placed before you without having to be in the kitchen to cook it.
However, as any expat can tell you from the outset becoming a nomad takes a considerable amount of expertise, experience and well earned years on the road.  Our travels as proficient expats still needs much to be desired, but we have encountered those that have been down this path many times and for many years. They divulge information regarding their travels with the knowledge that us novices wish we had when we first set out on our adventures.
Generally our conversations with other expats goes along the following lines: How long have you been here for?  Eliciting remarks of “Oooohhhhh, shame you will get used to it, it takes a bit of time”.  Little smiles of understanding lilt other expats lips as we all know what the new recruits are going through and just how they are feeling.
Everyone takes their own time to settle and in their own way.
I know we would have made several different choices knowing what we know now from leaving our home to where we would stay on our arrival. Here are some of the questions that I have come across over the years, that can perhaps help those that endeavor to go on this voyage of expatriation.
I have broken this blog up into a series of questions that you need to ask yourself each step of the way, I will post each section of questions throughout the week.
Before you accept the assignment and are at home ask yourself the following:
1. Why do I want to become an expat, what is making me make this move?
Is this due to a career advancement, career move, or to move from a personal situation or country politics.  Make sure you are moving for the right reasons.
2. Will this be a good move for me and my family?
3. Will my marriage survive this move?
4. Will the family be happy?
5. Have I discussed all the details with them and what their needs are?
6. Have I included the children in the conversations?
7. Who is this going to benefit?
Initially, we discussed every detail about the move between ourselves, we went through the pros and cons, both financially and emotionally for the family.  Then included the children in our discussions and found a way for them to feel that they had made the decision, a smart move on my husband’s part. (If the children are too small then they cannot be part of this decision but if they understand how their lives will change then they should be included in the discussions).
Once each member of the family is in agreement with the move, then start asking the following questions:
Is the assignment an open one or a specific contract that will last for 2 or 3 years?
This will help answer questions the following questions –
1. Should I sell my home or rent it out?
2. Can the animals come with, what are the laws regarding this?
3. What relocation company is the best to use for international assignments?
4. What furniture, clothes, personal belongings should we take with us?
5. Where is the country and city we are moving to, i.e. on a map?
6. What do we know about this country?
7. What is the population, culture, religion, political situation and economy?
8. Is there a dress requirement e.g. having to wear an Abaya in Saudi Arabia, suite to work, etc?
9. What is the weather like?
10. What are the local people like?
11. How many hours will it take to get home (back to our own country) if we need to?
12. Is there a consulate for my country there?
13. How safe is it?
14. How many other expatriates live there and which countries do they come from?
Then consider your next plan of action, set dates for each of your objectives.
1. Selling / Renting house out
2. Finding a relocation / removal company
3. Finding an animal relocation company, if you are taking the animals with
4. Buying airline tickets
5. Settling any debts that may arise while you are away
6. Setting up a way to pay for any debts that may arise
7. Saying goodbye to family and friends
8. Selecting a family member or friend to deal with any business / banking issues that may arise

 

Answer these and I will post more for you to consider tomorrow.
Posted in 2011 international cost of living, cost of living, cost of living allowance, cost of living calculator, cost of living index, cost of living ranking, cost of living rankings, expat, Expat attitudes, expat children, expat kids, Expat Kids Expat chilren, Expat schooling, expatriate, expatriate engagement, Expatriate Hardship, Expatriate Package, Expatriate Pay, Expatriate Prospects, Expatriate Relocation, Expatriate Salary | Comments Off on The Seasoned Expat

From Paris with Love

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Xpatulator

Paris the “City of Love”. Who has not wished to live in Paris once in their lives? There is a line in a Baz Luhrmann song called Sunscreen that goes “Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.” I think this applies to Paris too, perhaps the saying should be “Live in Paris once but leave before it makes you too French,” unless you are French of course.

Paris has a magic about it that draws people. What is it about this city that is so special? Is it the notion that French people are undeniably romantic? Couples walking hand in hand along the Seine, sharing bread, wine and cheese in the gorgeous green parks, snuggling up on park benches in winter, whispering to each other in cafes! Or is it just that the French sound so unbelievably sexy when they speak?

I am not sure, but whatever it is I would love to live in Paris just once in my life. Paris has all the romantic attractions for me, I could imagine myself as an expat walking the streets, shopping at Galleries Lafeyette or Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré for the crème de la crème. Left bank or right bank you will have a ball.

Then there are the museums from The Louvre  (which could take your entire stay in Paris to get through), Musee D’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou.  The beautifully manicured parks will take your breath away and you could spend hours sunning yourself in deck chairs while life passes you by, from the elegant Luxembourg Gardens or Place des Vosges which is in the fashionable Marais quarter, and most importantly the Château de Versailles, which is opulent, fanciful and luxurious, the gardens cover more than 800 hectares – with woodland, ponds, fountains and statues. Picnicking is certainly one of the best Parisian past times that I have ever experienced.

Then there are the flea markets to browse, cafes and tearooms to experience, street markets, and last but not least the architectural wonders of the Eiffel Tower, The Opera House, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, and Notre Dame Cathedral to name a few.  Oh Paris, you are calling.

This is certainly not where it stops, as living in Paris gives you access to the rest of the France and well, Paris may well take you a year or two to get through, and then there is the rest of the country to experience.
Certainly enough good reasons to want to be an Expat in Paris!

But what will Paris cost you if you decided to make a career move here? What are you earning and what would you need to earn to live it up in Paris and her night clubs?

Use Xpatulator.com’s SPPP calculator which calculates how much you need to earn in Paris to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences, in order to have the same relative spending power and as a result have a similar standard of living as you have where you live now. If, for example, you live in New York and earn 100,000 USD, what would you need to earn in Paris to have the same spending power?
Salary Purchasing Power Parity

Applying the cost of living difference based on what will be paid from salary, together with the hardship difference, and arbitrage exchange rate, the Xpatulator calculation is as follows:
Home/Current location salary 100,000.00 US Dollar (USD )
+ Cost of living difference 4.9121% 4,912.08 US Dollar (USD )
+ Hardship Difference 0% 0.00 US Dollar (USD )
Total 104,912.08 US Dollar (USD )
x Exchange Rate 0.7186
Salary in Host/New location 75,389.82 Euro (EUR )
This means, based on all the above factors, that you would require a salary of 75,389.82 Euro (EUR ) in France, Paris to have the same standard of living as currently enjoyed in USA, New York NY on a salary of 100,000.00 US Dollar (USD ). This salary compensates for the overall cost of living difference of 4.9121%, the hardship difference of 0%, and the exchange rate.
Xpatulator.com

And to end off with Baz again:
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…..the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Posted in 2011 international cost of living, cost of living, cost of living allowance, cost of living calculator, cost of living comparison, cost of living index, cost of living ranking, cost of living rankings, expat, expatriate, expatriate engagement, Expatriate Hardship, Expatriate Package, Expatriate Pay, Expatriate Salary, expats, France, Paris | Comments Off on From Paris with Love