RN salary and cost of living in Sacramento area

Published Apr 23, 2014

14 Posts

Hi guys,

I was just hoping for some input from nurses in the Sacramento area. My partner and I, who are both nurses, are looking to relocate from the Seattle-Tacoma area to possibly the Sacramento area. She is currently an LPN and will graduate this summer with her RN. I work as an Ambulatory Care RN for a health organization very similar to Kaiser and have 5 years of RN experience.

We are looking to relocate because of the weather. We cannot endure the rain and cloudy skies anymore. We were interested in the Bay area, but we were concerned about the cost of living and crossed that area off our list. We were considering the Sacramento area because home costs seemed much more reasonable, and the weather is much more conducive to our lifestyle. We are outdoorsy people with 2 dogs and teenagers. I am finding as I get older that the sun really has an affect on my quality of life.

We are tempted to move, but want to make sure that we are not in over our heads. WA state has no state income tax, and I have heard that California is very expensive. I currently work 72 hours per pay period and make $33.59/hour with a take home of approximately $1700 per paycheck after union dues, health benefits and retirement is taken out. My partner will be making a little less since she will be a new grad RN.

We were wondering if you Sacramento nurses liked living and working there, and if you felt that you had a good work life balance? If so, what areas would you recommend? And how much are the RN starting wages generally in addition to take home pay?

Thanks so much in advance for reading this post. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. :)