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

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I don't understand how RN's survive in San Diego. at 32 to 36 an hour I would go under.??!!

I make 57 with 1 year experience in sacramento area. Im an OR nurse.

Cost of living is so low in Roseville ca And pay is almost twice as much. Also if you have 3 dogs, its impossible to live in San Diego unless you rent a million dollar home thats 1500 sqft. I'm just curious if i'm missing something, the numbers just don't add up to me.

Thanks.

That's crazy that you'll be making 65 an hour. I work in SF and you would need 5 years of experience to make 65 base. This is at a unionized hospital.

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Enjoy that sacramento union gig while it lasts. Unions have a way of killing the golden goose.

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Enjoy that sacramento union gig while it lasts. Unions have a way of killing the golden goose.

It's probably per diem, because Sacramento hospitals don't pay as much as the bay area unless your working for Kaiser. I worked per diem for a mercy hospital in the area and didn't make that so I dont believe that, unless they got a good raise

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Scarpydoooo - Thanks for such an informative post about wages in Sacramento. I was actually considering moving to Sacramento, since I can purchase so much more house compared to LA, SF, or SJ. Can you tell me if you are working registry (if so, which registry) at Mercy or did they pretty much start you off at $65/hour? And which other registries are your co-workers working through to work in SF? Thanks!

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

I live in San Diego and work in National City. Pay is $29.hour with two years experience. (non-union) Hospitals here don't pay nurses well. And gas prices here are the highest in the nation. Go figure. :(

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So I have a question... I am looking @ moving to Sacramento area. I currently work a lot OT. I do 4-5 12 hour shifts a week. Is their much OT available in the Sacramento area? Is their any particular hospital I should work for or stay away from? Thx for any help

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry, Hospice, Home Health.

Makes me want to move to Sacramento. I live in SD and have been making 72K a year in non-profit Hospice which equals about 38 an hour.

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Scarpydooooo how did you go upon getting your job with 1 year experience?! how is the job outlook for new grads?

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Sacramento is pretty hard to get a job in. I had 3 years experience in ICU, bachelors degree, sigma theta thau, multiple hospital connections and it took me between 4 and 5 months to land a job. my base is 52$/hr but I have amazing benefits. I think if I'd stayed in inland empire/OC my base might be 36 to 38/hr now. Still that's a significant difference. My rent was 1500/month for an apartment. I now have a really nice house, my payment is higher but I can afford it. Half my student loans are paid off. I have a new car. Hubby is almost done with school because I can afford to put him through it.

I really do miss all my so cal friends, we've actually talked about moving back after he's done with school, but it's hard to justify it when I'd take a 15$/hr pay cut. If I could find a job mid 40s an hour, I'd probably do it. We'll just have to see....

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

OT is easy at my hospital, I've had coworkers work 20 days straight. I've also had an easy time turning my shifts into 16 hours. With my OT I'm looking at close to 140 k this year, and honest I pick up 1 xtra shift a pay period on average

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Sac and San Francisco are tough markets, but I would argue against the desirability factor with SF, as the salaries there are quite high, and the desirability is as well. I would agree that unions may play a factor, as most of the area is unionized. I know that with Kaiser in Sac, new grad starting pay is almost $70 an hour, IF you can get one of those VERY FEW positions. I imagine SF is a little higher than that. I know that Sutter in the North Bay Area starts around $35 an hour, and is one of the lower paying hospitals. My SNF job started me as a new grad at $32.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Kaiser in sac isn't almost 70/hr from what I've been told. My former coworker makes almost that with night shift differentials and 8 years ER experience at Kaiser. So yah, the money is there, but it's not quite that high in sac. On a night weeks shift I can clear 62/hr, which is good.

I'm not a huge fan of Sacramento though. If it wasn't for the money, I'd already not be here. I'm glad I moved here to get to spend the last year and a half around my grampa before he passed. But there isn't much here for me and my husband.

The Bay Area is great, but cost of living can quickly eat up those wages if you have a family. I don't think I could ever afford a decent house in a good school district there regardless of income. I mean a 4500/month mortgage seems excessive.... Even if your take home 8 or 9k a month.

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