How to read pay packages

[scrubulator]

Im still trying to figure out whats a good travel pay package vs whats a bad one but I keep getting confused.

Some people say don't take anything less than $_____ for a housing stipend. Others day don't take anything less than $___/per hour. Is it me, or do those not matter at all?

Isn't the only thing that matters is the weekly income. Your hourly rate could be small but if your housing rate is large it could still be a good package. The same goes for vice versa (small housing stipend but a large hourly rate). Im still very new at this, but isn't this how people should see it? Looking at the weekly income not stipends or hourly rates.

[NedRN]

Weekly income is not the whole story. What are the local housing costs? What does it cost you to maintain your tax home residence? What is health insurance going to cost you?

Simple math help with comparing offers (often very hard to compare) can be found on PanTravelers by using their calculator. That will boil your offers down to a comparative numbers on a level playing field. Level except for housing costs. If you are looking at different locations, it is best to take a look at the local Craigslist to get an idea of local housing costs. It is possible to get really high pay in a location such as Boston or San Francisco, yet not end up with as much bankable surplus as at an assignment in the Midwest.