Dear All
I've lived in the US for 17 years. Born and raised in Poland, used to live in Germany for 2 years when I was 15. I'm getting an offer from a US company who purchased a European firm. Job will be a Euro IT Manager.
Offer is EUR85k, car and bonus opportunity of 20%. I have 8 years in IT and Project Management.
I've visited Hamburg on business in the past and like it a lot. #2 favorite City after Chicago and before Buenos Aires.
Q's:
1. is the salary good? it will be just me and perhaps my girlfriend?
2. Nice area to live: which one? Quiet but with close walk to all the fun like bars restaurants etc.
3. are you renting or own? is Hamburg a good place to buy a flat??
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American/Pole moving to Hamburg from Chicago
Honest feedback sought about salaries, areas, etc.
Well, I can't tell you about Hamburg... But I can tell you the pay is good.
Your salary will enable you to live pretty well in any part of the city - alone or with girlfriend. If you're looking for trendy, go Schanzenviertel or Karolinenviertel, but be prepared to go to bed wearing earplugs. If you want a good mixture of proximity to shops and good ethnic mix, pick Altona (Bahrenfeld or Ottensen).
Speaking of salary, you should be able to find a lot of info to compare with on the net.
Buying vs renting is a personal financial decision which I don't think anyone on a forum can make for you. That being said, what you get when you rent compared to what it costs to buy a place here puts renting clearly out in front unless you plan to stay here forever, and even then there's an argument to be made against buying. Again, it depends on your financial situation right now. If you do buy, be aware that mortgage terms here are very tight-ass. The banks here seem to be in collusion when it comes to the basic terms. Read the fine print because there is often a cap on the amount of principal you can repay in lump sums, which is a real rip-off longterm.
It can also be hard to find a decent place in the more sought-after locations. You often see home-made flyers up on boards and lampposts offering a reward of €500 or more for anyone finding the poster an apartment.
About your marital status: high taxes for single people, tax break for married couples, especially if one spouse doesn't have an income or is much lower than the other spouse's. It's called spousal splitting and works like this: instead of taxing your high 85K income at the higher rate, they split it into two. It's as if you and your spouse were each earning only 42.5K. Both your and your spouse's income are then taxed at a lower rate. Caveat: you have to be married. Living together? They don't care.
Speaking of salary, you should be able to find a lot of info to compare with on the net.
Buying vs renting is a personal financial decision which I don't think anyone on a forum can make for you. That being said, what you get when you rent compared to what it costs to buy a place here puts renting clearly out in front unless you plan to stay here forever, and even then there's an argument to be made against buying. Again, it depends on your financial situation right now. If you do buy, be aware that mortgage terms here are very tight-ass. The banks here seem to be in collusion when it comes to the basic terms. Read the fine print because there is often a cap on the amount of principal you can repay in lump sums, which is a real rip-off longterm.
It can also be hard to find a decent place in the more sought-after locations. You often see home-made flyers up on boards and lampposts offering a reward of €500 or more for anyone finding the poster an apartment.
About your marital status: high taxes for single people, tax break for married couples, especially if one spouse doesn't have an income or is much lower than the other spouse's. It's called spousal splitting and works like this: instead of taxing your high 85K income at the higher rate, they split it into two. It's as if you and your spouse were each earning only 42.5K. Both your and your spouse's income are then taxed at a lower rate. Caveat: you have to be married. Living together? They don't care.
Solty, thanks...very helpful info. well the getting married thing might be a bigger decision then renting vs. buying. Here I thouhgt I will date a few ladies locally at first...speaking of which...how is dating of local sweeatheart's? easy, hard?
Heh - easy/ hard depends on you! Don't know about the dating scene here as I'm married.
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