LJ75

Well, we are in a similar situation, and here's the topic where we discussed it;
 
 
 
In a nutshell, based on everything we found out, you / we should not need to pay tax on the money you transfer into the US. 
 
If you discover anything new, pls let us know, or you can pm me.

Thank you both. Of course, these are major decisions, and I'll triple check before making such an important call. Ultimately, I'll contact a US based accountant for concrete advice. 
 
Btw, Ernst&Young file my taxes, and contractually, they are supposed to assist me on these matters (one of the perks I have under my current contract), and I have asked them for guidance on this matter, but all I got from them so far is that 'should any additional tax obligations arise as a result of my relocation to the US, it is not xx company's responsibility to pay them, but mine (i.e. LJ75's)'. Well, thanks, of course. I'll keep pushing, see what they say.
 
I have also sent a preliminary inquiry to my real estate agent anyway, just get a feel about the prices etc.
 
Overall, there are many of us who have at least some capital that we plan to carry into our adopting country, yet I was surprised to find very limited info on the subject - and I am talking about general guidelines, not specific instructions from the IRS website.
 
So, your guys' advice has been invaluable, and personally, I would make this topic a sticky, adding, of course, a link or two and a bit more general info.

Your home sale could be a capital gain for what you gained over how much you paid if sold after you are a US permanent resident.. You get to take off any costs to sell from your gain.
 
Only the gain is taxable, not the whole value. Furthermore on a joint US tax return you could be eligible to exclude up to $500,000 of your gain. Read the details on the IRS website. Publication 523 and assess your specific situation. 
 
Your assets in general are not taxed. It is INCOME tax, so new income money earned during a given calendar year whether it be a profit from selling mops or a house. Or from employment or interest or dividends. 
 
You report (online) any foreign bank account(s) cumulatively exceeding $10k to the US Treasury each year, not the IRS. (Not a tax issue. Information only.) Commonly called FBAR. 
 
There is also FATCA for accounts/assets held overseas exceeding $100k. Look up what counts as reportable. Also for information, not to tax you on it.
 
i like Transferwise for sending funds to the US. 

Sorry if I wasn't clear on that earnings is ofc only what you earn from it. That automatically excludes what you originally paid.
No it won't. It would were it US based.
I think he just means in regards to filing your taxes. Everything is reported and taxed per calendar year.

Thanks everybody, your inputs have really helped narrow down my choices. Not sure how much is visible, but I updated the table I posted earlier. I added COL index and property price to income ratio. Some of the elements are very subjective and I may be even incorrect.
I just tried to quantify everything, since I have no emotional preferences for any of the areas listed.
However, my wife and I did have a long conversation with my Syracuse area based brother and his wife, who strongly encouraged us to move there, since everything will be easier and they would be able to help us - more with sound advice rather than financially (we will have enough funds for the first year or two). Still not sure though. In plain terms, our first two choices are Minneapolis-St Paul and Charlotte, followed by those other places you see on the list.
Rent is based on rent.com, housing on trulia.com, schools on greatschools.org, COL and price to income ratios on numbeo.com etc.


There's still plenty of time to decide, and all your inputs are welcome.

That is definately a lot of factors to try to take in to account when looking at one place to move to. Well thought out though! So I gues you have to consider possible compromises in where you decide to go.
For instance is cheaper living and employment better than a little higher cost of living and good schools?
By your list of thoughts again you have your main priorities in thought.
Perhaps somewhere in Texas? It is relatively cheap living overall. Property is not bad either. Dallas for instance.
I myself am from Portland, Oregon originally and would recommend looking there; but property has gone up over last few years so that might be a negative for you.

actually upstate NY economy is poorer than so so
I am from there
Atlanta is great, so is North Carolina
think about Chattanooga as it is developing from the overflow of businesses from Atlanta
you will love the weather in the south / utllities are 1/3 the cost here over the north
education is great at the college level anywhere in the US but expensive
Tennessee and Florida are the states that have no state income taxes to pay

I would suggest Charlotte. I am biased because it's my hometown. However homes in the suburbs are large and affordable, decent schools, and also decent job market. Excellent job market if you're in healthcare or finance/banking. It's a family friendly city surrounded by lovely towns. Weather is nice too

one can excel anywhere in this country. that is the beauty of America.

I'd recommend Texas. Austin is growing and is a good hub to work at. I have family that's been in Austin for years, generally living in the suburb cities and commuting in.

Our cost of living here is fairly low, you can do well for yourself as a regular joe if you try hard enough, but with a degree and a good job you can live pretty nicely here in Texas.

A good example is that for San Antonio, recent stats show to own a 220,000$ home which is the median price for the city, you only have to make 44k a year (assuming you have good credit and get the best loan out there) for it to be affordable. When I was working full time (now part time) and with my husband working, we were on track to doing that and we have basic retail jobs at a grocery store making 11$ and 12$ an hour. While we're lucky enough to work for a company that believes in livable wages vs minimum wage (Texas Min is 7.25), having a bachelors can really boost that income.

Personally I would go with Texas. I've had friends who have tried to leave Texas for more high cost states, but then realizing that the net income you end up with is so much less because of having to pay out more for regular things, without crazy taxes or state taxes.



I had looked at Atlanta to live once. It is pretty affordable as well. Generally the south over all is, from Texas to North Carolina. Just make sure to put yourself in a city that's growing versus standing still or declining.

I commute into Charlotte, NC every morning from 35 miles away (granted that's a little further than some) by car, and it takes me an hour on average to get to work, then on the way home it can take an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Whereas when I lived in Seattle, I was 2 miles from downtown (in the neighborhood of Capitol Hill), and it was a short 10 to 15 minute bus ride to work downtown, and sometimes as much as a 25 minute ride back home, but it was very nice to not have to worry about driving in traffic. I could read, check emails, etc. Everything I needed was within that 2-mile radius. With that said, Seattle was very expensive to live in. By the time I was leaving (to come back to NC after 7 years), I was paying $2,100 per month for a one-bedroom apartment on Capitol Hill (in 2014), and from what I understand it's only become more expensive.
Just to reiterate what Ash.1101 said... for Texas... I hear Austin is great. From what I understand, the culture there is unlike other places in Texas, similar to Portland, OR. I also hear San Antonio is a great place to live, but I have no idea what those cities' transportation systems are like. Charlotte, NC is very much car-oriented. Even though they're building a light-rail system that will go from UNC Charlotte to south Charlotte eventually, the city and metropolitan areas are so spread out that it's really vital that you own at least one car.
For each city, much like someone else said, there are pros and cons, and unless you choose a city which is declining or remaining steady, you really can't go wrong.

I just knew that in this thread would Texans recommending to move to Texas. Ask yourself: Do you want to move to a state where it is legal to bring a gun to school? And Texas elementary textbooks change history to be more complimentary to the US and Texas, teaching America = good always even when it's not true.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-guns-idUSKCN10C2FS
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/opinion/how-texas-teaches-history.html?_r=0
Food for thought, since you have a choice.
I think your approach is sound, though. Good luck! (I'd move closer to family).

I did mention Oregon haha

I'm another vote for Charlotte. We are a DV family too and we have loved Charlotte from the moment we landed.
Easy to find good work and good salaries (there's talk about us earning less but we have Fortune 50s here that pay for talent).
Great schools - my kids are flying and excelling like they never have before.
Cheap housing - you can buy a large 4 bed for under $200k in a good neighbourhood.
Big enough to have all the amenities of a big city but still small amount not to feel like you're in a big city.
Lots of things to do: hiking, canoeing, arts, music.
As Allison/Robert said, this is a car city. Don't expect to rely on public transport unless you are in a certain part of town. You will need to drive and drivers here.... well, they're not as bad as other places, but they can be manic.
For us, a young family, this place works for us. Happy to talk via PM if you need.

I think the south would be a bigger shock culturally speaking than New England, GA summers are very long, hot and very very humid, depending of the area you may have to deal with very backward people . You will also have to think the cost of healthcare for your family, it wouldn't surprise me if you have to pay out of your pocket $600 or $700 a month for your family .
The cost of living in major cities is really high, Chicago is not at its best at this moment, high crime, winters are brutal.
If you are send your kids to public schools then MA is your best option.

I'm from Portland, Oregon (born, raised, went to college) and I would also add that to your list. It isn't as expensive as Seattle, at least I have found. It has no sales tax, though one of the highest income taxes in the country so that can be a trade off (don't be put off by the higher state income tax, since that sales tax loss is quite significant if you do the math).
The schools are great. It is incredibly safe and very healthy. The "bad neighborhoods" in the East side of town have places like Whole Foods and organic stores...kind of funny.
Having recently moved to Texas I would however say don't immediately cross it off your list. I'm in Houston, though I've heard Austin is nicer. I came from NYC (and before that San Diego) and I have to say so far Houston has been very good to me. Salaries are good, rent/cost of living is low (bought my first home! Impossible in San Diego/NYC).
Now I don't have children yet so the issue of what they are taught in school isn't an issue for me. If your kids are older (You are looking at Middle/High Schools you mentioned), I wouldn't necessarily worry as much about what they are "taught" since they will be old enough to smell the bullsh**. As far as being able to take guns into school legally...not being able to take guns into schools hasn't stopped the US from having an obscene number of school/mass shootings. That fear should apply to pretty much anywhere in the US. This is coming from someone who is very very strongly pro-gun control (honestly I would prefer going the way of the UK and basically banning them). The only thing I've really done differently in Texas is not honk at people...don't want to piss anyone off