Taking a New Job in a New State
The number that decides whether a relocation is worth it is not the salary; it is the salary against the cost of living where you are going, and people routinely get this backwards. A 20 percent raise into a market where housing costs 60 percent more is a pay cut. Work out what the offer is actually worth in the new city before you weigh anything else, because every other consideration on this page is secondary to that one.
Do the Real Arithmetic
Four numbers, and housing dominates all of them.
Housing is the big one, and comparing rent or a mortgage payment between the two markets tells you most of what you need. Then state income tax, which varies enormously: several states levy none at all, and moving from one that does to one that does not is effectively a raise the offer letter does not mention. Then property and sales tax if you are buying. Then the daily costs, which move less than people expect.
Do not compare the two salaries. Compare what is left after housing and tax in each place. That figure is frequently the opposite of what the headline numbers suggest.
Ask What the Employer Will Cover
The window for this is between the offer and your acceptance, and it is narrower than people think.
Before the offer you have no standing. After you accept, the package is settled. In between, the employer has decided they want you and has not finished the paperwork, which is when a small addition is easiest to agree.
Ask specifically about household goods, temporary housing, travel to look for a place, and vehicle transport, which is one of the cheapest lines in a relocation package and one of the most frequently left out of it. If you have two vehicles, ask about both, because packages that mention vehicles usually mean one. Our guide to getting an employer to pay for vehicle shipping covers how to frame that.
Bear in mind employer paid moving expenses are generally taxable income for most employees, so ask whether the amount is grossed up.
Visit Before You Commit
A weekend in the actual neighborhood you would live in is worth more than any amount of research.
Drive the commute at the hour you would actually drive it, not on a Sunday morning. Look at the specific area rather than the metro, because the difference between two neighborhoods twenty minutes apart is usually larger than the difference between two cities. If you have children, school catchment is a genuine constraint on where you can live, and it narrows the map considerably.
Rent first if you can. Buying in an unfamiliar market inside the first year is how people end up committed to the wrong side of town.
What It Costs to Actually Move
Budget the whole thing before deciding, not after.
Household goods across the country runs into thousands depending on volume. Temporary housing at both ends, deposits, and the overlap where you are paying for two places all add up. Then the vehicles.
Shipping a car is often close to the cost of driving it once fuel, hotels, meals and days off work are counted, and it returns those days to you. On a two car household where both adults would otherwise drive separately across the country, that comparison stops being close.
Timing the Practical Side
Work backward from your start date rather than forward from when you are ready.
Book vehicle transport two to three weeks ahead for most lanes, and target arrival several days before you need the car rather than the morning of. Delivery windows on auto transport are windows, not appointments, and a driver held up by weather or a scale house arrives a day late.
Sort registration and licensing deadlines for the new state early too. Most states require you to register within a set period of establishing residency, and some have emissions rules that determine whether a specific vehicle can be registered there at all. Check that before the car travels, not after.
Common Questions
How do I compare two salaries? Compare what is left after housing and state tax in each market, not the headline figures.
When should I negotiate relocation? Between the offer and your acceptance. Before is too early and after is too late.
Is relocation money taxable? Employer paid moving expenses are generally taxable income. Ask whether the package is grossed up.
Should I ship the car or drive it? Once fuel, hotels and days off work are counted the costs are often close, and shipping returns the days.
When do I book the car? Two to three weeks ahead, arriving several days before you need it rather than the day you need it.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with both zip codes and your start date, or price the move with the instant calculator.
