California Bound

Hi....I am born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and can tell you that despite your hourly wage (which will be more) your cost of living and other expenses will be very, very high!!!! You said you are looking just North of SF, Marin?? In the SF Bay Area most hospitals pay a higher hourly rate for Per-Diem nurses, which can range from $45-65/hr. depending upon facility and your experience level.
Although, California's hourly rate is higher than most in the nation our cost of living is WAY high!!!!! You might want to really look into it before you leap into CA...... It's not what it's cracked up to be!!!
Good Luck......

I agree with the previous poster. Over the years we have had several single nurses or single nurses who were parents move to the Bay area only to move back when they realized that the high salary doesn't mean as much as they thought it would with the high cost of living. You would probably make in the low $40's with benefits if experienced. The cost of living isn't quite as bad in the Central Valley but you won't make quite as much. The Central Valley would include Sacramento, Chico, Redding, Modesto, Fresno etc. I would definetly look at real estate, apartment rentals etc before uprooting the kids on that major of a change.

Nice area, but pretty much the same thing. Fewer hospital choices unless you go over the hill into Silicon Valley to work.

Hello Batmilk, What's the average or starting pay for a medical staff nurse (RN-BSN) in the Silicon Valley area?

At Kaiser, new grad starting is about 33 an hour. I have lived in both San Diego and San Jose, and while the houses are expensive here in San Jo, prices are rising in SD too. I'm staying here after graduation, because the pay is higher here than back home in SD.. and I love the Silicon Valley! Its so diverse and I love going to San Francisco and Monterey..

Thanks for the info.

Why not consider somewhere in the Midwest? Jobs pay pretty well and the cost of living is much lower. It is possible to make it without killing yourself with two jobs. You can color me as been there done that.....Los Angeles, SF Bay area, Hawaii, and Minneapolis. Currently....Wisconsin. I understand about the weather though. Hard to beat!