USA salaries vs UK?

[Sunseaker]

Hey, I was just wondering if you guys could help me and a friend out in regards to salaries for beginner concept artists. We have been browsing arty job listings in various companies for a laugh, and to see what skills we need to get them(a lot more than we have now) But I see jobs advertised in the US with $45,000 as a starting figure, and I see what appears to be the same job with the same requirements here in the UK for £16,000, which is $25,400. And lots of them seem to be in London, which I hear is nearly as expensive to live in as NYC. We were just wondering if there actually is some crazy discrepancy between the UK and USA salaries? And if, so how hard it would be to get a job in a games company in the States, pretty impossible right? Obviously not right now, but if we got really, really good?

Thanks for any help, we are depressing ourselves a little. Moneys not everything, but it sure helps when you want food. Or a roof.


EDIT, I think this is the wrong section. Oh shi-

[Mr Man]

Most jobs that I have looked at in the UK tend to be £20,000 to £25,000 a year as junior.
I've never really looked at the difference between the U.S and the UK but there are other things that you need to consider aside from income. Things such as taxes, healthcare, pension etc.
Money should not be an important factor though. The luxury is getting the job in the first place. Once you can tally more years onto your CV your salary will most likely increase anyway.

Goodluck!

[Baron Impossible]

I see what appears to be the same job with the same requirements here in the UK for £16,000, which is $25,400. And lots of them seem to be in London, which I hear is nearly as expensive to live in as NYC.

London is more expensive than New York in real terms. £16K in London? You'd need to sleep under a viaduct. I know someone who spends twice that renting a parking space. From what I've seen regarding wages, they are definitely more beefy in the US than over here.

[Sunseaker]

Thanks for the info, I had better get my act together and get a job asap then, haha! I'd love to move to the States and earn more, but £20,000 is not as bad as I thought, and as long as I want to continue not sleeping under a viaduct I guess I can't be too picky. I dont know if my friend would ever move there anyway, I'd still like to, One Day.

[Viridis]

Keep in mind that expenses in the US are going to vary wildly between regions. I live in Indiana, and the cost of living here is probably 1/4 the cost of living in, say, California, which is where a lot of the game companies are based.

There are also additional expenses to keep in mind-- probably the biggest one is going to be healthcare. You are increasingly unlikely to get any sort of coverage from your employer (unless they are a very large company) and even with insurance you are going to spend money until you hit your deductible, which is often $1000 or more. I mention this because it seems like people who come from a country that provides universal health care don't realize just how much Americans have to spend on that sort of thing.