RN hourly rate and cost of living?

military spouse · Oct 3, 2005

I grew up in Orange County and the majority of my family still lives there. My sister is an RN and makes about $30 per hour. She just bought her 2nd house so that her kids could attend a school where English is more widely spoken and she paid almost $600,000. It is about 40 years old and in a safe, decent neighborhood, but nothing special. I couldn't go back. Too many places where one can live REALLY well making the same wages. Groceries are definately more expensive!

ToughRN · Oct 3, 2005

everything is WAY more expensive here! for a decent 2 bedroom apt. youre looking at anywhere from 1200 to 2000 a month. gas is about 3.00 a gallon. milk here is about 2.50. i pay about 60.00 a month for Liability Insurance on my car. and its an 86 civic. i am currently looking to leave here. you could definitely make the same money another place and have a much lower cost of living.

noworries · Oct 4, 2005

everything is WAY more expensive here! for a decent 2 bedroom apt. youre looking at anywhere from 1200 to 2000 a month. gas is about 3.00 a gallon. milk here is about 2.50. i pay about 60.00 a month for liability insurance on my car. and its an 86 civic. i am currently looking to leave here. you could definitely make the same money another place and have a much lower cost of living.

Hey nicu nurse, where else do you suggest to live to get similar pay?

I'm looking to bank in a bit of money from the states before returning home

to live too!

Private msg me!

suzanne4, RN · Oct 11, 2005

Do not look at only the pay. If your rent and living expenses are much higher, then you will actually have less left over at the end of the year.

This needs to be taken into account by every nurse considering salary........and where to go.

If salaries are that much higher, it means that the expenses are also higher, and in turn you will be paying more in taxes as well, because of the higher income. Something else to consider.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 11, 2005

Its expensive to live in California period.

mstigerlily · Oct 11, 2005

I live in San Diego and I agree, it's expensive but I have lived here my whole life so have nothing to compare it too. Gas is around $3 a gallon, average home is $500,000 for nothing special with a teeny yard. Rent is expensive, I'd be surprised if you could find anything under $1000 a month for even a small 1 bdm apt. And that's inland - beach areas, forget it!!

I am a new grad so I know salaries around about $27/hr to start as an RN. There is a night differential which varies from hospital to hospital and I know at least one hospital has a weekend differential.

IMO, salaries are not in line with cost of living here. Cost of living is comparable to Los Angeles, Bay Area/SF, Orange County and yet, those areas pay more per hour.

Melissa

I'm currently a nursing student in Missouri and want to move to California when I'm finished (specifically San Diego). I have a few years to go, but I'd like to have an idea of what to expect. About how much is the cost of living to live decently, but cheaply (including rent, utilities, groceries, gas, car insurance)? Also, what is the going hourly rate for RN's fresh out of school? Anything else I need to know? Thanks.

shyone2005 · Oct 11, 2005

i live in sacramento, california... hourly rate for new grad is between 30-34 depending on which hospital you work.... i'll be working nights so i will be making 35.60... houses are expensive but you can get a small home 3 bdr over 10 years old for about 350+.... rent is okay i guess.. my neighbors are renting their house for $1200 and it is clean and new....

SherBearRN · Oct 13, 2005

I'm a recent transplant from the midwest to San Francisco. I make $40.49/hr without shift diff and my apt is $1500/month. I live right next to the ocean and even though the cost of living is significantly higher here, I wouldn't trade it for the world! CA has great weather, great recreational opportunities, and great patient ratios.

SFCardiacRN · Oct 15, 2005

San Diego has better weather but SF has better pay. Cost of living is about the same for both places. I moved to CA from Texas because of pay and have not regretted it.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 24, 2005

I was born and raised in a city by the sea (Oxnard, California). You can earn up to $45 hourly in med-surg at Los Robles Hospital in nearby Thousand Oaks, but a decent house will cost anywhere from $600,000 to $1,000,000 and the rents will run between $1400-$2500.

A cheaper alternative in California is Bakersfield. There's about 430,000 people in the Bakersfield metro area and the cost of living is the cheapest in California. You'll pay about $800 to rent a nice 2 bedroom apartment. This is one of the only cities left that still offers decent houses for sale for under $300,000. The only major catch is that there's nothing much to see or do. You will need to drive 120 miles to see the beach, 100 miles south to reach Los Angeles, and 280 miles north to reach San Francisco or Sacramento.

I am a native Californian who is relocating to Texas in a couple of weeks. I couldn't resist selling my California house and using the profit to buy a brand new one for cash in Texas.

njcardtelemetry · Sep 24, 2010

Hi, so did you moved to CA?