Where's the best pay for RN's WHEN you also consider cost of living?

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I looked at this sometime ago and concluded that it might be Houston Texas, or Indianapolis IN. both of which offer common base RN pay rates of around $20.00 plus per hour ( and in the case of Indy I know several new grads who started at close to $30.00 with night/weekend differential). Furthermore, both cities offer nice one bedrooms for about $600.00 per month (add about $150 per bedroom) and you can buy a decent home for about 100K (bought a nice duplex in Irvington just south of Washington St and just East of Emerson in Indianapolis for 70K four years ago). Let's say we divided the average one bedroom rental price (in this case $600.00) by the average, starting salary for nurses (in this case let's say $20.00) that gives a rent to hourly ratio of 30 to 1. Plus, demand for RN's is high enough that you should be able to find a job in no more than say a month (sooner and for more money at home health agencies). However, Houston probably wins because according to salary.com it has an even lower cost of living than Indy. In addition, it has the added advantage of NO state income tax. Plus, I suspect due to it being a larger city that it also has more job opportunities (especially with higher rates of immigration that probably help boost demand for health care). Is there anyplace that might compete with Houston? If not I say God bless Texas!

Who else might be competitive or even better than Houston or Indy? Also, consider that places like Phillie, or the Apple would probably have ratio's well over 40 to 1 even with starting salaries over thirty per hour because of the high rent.

Houston area does have lots of crime, pollution and other big city problems. BUT there are some beautiful rural areas on the north side of the metro suburbs...and my DH and I are considering a move there. Currently in the Dallas Fort Worth area which also has some nice areas, reasonable cost of living and good wages (but Houston's wages are even better I hear ...for both me and my DH)

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Specializes in Hospice specialty.

Im in Houston and have heard that it is the best as far as the money vs. cost of living goes. As far as the smog goes....they are working on it, but im not a city girl and would not want to actually live in houston. There are MANY places 30 minutes or so from houston without the smog, and still a small drive to go anywhere, whether it be Galveston Beach...or a high class restaurant in the Galleria area (in houston) your a hop skip and a jump from everything. Not to mention to diversities of cultures and the southern hospitality of most people here. Walking down a street and having a stranger say have a nice day as he is passing you by...is great. I wouldn't live anywhere but here...its my home!

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Phoenix is huge-I think it is number 5 in terms of metro population. I lived there in Scottsdale for 6 years and it is great if you like strip malls, strip malls and more strip malls. I am back in New England and despite the high cost of living the seasons and the people make it all good.

Vermonster

I'm still a student but from what an instructor told me, LPN's in Phoenix usually start around $19-$20 and hr. RN's can make excellent money, especially when you factor in night/weekend differentials. I think salary.com placed the average RN here in the 50K range but I don't think that is for per-diem, travel nursing or agency.

COL in Phoenix is also great and it's a small city, I think.

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