Arizona, California, Texas?

Calzonan RN · Mar 7, 2006

My sil lives in Dallas and loves it. Great nightlife for singles.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2006

Actually I think Texas doesn't have state income tax, so even if the property taxes are high (and actually AZ property taxes are pretty high too) than that would offset it. My vote would be for Texas if I were you. Do you know what they pay new grad nurses in Texas? My dh and I have been looking into Colorado after NS, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunity for new grads there.
Keli

Texas does not have state income tax, but the property taxes are hefty.

I am a new grad LVN who earns $18 hourly with benefits. New grad RNs can expect to earn $25 to $30 in most places in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

military spouse · Mar 7, 2006

Actually I think Texas doesn't have state income tax, so even if the property taxes are high (and actually AZ property taxes are pretty high too) than that would offset it. My vote would be for Texas if I were you. Do you know what they pay new grad nurses in Texas? My dh and I have been looking into Colorado after NS, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunity for new grads there.
Keli

We came VERY close to buying a house in Keller for $170,000 and the property taxes were over $4000 per year. That being said, we pay more than that is state, local, and property taxes here in PA. I think though if only one person in the family worked or you retired, that could be a tough amount to pay. I do know that in El Paso, retirees "school portion" of property taxes are frozen. Also, I looked at some pretty nice houses in Saginaw for much less than $170,000.

Sheri257 · Mar 8, 2006

Another factor to consider:

California has a ratio law, Texas and Arizona do not.

The cost of living may be cheaper in Texas and Arizona, but you don't make as much money either.

California RN's make, on average, $15,000 more a year than Arizona and Texas RN's.

:typing

RN34TX · Mar 8, 2006

and the biggy was bible belt oddities like being a "member" to have alcohol at a restaurant.

That's in the "dry" counties, not in Dallas itself.

I know what you mean though.

I ate at one restaraunt right off 75 but it was still in Dallas so it was like normal.

Another night I ate at a restaurant within 20 feet of the other one but had to get a membership to drink alcohol because it was no longer in Dallas city limits.

Crazy I know.

Calzonan RN · Mar 8, 2006

Another factor to consider:
California has a ratio law, Texas and Arizona do not.
The cost of living may be cheaper in Texas and Arizona, but you don't make as much money either.
California RN's make, on average, $15,000 more a year than Arizona and Texas RN's.
:typing

But how much do they earn per hour? The higher pay could be because in CA they have to work more overtime to adjust for the cost of living. JAT

Sheri257 · Mar 8, 2006

But how much do they earn per hour? The higher pay could be because in CA they have to work more overtime to adjust for the cost of living. JAT

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly RN wage in California is higher ... about $6-$7 an hour higher.

In Texas and Arizona the average RN wage statewide is about $25-$26 an hour ... or $54,000 to $55,000 a year.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tx.htm#b29-0000

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_az.htm#b29-0000

In California, the average RN wage statewide is $32 an hour ... or $69,000 a year.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291111.htm

In more expensive areas like the Bay Area, the RN hourly wage gets up to as much as $37-$42 an hour, depending on which city you're living in ... so I don't think it's because they're working more overtime than RN's in Texas or Arizona.

:typing

Kabin · Mar 8, 2006

Unfortunately, those extra $6 or so are at a higher tax bracket so you won't keep as much. And I recall CA state income tax was on the high end of the scale. It's best to do an online cost of living comparison as there are so many variables.

Calzonan RN · Mar 8, 2006

Well that makes sense then.

I still think most areas of CA are way overpriced for the average person to live. I have a friend who makes over 100K a year and lives in Bakersfield (not your prime real estate location) and the house he bought is about 2300 sq feet, built in the 70's, and he paid the same price as our 3500 square foot house in AZ which we bought brand new.

I'm a 7th generation Californian and I would love to be able to raise my kids in the same town I was raised in (Los Gatos, Bay Area), but I can't afford to pay over a million $$'s for a house smaller than the house we live in now

military spouse · Mar 8, 2006

My sister just bought a nondescript, 50 year-old rancher in Orange County for $545,000. Hospitals would have to pay a whole lot more than $6-7 per hour. Of course, I've already lived there so there is no allure. Perhaps it would be new and exciting for somebody that has never lived there. I'm so cheap that I think anything over $200,000 is outrageous--we just moved to PA and I'm already trying to figure out how to get somewhere less expensive

Sheri257 · Mar 8, 2006

It's best to do an online cost of living comparison as there are so many variables.

Assuming that the salary.com cost of living calculator is correct, you'd still probably come out ahead by moving to California. Just as an example ... take Tucson, Arizona where the average RN wage is $52,000 year.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_8520.htm#b29-0000

If you move to San Jose, which is probably the most expensive area in the state ... you'd need a 53 percent increase in salary to maintain your current standard of living ... or $80,000 a year.

http://swz.salary.com/CostOfLivingWizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp

But ... San Jose RN's make ... on average ... $87,500 a year.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_7400.htm#b29-0000

So you'd still be ahead by $7,500 a year. If you choose to live in cheaper parts of California, you can do even better. In the Riverside-San Bernardino area ... RN's make less ... about $65,000 a year.

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_6780.htm#b29-0000

But, according to salary.com, the cost of living difference is only 7 percent more than Tucson ... meaning ... you'd only have to make $55,000 a year in this area to maintain your current standard of living.

But ... since you'd be making $65,000 on average ... you're $10,000 ahead in that scenario.

Of course a lot of it depends on where you're living now and where you'd be moving to but ... overall ... it is possible to come out ahead financially in California, even with the higher cost of living.

:typing

Sheri257 · Mar 8, 2006

I still think most areas of CA are way overpriced for the average person to live. I have a friend who makes over 100K a year and lives in Bakersfield (not your prime real estate location) and the house he bought is about 2300 sq feet, built in the 70's, and he paid the same price as our 3500 square foot house in AZ which we bought brand new.

My sister just bought a nondescript, 50 year-old rancher in Orange County for $545,000. Hospitals would have to pay a whole lot more than $6-7 per hour. Of course, I've already lived there so there is no allure. Perhaps it would be new and exciting for somebody that has never lived there. I'm so cheap that I think anything over $200,000 is outrageous--we just moved to PA and I'm already trying to figure out how to get somewhere less expensive

I don't think you can use one or two real estate examples as a reflection of the cost of living for the entire state. Besides, people also benefit from the higher cost of living.

I bought my house in a location comparable to Bakersfield for only $150,000 two years ago. Now it's worth double that amount. One buyer's higher priced home is another homeowner's windfall. My cost of living is cheap and I'm sitting on $150,000 in equity in just two years.

The point is ... not everybody pays $500,000 to $1 million for a home in California. And the higher cost of living doesn't hurt everybody in the marketplace ... a lot of people who live here also benefit from it.

:typing