COL vs rn salaries in NC

U.S.A. North Carolina

Published

Dear NC nurses,

Could you please tell me how you manage COL with RN salaries, especially new

grads? I was planning to move to Charlotte area from CA BEFORE I saw that

CMC starts new grads around $ 19/h and a decent 3 bedroom house in the area

rents for $1200 per month. I started at 27/h right after graduation with 6000 sign on

bonus. $1200 / month allows me to rent a nice 3 bedroom house in a gated

community. I know that gas prices are much higher in CA, but all other expenses

seem to be pretty much the same as in NC. I just miss rain, large green trees, four

seasons, and a slower pace of life that beautiful NC has to offer.

I hope I did not offend anyone with my question; I am just looking for first-hand

information.

Thank you all beforehand.

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Specializes in Family Medicine, Outpatient Pediatrics, IBCLC.

It sounds like you lucked out with the place you're at right now! I live in Mass, and housing down in Eastern NC is about 50% less!! You could buy a three bedroom house in NC (although I believe that Charlotte has a higher COL than Greenville) and have a mortgage payment for less than that!

What part of Cali are you in? I thought Cali had a pretty high COL.

Heres a nifty calculator, just plug in where you're at now and then Charlotte:http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

Let me know how it comes out, I'm curious!

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Specializes in Family Medicine, Outpatient Pediatrics, IBCLC.

Personal Note: I put in what the avg salary is in my area of Mass ($24) and according to the wizard, that equates to making less than $18/hr in Greenville. In other words, if you're making $24/hr in Mass, you can afford to make $18/hr in Greenville and have the same lifestyle. I'm starting at $20, so I'm stoked!!!!

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LittleWing21,

thank you for the reply. I used the calculator and it shows that my salary should be higher than $20/h to have the same standard of living as in CA.

I think many people think that CA is all beautiful and pricey. Not true! There are areas inland where houses are quite affordable due to the lack of scenery, good weather, safety, and good air quality. In other words, if you want affordable CA, you can get it if you don't mind filthy air, gangs, and temps in the 100s for 5-6 months out of the year. I actually mind all these things and can not wait to get out of here!

I hope you'll enjoy your new job in Greenville.

Thanks again!

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Specializes in Family Medicine, Outpatient Pediatrics, IBCLC.

Sometimes its not all about money! Lol...def looking forward to better air and water quality. My asthma was great when I went to visit!!

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Glad to hear that!

Good luck with everything else!;)

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I am having the same issue - moving from Las Vegas to the Raleigh area next May - I couldn't believe the pay difference!!! I am making $42/hr (PRN) - or $32/hr if I were to have benefits. I just got a quote from Duke that I would be starting at $21/hour!! I started as a NEW GRAD at over $26/hr!!!!

I have been looking at housing - and everything I find is $250,000 and above. My family and I can afford that now with what I am making here - but not if I take that drastic of a pay cut!!!

Any advice? Any hospitals you know that pay more??

Any areas that are safe/nice/good school districts/etc to live in that aren't so expensive??

Thanks for any help you can throw my way!

Amanda

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Raleigh has one of the more expensive housing markets in NC because it is growing so much. You might want to look at Rex Hospital, they may pay more than Duke or UNC because they are private. Look outside of Raliegh in areas like Chatham county, Hillsborough, Carrboro, and places like that, the housing will be less there.

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Raleigh has one of the more expensive housing markets in NC because it is growing so much. You might want to look at Rex Hospital, they may pay more than Duke or UNC because they are private. Look outside of Raliegh in areas like Chatham county, Hillsborough, Carrboro, and places like that, the housing will be less there.

Still, with $20/h rents are very high even in the suburbs and you have to take into consideration the price of gas with a longer commute to work. :(

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Specializes in Family Medicine, Outpatient Pediatrics, IBCLC.

Greenville's cheaper! It's home to Pitt County Memorial Hospital, where I just accepted a job. Not sure what pay you'd start at, but they start there new grads at ~$20. If you want to be closer to "the big city" aka Raleigh, you could always live to the west of Greenville in one of the small suburbs. You can get a nice small house for $150,000. They reimburse up to a certain amount if you travel to interview there. PM if ya want any more info!

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