Southern CA (San Diego) vs. Florida, Hawaii

apexsw20trd · May 25, 2004

My wife will become an RN next May and we will evacuate this eskimo climate that is called "Minnesota" soon afterwards. :balloons:
She only wants to move to Southern CA, while I think the $600,000 average new home price tag there is too much to choose that area over Florida, Dallas, or even Hawaii. (We have a 2 1/2 year old boy and an 11-month old baby boy so that is a big factor in deciding where to move)
Does anyone know of a website that simply ranks the average RN pay based on location?
I just found this info at Salary.com.
Median Pay, RN in Oncology:
San Diego $51,493
Dallas $50,215
Honolulu $55,571
Bradenton, FL $45,744
A nice typical new home costs about $250K in Minnesota, and in most of Florida, and in the Dallas area. There are no affordable nice NEW homes in Honolulu but I'm more willing to sacrifice housing standards for Paradise-Hawaii then California. Weather is perfect to me in Hawaii. That is Heaven on Earth.
I don't know if this is accurate from Salary.com. If anyone knows how better to research this info or has any additional info on nursing pay and conditions in the San Diego/Carlsbad area, please let us know. Even housing or location info is helpful.
Thank you
(P.S., it's been 45-50 and rainy or cloudy for 5 straight days here, and it is almost June. Who built this place? Santa Claus?)

i am from honolulu and when i obtain my RN license i plan on moving to northern california becuase of the higher pay and just to get away from this rock.

i guess the grass is always greener on the other side, and for me the grass in honolulu is brown and dying.

there is so much political BS here in hawaii it is overwhelming. unions control almost everything from buses, concrete, carpenters, painters, teachers, professors, nurses, construction workers, dock workers and many more. in a two year period hawaii had its share of a total island wide public school shut down because of a strike, hawaii also had a total shut down of conrete making becuase fo a strike, hawaii also had a total shut down of the ocean freight because of a strike , nurses went on strike so mainland nurses had to fill empty position for about 2-3 months and we were very close to having the entire university of hawaii shut down because of a strike. there is always a strike of some sort in hawaii and it all has to do with money.

gas price in hawaii is higher then california's at $2.28 for regular and $2.50 for supreme gas.

everything from property tax to parking meter are going up. soda will cost more and cigarettes cost more due to a tax teh state placed on soda's, cigarettes, alchohol and food.

they are thinking of raising the state tax from 4.166% to about 5%.

an average 1600sq ft home cost $400,000.

prmenrs, RN · May 25, 2004

I think it depends on your TOTAL income. I assume you'll be adding some $$'s to the family income.

Hawaii is VERY expensive to live in, not just housing, but everyday stuff is more expensive. (Actually, gas here on the mainland is ~ the same as what apex quoted, and the average house is MORE $$ in CA, so ????)

Check out traveling--you can "try on" various places before deciding which one. Your children are young enough to be flexible.

If I didn't have older generation issues @ present, I would consider Flagstaff, AZ. It does get cold there, and snow, but certainly not as cold as MN, and because of the altitude, it's nowhere near as hot Phoenix or Tucson. Lower housing costs, too. I like Big Bear, CA, too, but Flagstaff is not as dry.

rjflyn, ASN, RN · May 25, 2004

I heard this from a coworker who had moved to Florida a few years ago, moved back to the midwest since. About the housing housing there when the realtor asked her and husband what they wanted to spend and the being form Michagan where a decent 3Br goes for around 250K, said that much and the realtor said and I qoute her " Oh you want a mansion. "

Rj