Austin for RN(and single mom) (Houston, Dallas: 2014, rental, insurance)

[Katie71275]

I'm originally from North Louisiana(Ruston...Between West Monroe and Shreveport/Bossier for those familiar.) We moved to Raleigh, NC in 2014. I've applied to grad school and if I get in, we will be here a few more years while I obtain my Nurse Midwifery degree and then we will move to wherever I get offered a job. If I don't get into grad school, we are seriously considering a move to Austin in Summer 2017(that will allow my 8th grader to finish middle school). My kids at that point will be 14(about to start 9th grade), 11.5(starting 7th), 10.5(starting 5th), and almost 8(starting 2nd). All girls except the 10.5 yr old who is a boy.

Obviously I wouldn't move prior to having a job(either as a nurse or a Nurse Midwife if I get into grad school), but I have these questionsAnd yes I know your answers could be different based on which hospital I would end up working in).
Also, let me also say that I am a Labor and Delivery Nurse, so any hospital I work at will have to have a L&D unit.

1)Best hospitals in the Austin area to work?

2)If you are an RN, average pay for a nurse with 4-5 years of experience(obviously going to depend on location/shift/etc)

3)Is there any particular area that is best for children(great schools, low crime, friendly neighborhoods)

4)Average rental prices for a 3-4 bedroom?(Obviously going to depend on neighborhoods, but averages would be nice.

5)Is is possible for a single mom of 4 to live comfortably in Austin? I figure if I can do it in Raleigh, it's possible there. Currently separated, not divorced, and currently receiving no child support, but once things are set up, should receive 800-1000$ per month in child support. Here in Raleigh, pretax I earn about 5200 per month, about 3800 after tax and insurance. (That's with one job, I also work a second job, and earn an additional 1400 post tax which is going towards paying off all debt).

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!
Katie

[rocknrollinhoneybadger]

The main difference will be that TX has no state income tax compared to NC. Apart from that I think Austin has a higher cost of living than Raleigh.

[Trainwreck20]

I can't give any insight into what a nurse makes, nor the various parameters that may affect it. Salary dot com give some (maybe relevant?) data:
Staff Nurse - RN Salaries in Austin, TX and how key factors that impact them - Salary.com

Anyway, that looks to be about $30/hr, which if you actually worked 40/hrs per week all year, would be 62,400 (or 5,200 a month ). Of course, every nurse I have ever known works more than a 40 hour week, but it looks like you would be earning a similar salary here. I could be completely wrong, ofc, I am an engineer, not a nurse....

Have you considered some of the outlying towns? Georgetown and Kyle would have notably lower costs of housing (but maybe pay less?). Both have hospitals. I don't see any specific mention of why you are moving to Austin, so it is hard to recommend too much of anything explicitly. Where you work will (or at least, should) play a big part of where you decide to live.

[Katie71275]

Hubby and I are separated and he has moved back to Louisiana. Texas has always been a potential for me(as has Oregon, Washington), but strongly considering Austin and Texas in general as it is closer to LA, and I honestly am not very interested in going back to LA, so this will allow more frequent visits for the kids with their dads....and in general, Texas has a decent reputation of paying nurses well and treating them well also.

[Hyena]

Much of what you're saying keeps sounding like "Houston" to these ears!

Austin would be doable - St David's North would be one to start with, they've got a great L&D unit and everything I've heard from friends that have worked there is pretty positive. This would leave you a reasonable commute to a decent area for housing/schools, etc.

So, with that said, Houston probably offers 10X (maybe more?) the job opportunities, at a lower COL, and closer to LA

[ashbeeigh]

Just going throw out San Antonio as an option as well. You can very easily live right off of 10 to get to Louisiana. I also know the nursing jobs are huge and the col in SA is even lower than Houston. But, this is all based on what you need. (I hope that didn't come across as a "don't come here" type if response). I don't know much about the nursing industry in central Texasbuti do know you can rent a very nice 3-4 bedroom house with great schools for what some people pay for a studio in Austin(1250-2000/month).

[Katie71275]

Thanks everyone, I will also check out Houston and San Antonio. I've been to San Antonio once in my life, and Houston and Dallas many times, but never considered as a place to live, so I will check it out as well!
Katie

[Danbo1957]

I'm a doctor.


I recommend St. David's North for nursing (I am not an attending there). Magnet hospital; my daughter is an ICU nurse there. 3/12 shifts each week, $22-32 per hour, more with BSN+. Plenty of close by areas to live with good schools.

And no to Houston or Dallas. You're welcome.

[MtnLion512]

I'm a critical care nurse here.

If you work L&D at Seton or St. David's, the two large hospital systems, $30/hour base (without night or weekend differentials) might be too generous, you'll likely be offered mid to upper $20s, unless you're willing to work float pool. Seton has a much better night differential. If you worked at the much smaller Lakeway or Cedar Park, you could make in the $30s but I don't know about L&D. St. David's North and central location have well-respected women's centers and L&D units with low turnover among staff nurses.

On average, you make less in Austin compared to Dallas or Houston. I wouldn't say Texas has a reputation of treating its nurses well- nothing close to say, California in terms of pay, overtime, nurse-patient ratio, etc.

The vast majority of nurses I know work 40 hours or less a week - unless they are an NP/advanced practice working for a physician, or voluntarily picking up overtime.