Is your office offering you a better position that involves relocation? You may be tempted to pick up a higher salary by moving -- especially if the location you're moving to is a place that you find attractive. However, before you sign across the dotted line, you may want to consider these hidden costs of relocation.
Household Items
Many people seriously underestimate the cost of restocking a home. Even if you bring as many of your items as possible, you'll still need to fully stock your kitchen again, decorate, add curtains, liners and more. Walk through your item and make a list of everything that you'll need to replace once you get to your new property.
Utility and Rent Deposits
Not only do you need to put down a deposit on rent, but you'll often also need to put down deposits for utilities such as phones, electricity and more. You can never quite tell whether you'll need to put down a utility payment until you ask -- contact the utility companies in advance to find out exactly how large this line item will need to be.
Ground Transportation
Once you reach the city, you'll likely have a time period after your car has arrived or before you are able to purchase another vehicle. You'll need to keep this in mind. Public transportation service isn't developed in many locations.
Shipping Over Your Car
Don't forget that unless you're driving to your location, you're probably going to have to ship your car. Otherwise, you'll need to put a down payment on a new car. You'll have to set aside a few thousand dollars either way.
Sales Tax and Gas Changes
Not all of the unexpected charges regarding relocation are one time fees. You also need to consider increases in sales tax and gas costs. If you're getting a large raise, you may find that it just evens out in a location where sales tax is much higher.
If you think that you'll be at the job for a long time and in the area for a significant amount of the future, you may find that these relocation costs are more than worth it even if the salary doesn't make up for it in the first year.
