How Does an RN make more in Sacramento than San Diego????

RNKPCE · Apr 9, 2013

Unionized hospital vs non unionized maybe? Less unions in SoCal

Scarpydooooo · Apr 9, 2013

Does that mean there are Hospitals that pay in the 50's, Just not as many? Seems like all Hospitals have a low salary. Ill look into it though thanks.

brownbook · Apr 9, 2013

Depends on a lot of factors. Some jobs pay less but have better retirement or health benefits?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2013

You're forgetting one important factor: desirability.

Orange County and San Diego County are two of the lower-paying metro areas in California. Why? Because they are, for the most part, highly desirable places to live. Because people will readily and willingly accept lower pay in exchange for the beauty, cleanliness, pristine beaches, sunshine, and general prestige of living near or on the coast.

Florida is another case in point. People there are 'paid in sunshine' because the salaries and wages tend to be 10 to 20 percent lower than other regions. People will live in a high cost-of-living state like Florida, even if the nursing wages are $25 hourly or less, because to them the weather, beaches, attractions and amenities are worth the pay cut.

People will deal with a high cost of living and low pay in exchange for a desirable location.

MunoRN, RN · Apr 9, 2013

Supply and demand. It's easy to get Nurses to move to San Diego to work, Sacramento isn't exactly a sought after place to live.

Scarpydooooo · Apr 12, 2013

We live in Roseville ca, it's a really nice area. Benifits are 100% coverage for 400 a pay check. Union hospitals even pay way less in SD. How can you live in SD on 30 to 35 an hour??? Apartment is 1300 to 2400 alone. Thats more than a nurse takes home in two weeks in the 30's?

Scarpydooooo · Apr 12, 2013

I just got a job at a MERCY Hospital and im going to get 65 an hr plus 4 dollar night diff. makes no sense here in Sacramento area, they are for sure not in a supply and demand situation so its not that. Unions are the cause of it here in Sac area. I would assume Unions in SD would fight for higher wages due to cost of living being 3 times higher than sac.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 12, 2013

We live in Roseville ca, it's a really nice area. Benifits are 100% coverage for 400 a pay check. Union hospitals even pay way less in SD. How can you live in SD on 30 to 35 an hour??? Apartment is 1300 to 2400 alone. Thats more than a nurse takes home in two weeks in the 30's?

A lot of people don't live in SD city proper but in some of the other cities in the county. If you go south and east in SD county, you'll find housing costs can be lower.

Also, not every place pays that low: I work in a hospital in SoCal and get in the mid-40s/hr. However, you may not find the 50-60/hr that you're used to seeing, at least not with one year's experience.

Scarpydooooo · Apr 13, 2013

We have 5 dogs and a 4 month old little boy. SD sounds like its not a good place for us. I have 3 years of OR experience so i wouldn't be considered extremely experienced. I'm going to give up the SD thought and stay put. GGRRRRR!!

65 down to 35, even 40 an hour, is 40k a year less roughly.

Another thing I noticed a lot of here in Sacramento is that Nurses are driving 2 hours to the bay area getting 80 an hour on 3 12 hour shifts then working 3 8 's here in sac for a 6 day work week. Cost of living is cheap her also.

3500 sqft 5 year old house with pool rents for 2000 a month.

Well thanks everyone for the responses :)

jbjelus1 · Apr 13, 2013

We have 5 dogs and a 4 month old little boy. SD sounds like its not a good place for us. I have 3 years of OR experience so i wouldn't be considered extremely experienced. I'm going to give up the SD thought and stay put. GGRRRRR!!
65 down to 35, even 40 an hour, is 40k a year less roughly.
Another thing I noticed a lot of here in Sacramento is that Nurses are driving 2 hours to the bay area getting 80 an hour on 3 12 hour shifts then working 3 8 's here in sac for a 6 day work week. Cost of living is cheap her also.
3500 sqft 5 year old house with pool rents for 2000 a month.
Well thanks everyone for the responses :)

How is that cheap? That's two mortgages in some places. No offense but working six days a week is not living to me, but I understand that people will do what they have too to live comfortably. I lived in California for five years, and moved back south to be closer to family, and honestly I make less, but live just as good or better

Mama Bird · Apr 13, 2013

I'm an RN in San Diego and make $43/hr and have free medical and dental benefits for my whole family that I pay nothing out of pocket for ( 1.5 years experience) I live in East County which is about a 15 min drive from work and live in a 3 bd, 2 ba house with a large yard for our dog and pay 1600 a month. It is possible to live in San Diego as RN I wouldn't live anywhere else.