Some of the content below are irrelevant to you, but I think many people like personal stories (or personal observations).

OK I told you about the “limited government support to ordinary Americans in the middle tier”, i.e. lower-middle-class or below. Now, for most techies on Wall St (or West coast, which is beyond the Bay area), I think pretax household income exceeds USD 200k, perhaps well above 25^th percentile nationally. That would place us above the American middle tier. In this email, I want to shift focus away from “us”, and look at the ordinary Americans. My point is

Singapore government provides a lot of essentials for the middle tier. In contrast, ordinary, middle-tier Americans must fend for themselves on many fronts:

1. power failures .. U.S. has decent infrastructure, but bad weather can cause power failures. Majority of the Americans I know keep a contingency power generator at home. In Singapore, you can rely on your government rather than your generator.
2. snow clearance .. After heavy snow U.S. landed home owners must clear piles of snow on their driveway and sidewalk, otherwise they can’t get out of the house. If you can’t physically do it, then I don’t know if you can call a contractor, but the local government won’t do it for you 🙁
3. sidewalk maintenance .. (similar to snow clearance.) Any damage, pothole, pests … are either left untreated for a long time or a resident has to engage a private contractor. The local government may not have sufficient budget for it. Compared to sidewalks, road maintenance is more likely to be taken up by government.
4. security cameras in public places .. often for-display only. In Singapore, these cameras are usually functional.
5. clean tap water .. Singapore government is outstanding in providing clean tap water that’s guaranteed safe to drink. I drink it every day. In contrast, every American family I know buys bottled water every week, because few would drink from the tap.
6. sports facilities .. Singapore government is outstanding in providing free stadiums and low-cost public swimming/gym facilities (up to $2.50 per entry), in additional to small exercise corners. U.S. swimming pools are about 100 times more expensive. I have never heard of public gyms (stadiums… seldom) provided by a local government, so I think that stadiums are usually part of a school, and gyms are always commercial. Running cost of swimming pools and gyms are higher than stadiums so government needs a sizeable buget.
7. library .. Same situation as sports facilites. Public libraries are few and much smaller in the U.S. than in Singapore. Low-income families must find other means, like donations, friends, school library, or pre-owned books sold on Amazon. Reason? Local governments have limited funding.
8. childcare .. Ordinary Singapore citizens can send young kids to subsidized pre-schools.. about SGD 400/M after government subsidy. I don’t think such a low price is available in the tristate area. The last time I checked (2010), it cost more than USD 1000/M. Singapore government-linked operators run many of those subsidized pre-schools, but U.S. government doesn’t.
9. counseling support for divorcing couples, kids from broken families, and families with special needs……. I don’t have statistics, but I think the Singapore government has a higher budget per thousand residents. My family has received SG government-funded support. My friends in the U.S. also need such support but had to wait longer. If you need such help in the U.S. and can afford it, you should definitely seek professional counselors. I think 2/3 of families need this support at least once in 10 years.
10. financial education/counselling/planning .. Many ordinary people postpone or neglect financial planning due to lack of education. Since 2008 GFC, Singapore government has asked all retail-facing financial institutions (insurers, banks…) to waive consultation fees for retail customers who don’t end up buying. I often have hour-long conversations in person with these consultants. No such free consultation in the U.S. The less-educated lay public must teach themselves and ask friends or pay a consultant for advice.
11. personal credit data /governance/ .. U.S. system can be messy (personal experience). I feel U.S. government is not doing its job in this area. In Singapore, if you notice an incorrect credit record, you can call the lender or escalate to the authorities, since all retail lenders are regulated by government. U.S. authorities aren’t involved, so you must liaise with the three private credit bureaus. They might give you some basic tips and redirect you to various private companies. If you are well-off, there are consultants to help you, according to hearsay.
12. car ownership .. I think most of the U.S. middle tier households needs a car. DMV (department of motor vehicles) is very slow and inefficient in most places, presumably due to government funding. I don’t like driving so I never bought a car. I can only guess — Car repairs, insurance, police engagement are all complicated, presumably more complicated than in Singapore. Ordinary Singaporeans don’t have to own a car (personal experience) thanks to public transport. No U.S. city government offers such an extensive public transport.
13. public transport .. when provided, are infrequent, (much) older, more prone to breakdowns compared to Singapore, based on my experience in NY and NJ. I used subway, commuter trains and buses. Given the limitations, you may still need a car even if you live in New York City. On weekends, up to half the NYC subway lines are unavailable.
14. condo HOA .. (for those living in condominiums) I have never paid a condo fee in Singapore or the U.S. but I suspect HOA-to-valuation ratio is much higher in the U.S. than Singapore, due to maintenance costs, physical security and other labor costs. Again, I think the government doesn’t do enough in the U.S. so your condo committee have to step in as a quasi-government. Most middle-tier Singaporeans don’t pay condo fees at all, since they mostly live in HDB.
15. repair cost .. be it vehicles, appliances, buildings … these costs are all higher in the U.S. than Singapore (Singapore is not cheap!). Culprit is labor cost. Trained technicians cost more in the U.S. (not government’s fault). Now, most homes in the U.S. are wood constructions by private developers, inhabited for up to 100Y. As such they require significantly more repairs. In contrast, HDB builds more reliable, newer, concrete homes that require less repair. Also, Singapore government takes care of some major repairs free of charge (personal experience). If you look at the repairs for public infrastructure (roads, rail roads, buses, government buildings/vehicles,,,) you may notice a stark contrast. There repairs are faster in Singapore, probably due to adequate budget + cheaper labor, as private contractors employ mostly work-permit holders, which help SG public infrastructure cost control.
16. tax rules .. too complicated for ordinary people. Many Americans living below the median household income (50% of U.S. population) struggle to understand the intricacies but don’t want to pay $200/year for a tax consultant. As a result, they might be over-taxed by thousands of dollars (not a fraud, but a failure to optimize filing). In contrast, Singapore tax rate and tax rules are more “friendly” to ordinary residents, so we don’t struggle or need to pay consultants. I actually called the tax department in U.S. and in Singapore many times … vastly different user experience. Reason? U.S. tax department is underfunded and under-staffed to provide useful assistance, and the system is convoluted.
17. immigration support .. Both countries have a high percentage of their residents being immigrants. I dealt with immigration headaches in both systems. U.S. system is far more convoluted. I called immigration departments many times. U.S. hotline is very hard to use. I had to engage consultants (lawyers). Again, I think Singapore government built a simpler, more usable system, so that ordinary people can resolve their issues without paying a consultant.
18. .. Related topic… If you or your kids have issues with U.S. passport, SSN, identify theft, or birth record, again you face a complicated system. If you call the government department, then you will depend on your luck. Will you find a knowledgeable officer… get bounced from department to department .. face lengthy delays? If you are well-off, you might want to try finding an advisor, perhaps through your employer. Singapore system is straightforward.
19. legal system .. too complicated. Offenses, commercial disputes, immigration, traffic/driving, tenancy,,,, Few lay people can handle legal issue without lawyers. Legal issues can take lots of time, anxiety and legwork. Low-income Americans are unlucky. Singapore legal system is less complicated. You can call several public hotlines to get some basic help. There is probably less pro-bono assistance in the U.S. than in Singapore (personal experience), but this not U.S. government’s fault.
20. medical .. (including health insurance) is the most obvious example of a dysfunctional government failing to provide for tax payers. U.S. employers often step in to provide for the staff. SG government runs very affordable polyclinics in the HDB heartlands (within a few minutes of bus ride). Public hospitals are also affordable.
21. Health insurance .. CPF Medishield costs a fraction of the typical U.S. insurance premiums, though Medishield covers only hospitalization.

Considering all of the above, I allocate USD 200k for my family relocation (excluding home/car purchase). It is a war chest.