north pay better than south

richardgecko · Jul 7, 2013

I'm thinking about settling in TX after finishing college, but I feel as though I'd be at a disadvantage because I don't speak Spanish. The Latino community is huge there. Would I have a better shot if I learned Spanish?

I live in city in Texas with a population of 750,000 people. I am originally from a midsized city in coastal southern California.
Although I earn less than many nurses on the coasts, my lifestyle is comfortable. I live in a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1800 square foot brick veneer house that was built in 2004. I paid 100k for it back in 2005 and my mortgage is less than $400 per month. I have two low-mileage vehicles that are paid for. My gas, utilities and insurance policies are cheap due to living in a low-crime zip code.
On the other hand, it is common for people in places such as Manhattan and San Francisco to pay $1,500 monthly or more for a shoebox-sized studio apartment. Insurance rates are through the roof. People in some of these places pay federal, state, and city taxes, whereas I only pay federal taxes, so I get to take most of my paycheck to the bank.
In general, higher cost-of-living locations tend to offer higher pay rates, whereas the locales with lower cost-of-living tend to offer lower wages.

Tinker88 · Jul 7, 2013

It all has to do with population and cost of living...not north vs south. Cost of Living 1st Quarter 2013

S.G. · Jul 7, 2013

My first RN job was in Albany NY 8 years ago. I started at $19/h. I was making $23/h when I left. We moved to Fayetteville, NC and I worked in Pinehurst. My starting pay was $27/h and when I left in April I was making $38/h. It's regional, based on experience, and based On rural or urban. You can't generalize that much. I live in HI now and the pay here is much higher (although I haven't started working yet) because the cost of living is do much higher.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2013

I'm thinking about settling in TX after finishing college, but I feel as though I'd be at a disadvantage because I don't speak Spanish. The Latino community is huge there. Would I have a better shot if I learned Spanish?

I'm African-American and do not speak Spanish, yet I do just fine here in Texas. I often go weeks or months without encountering a patient who does not know how to speak the English language.

The state is so huge that you cannot generalize. Some cities and towns in TX have Latino populations that are so small that its inconsequential. Then again, I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which is in North Texas and about 80 miles from the Oklahoma state line. The Latino population gets larger as you travel to South Texas.

IcySageNurse · Jul 7, 2013

Don't forget insane taxes in north vs south eats a lot of your take home pay! Sales tax is higher, property tax is higher, tolls are higher, state income tax is higher - that can amount to a 10-20% reduction in take home pay! Combined with cost of living in the south and availability of newer, nicer homes for less money, and it explains why nurses seem to live a lot more comfortably in the south despite "lower wages"

richardgecko · Jul 7, 2013

I'm African-American and do not speak Spanish, yet I do just fine here in Texas. I often go weeks or months without encountering a patient who does not know how to speak the English language.
The state is so huge that you cannot generalize. Some cities and towns in TX have Latino populations that are so small that its inconsequential. Then again, I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which is in North Texas and about 80 miles from the Oklahoma state line. The Latino population gets larger as you travel to South Texas.

I'm African American as well. My husband wants to settle in the DFW area because I have family in Hurst and Mckinney. But I kind of have my heart set on Austin or Arlington. How are those areas, in your opinion?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2013

I'm African American as well. My husband wants to settle in the DFW area because I have family in Hurst and Mckinney. But I kind of have my heart set on Austin or Arlington. How are those areas, in your opinion?

Arlington is in the DFW area. It is 18 miles from downtown Dallas and 12 miles from downtown Fort Worth, so you would be within reasonable commuting distance of any hospital in the DFW area if you lived there. I kinda like Arlington and wish I had moved there in the beginning if I could do it all over again.

I like Austin, too. However, the cost of living there is high (for Texas standards) and the nursing pay rates are rather low.

Glycerine82, LPN · Jul 7, 2013

Sunshine may not pay the bills but its much more enjoyable for me to live here in the South than it was to live in the North. I cant imagine going back......oh and talk about people being friendly. ...I love it!!

For me it all comes out in the wash. I am still just as broke as I was up North but now I can go to the beach on my days off :-)

Katie71275 · Jul 8, 2013

Louisiana is anywhere from 15-20$ an hour days, and 18-25ish nights where I live(north LA) for RN pay. But the cost of living is not too bad here at all.