Can you live a luxury lifestyle as a nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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My question is towards nurses that have been in the field for couple of years. I was wondering can you life a nice luxury lifestyle as a nurse? My definition of luxury would perhaps revolve around the ability to own a large 5 bedroom house, the ability to drive a luxury vehicle like BMW or Mercedes Benz, and the ability to take vacations every year perhaps to a different country. Is this too much to ask for as nurse or this beyond the dreams of most nurses and would single nurses be able to achieve this over married with kids nurses?

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm sure some nurses can.

Pay varies widely by location, position, education, and experience, as in most fields.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Onc, LTAC.

Ummm... probably NOT unfortunately.

I only know of two nurses who live pretty nice IMO. They are single, older and have been nurses for a looooong time. They are both in their late 40's or 50's. They both work a TON of OT and just rake in the $$. I know they both make over 120k/year. Both are single, live in fancy(ish) apartments, buy every new electronic out there, and have nice cars (nothing too out there, one's a new jeep and one's a Lincoln maybe?)... they do very well for nurses, but I wouldn't say they are "loaded" and maybe they buy what they do b/c they don't have large houses to pay a mortgage on.

I guess my answer is... you can probably do very well for yourself in time, but are you every going to be in luxury, high class living all on your own? Nope, wiping butts won't get us very far! :D Going back to school will help, but only so much. Good thing we have to be a certain type of person to be a nurse!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I think that if your goal is a 5 bedroom house, a Mercedes and a trip to another country every year, you'd best be going to medical school, or at least for your MBA @ an IVY League school.

Nurses can of course live "luxurious" lives. But one person's definition of luxury will be very different from another's.

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My question is towards nurses that have been in the field for couple of years. I was wondering can you life a nice luxury lifestyle as a nurse? My defination of luxury would perhaps revolve around the ability to own a large 5 bedroom house, the ability to drive a luxury vehicle like BMW or Marcedes benz, and the ability to take vacations every year perhaps to a different country. Is this too much to ask for as nurse? or this beyong the dreams of most nurses? And would single nurses be able to achieve this over married with kids nurses?

Well - according to your criteria for luxury I would say maybe. Depends on how much overtime you work (could never do that on straight time), your comfort with debt (will probably need a big car loan) and are you married to someone who makes more money. In general, a nursing career does not equate to luxury.

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Part of whether this is possible would depend on your comfort level with debt (e.g., car payments) and on how aggressively you save for retirement.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

NO, especially not if you want to live within your means, have savings for unforseen things and retirement. Frankly if you are looking for a life of luxury being a RN really isn't the way to achieve that imvho.

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As an MD, yes. I doubt as an RN, unless I was married to an MD. In any case, screw luxury. I'm fine with living within my means. The only luxury item I want is a Tesla electric car.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Onc, LTAC.

I wish that more people/nurses would have drilled into my head how AWFUL student loans can be after graduation. If I would have known how bad loan payments were going to be, I would've worked more in college and applied for EVERY. SINGLE. SCHOLARSHIP. OUT THERE!!! I try to drill that into every college student I come across. My husband and I would have an extra $1400/month for ourselves and actually be able to SAVE for a house if we didn't have loans. Granted, I'm grateful for the loans, because it's better than serving fries and hamburgers without the opportunities with the student loans, but those bills can be QUITE depressing.

So nursing students if you read this... APPLY for scholarships and grants!!!!!!!!!! Fill out every annoying essay and application form you can get your hands on, because when you graduate, you might be able to enjoy some more of your hard earned $$$$!!! :)

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Specializes in adult ICU.

If you want that, two words for you:

SUGAR DADDY.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Onc, LTAC.

I wish my husband was my sugar daddy! But I make more than him! Maybe someday - a girl can dream :p

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Specializes in Brain Injury(Acute Rehab).

I just received my RN license,

but so far, with my CNA license, I will be buying myself a MINI Cooper S (made by BMW) and take a trip out of the country every year and a couple mini trips in the US(this year France and Netherlands and so far Florida, thinking about going to Shanghai too this year to attend the World Expo).

I assume that with a real RN pay and then a couple years of experience I can probably do a lot more.

But...

I have no kids.

I rent and have roommates.

I can be pretty cheap sometimes.

My main goal in life is to travel so I cut corners where I can in other aspects of my life..."The world is a book,and those who do not travel, read only a page"

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