I graduate from Nursing school may 6th and I have always fancied moving to CA. I spoke with a nurse recruiter at UCLA and was alerted that the pay would be: 25.36/hr 4.00/hr for nights and 2.50 for weekends. $1500 relocation and no sign on bonus. That is NOT enough! That weekend diff is pittiful!!! The cost of living in California is soooo high especially if you expect to live somewhere near the hospital (Bev. hills) The pay here That I am being offered here in Indianapolis is this 19/hr plus 4.00/hr for nights and 5.50/hr. for weekend diff. 11.00/hr for holidays and a $5,000 sign on bonus. The cost of living in Indianapolis area is MUCH LOWER than Ca. I mean you can get a 4 br. nice house ,nice area here for 170,000 (maybe less maybe more depending on amenities such as a basement) gas ranges from 1.58 to 1.99 sometimes, groceries aren't bad, eating out isnt bad either a really nice greek place that serves a huge delicious dinner may cost 25-30 a person and you save half of it for the next day in left overs.
I have always wanted to live in NY or CA because of the liberal atmosphere and diversity. Also, I have dreamed since childhood of acting and Indiana doesnt exaclty offer much in that department. But.... In Indiana it seems I could have a much more comfortable life. How do you CA nurses afford anything???? The pay DOES NOT seem to reflect cost of living at all! Any advice on how you live, or info on how much things cost(I already know that rent and housing is ridiculous), how many hrs you have to work to be able to survive, can you afford to do fun things?
Thank you!
Also traffic seems to be horrific, how is it at night? Is public transportation good?
Where's the best area of San Diego to live? I'm thinking of moving there as my brother lives there. I am from the Seattle area and know about high cost-of-living although San Diego has even a higher cost-of-living than Seattle.
I would want to live by the hospital I was working at although that's not a requirement. Being by the water is nice, and being downtown would be cool. I just don't want to be too inland like El Cajon or something.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Hi Cali Nurses,
I graduate from Nursing school may 6th and I have always fancied moving to CA. I spoke with a nurse recruiter at UCLA and was alerted that the pay would be: 25.36/hr 4.00/hr for nights and 2.50 for weekends. $1500 relocation and no sign on bonus. That is NOT enough! That weekend diff is pittiful!!! The cost of living in California is soooo high especially if you expect to live somewhere near the hospital (Bev. hills) The pay here That I am being offered here in Indianapolis is this 19/hr plus 4.00/hr for nights and 5.50/hr. for weekend diff. 11.00/hr for holidays and a $5,000 sign on bonus. The cost of living in Indianapolis area is MUCH LOWER than Ca. I mean you can get a 4 br. nice house ,nice area here for 170,000 (maybe less maybe more depending on amenities such as a basement) gas ranges from 1.58 to 1.99 sometimes, groceries aren't bad, eating out isnt bad either a really nice greek place that serves a huge delicious dinner may cost 25-30 a person and you save half of it for the next day in left overs.
I have always wanted to live in NY or CA because of the liberal atmosphere and diversity. Also, I have dreamed since childhood of acting and Indiana doesnt exaclty offer much in that department. But.... In Indiana it seems I could have a much more comfortable life. How do you CA nurses afford anything???? The pay DOES NOT seem to reflect cost of living at all! Any advice on how you live, or info on how much things cost(I already know that rent and housing is ridiculous), how many hrs you have to work to be able to survive, can you afford to do fun things?
Thank you!
Also traffic seems to be horrific, how is it at night? Is public transportation good?
Are you still interested in coming to L.A.? UCLA is a great place to work. There are other hospitals around though. On the web you can go to the California Hospital Association to get a listing of hospitals by county. L.A. is Los Angeles county, of course. Close by are Orange and Riverside counties.
There is public transportation all over LA. People who are used to driving may not be aware of it. Regions of L.A. have bus lines that link with other regions and there is a metrolink train system. Most people seem to want to live outside the city proper and go into the suburbs (ha! ha!). I laugh because the suburbs are hugh cities themselves, but many are very nice. If you are not living with a significant other you might think about renting a room for a while when you first get here in order to save money. Many people rent out a room or two in their homes in order to meet their mortgage payment. You find good ones through church groups or work. My sister-in-law has a home she bought for her parents in which she rents a room for $600 a month. The room has it's own side entrance and her parents are quiet, but so are the renters. Some homes have small second homes in the back of the property (more like large studio apartments) that are rented out also.
Struggling actors come here and make it all the time on a lot less money than you'll be making as an RN. We had a bit of a weather problem this past winter with the heavy rainfall, but that was not the norm. You'll love not having to drive in the ice and snow anymore. We have peacocks here in Arcadia in case you're interested!
I grew up in Socal, and went to school and now work and live in Norcal. The cost of living is expensive in both places but I get paid 10.00 more up here so decided not to move back home. I think its a significant difference to me and all the people I went to school with who came from SD and LA have chosen to settle and work in the Bay. Here we get night diffs of 18%.
I live in the thick of it in Northern California in Berkeley or Berzerkely as some call it Ha! I just got my first new grad job at a hospital in San Francisco and it pays 39.45 an hour for day shift rate. However you have to realize that most people have to pay a $3-5 toll for the bridges or a $6-7 bart fare daily if they don't drive. Also housing market here is like $600,000 average right now. But I live in a bad apartment with a roomie in a nice area and we split $1100 rent, that I think is like living for free when you consider most rents. I concur however that it would be impossible to leave this place, everytime I think "oh man it would be so much cheaper in -you name the state-" I remember all the lovely california things and can't imagine my life elsewhere.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
I live in the thick of it in Northern California in Berkeley or Berzerkely as some call it Ha! I just got my first new grad job at a hospital in San Francisco and it pays 39.45 an hour for day shift rate. However you have to realize that most people have to pay a $3-5 toll for the bridges or a $6-7 bart fare daily if they don't drive. Also housing market here is like $600,000 average right now. But I live in a bad apartment with a roomie in a nice area and we split $1100 rent, that I think is like living for free when you consider most rents. I concur however that it would be impossible to leave this place, everytime I think "oh man it would be so much cheaper in -you name the state-" I remember all the lovely california things and can't imagine my life elsewhere.
:offtopic: This is a little off the subject, but as an old (and I mean OLD) nurse and person I would strongly advise you to save your money and buy a home a soon as you have enough for a down payment. Real estate is one of the best ways to make your money grow. You can't do it as well with bank accounts nowadays. I've spent over 30 years paying rent and could be owning my own house and having the dog I always wanted if I had been a lot smarter about my money.
Not to worry daytonite...My family taught me very well about saving for a house. I grew up in a household where my parents saved for everything, paid cash for most everything and didn't buy anything (more or less) that wasn't a necessity. I never wanted for anything as a child but on the other hand we never had anything fancy. I live completely within this spirit. It will however take me a little while as a single girl to save up for the houses in this area because they are so expensive, and the property taxes are insane! So meanwhile I am living cheaply and renting, and saving. On one point I disagree with you however, I don't personally subscribe to the real estate as investment theory when it applies to your own home that you plan to live in. When you live in your own home it is a place to live, and especially in this market where you might pay close to $1 million dollars for a first time home, I don't see it growing massively in my lifetime the way my parents home did when they bought it in 1980 for $90,000 in the silicon valley. At this point most people like me will struggle just to pay the mortgage and little else. So that is why I am waiting a little bit, but saving in the meantime.
I lived in California....(Long Beach) from 1993-99.........loved the weather, beaches, desert, and Big Bear hated...the smog, crime, cost of living.......the parking lots: 405, 91, 605, and the 710, my hubby and I are the very few that mostly likely do not miss California But saying that, we do not like Ohio......cannot wait to move to Texas...... ....Do not mean to offend anyone.
I don't know what you are looking for....but I doubt TX has it....It's almost always hot and humid.....generally people are very close-minded....no offense to fellow texans. I am willing to tell you more if you care...but I just don't think many people would like it here.....unless they were hatched into it......best of luck to you.
There are 5 hospitals in the UC system: San Diego, Irvine, LA, SF, and Davis (near Sacramento). Unless your heart is set on LA, check them all out. My hunch is that Davis would be the least expensive for living. It's hot in Sacramento. But it is the State Capital, there's lots happening.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Davis is a very expensive place to live in. The housing is in high demand and difficult to find. You'll find that many nurses can can not afford to live in the area and are commuting from the Central Valley area- Stockton, etc.,-, which is more than an hour away.
Just yesterday I heard about a study that named Seattle as the most over-priced city in the US. No surprise, considering how liberal and tax-happy the elected officials there are. And I guess the populace like paying taxes too, because they vote in a lot of them, and do not vote out the lawmakers who represent them.
I graduate from Nursing school may 6th and I have always fancied moving to CA. I spoke with a nurse recruiter at UCLA and was alerted that the pay would be: 25.36/hr 4.00/hr for nights and 2.50 for weekends. $1500 relocation and no sign on bonus. That is NOT enough! That weekend diff is pittiful!!! The cost of living in California is soooo high especially if you expect to live somewhere near the hospital (Bev. hills) The pay here That I am being offered here in Indianapolis is this 19/hr plus 4.00/hr for nights and 5.50/hr. for weekend diff. 11.00/hr for holidays and a $5,000 sign on bonus. The cost of living in Indianapolis area is MUCH LOWER than Ca. I mean you can get a 4 br. nice house ,nice area here for 170,000 (maybe less maybe more depending on amenities such as a basement) gas ranges from 1.58 to 1.99 sometimes, groceries aren't bad, eating out isnt bad either a really nice greek place that serves a huge delicious dinner may cost 25-30 a person and you save half of it for the next day in left overs.
I have always wanted to live in NY or CA because of the liberal atmosphere and diversity. Also, I have dreamed since childhood of acting and Indiana doesnt exaclty offer much in that department. But.... In Indiana it seems I could have a much more comfortable life. How do you CA nurses afford anything???? The pay DOES NOT seem to reflect cost of living at all! Any advice on how you live, or info on how much things cost(I already know that rent and housing is ridiculous), how many hrs you have to work to be able to survive, can you afford to do fun things?
Thank you!
Also traffic seems to be horrific, how is it at night? Is public transportation good?
I just moved to the LA area and commute 1 1/2 hrs to and from work each day and still pay twice as much for a condo than I did for my house in colorado. Don't get me started!
I don't know what you are looking for....but I doubt TX has it....It's almost always hot and humid.....generally people are very close-minded....no offense to fellow texans. I am willing to tell you more if you care...but I just don't think many people would like it here.....unless they were hatched into it......best of luck to you.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
25.45 + 4.00 = 29.45/hr, but with the 4 hr OT (for the 12-hour shift which most LA hospitals have) your average hourly rate would be 34.25. I think that's pretty good for someone with less than a year's experience. Also UCLA has excellent benefits, not to mention it has a great reputation.
No you wont be able to buy a house (unless you have $450,000 laying around) and most people do commute (the freeway traffic is terrible). A 1-bedroom apartment in a good neighborhood will run you at least $1200/mo (check out www.apartmentguide.com for more information). But still, LA is a wonderful place to live, work, and grow. As for public transportation? That's a foreign term around here. A car is a requirement of life. (By the way, I live and work on the "West Side" which is the area from the ocean to about the Beverly Hills area. My commute to work is about 15 mins., no freeway, my rent is $1600/mo and I love working and living here.)
You can't buy a house for $450,000 where I live. Possibly, you could find a beat up condo in that price range, so it becomes a real dilemma for new grads. They've probably never imagined themselves living in those conditions, after having worked so hard to become a nurse. I had one of the residents tell me last year that she and her fiance are leaving after she finishes the program because they can't afford anything they'd want to live in. She's a doctor and he's a lawyer, and they can't afford a house. I have no idea how young people do it. We bought our first house for $129,000, and put all our profit down on this house, so it isn't that difficult. I can't imagine how we'd be able to pay $700,000 for the simple little ranch houses in my neighborhood, but that's what they're going for.
But saying that, we do not like Ohio......cannot wait to move to Texas......
zacarias, ASN, RN
1,338 Posts
Where's the best area of San Diego to live? I'm thinking of moving there as my brother lives there. I am from the Seattle area and know about high cost-of-living although San Diego has even a higher cost-of-living than Seattle.
I would want to live by the hospital I was working at although that's not a requirement. Being by the water is nice, and being downtown would be cool. I just don't want to be too inland like El Cajon or something.