[jkiloindia]

Aloha! I hope someone here can help me.

I currently live in Hawaii. The cost of living here is outrageous--I believe it's the most expensive state to live in. So I was considering moving to Oklahoma, because I have friends who go to University there, and also it's apparently the cheapest state to live in! But I have a few questions, so first some background:

Educational Situation: I am considering moving to finish my bachelor's. I am halfway through my C.S. degree. I have a friend who goes to University of Oklahoma and she says that while it's not the most selective school, it has a solid curriculum. I saw that on the UO website as long as I work full time, I can qualify for state tuition. I believe I can make my transfer easier by applying for an AA Liberal Arts now and transfering with that. Also I know there is also a USO in Stillwater, but I don't really know the differences advantages/disadvantages between them. I gather one is a less "serious" school and cheaper, but I don't know the ramifications it would have with getting a CS degree from one or the other.

Financial Situation: I am salaried at $36,000.00 per year, which is not a lot. I barely scrape by here. I used a Cost of Living calculator to give me the equivalent amount I would need to make if I moved to OKC or Norman. It said that I would have to make $18,820.00, half as much, to keep my standard of living. Is it just me or is that ridiculous?

Work Situation: I will have my AA and be pursuing my BS. I have 3 years of experience as a bookkeeper (full charge except I don't have much experience in payroll) handling AOAOs, companies, and individuals, as well as administrative and general office management. I am pursuing CS and have a strong foundational knowledge of pretty much anything computer related.

QUESTIONS
1. Is it difficult to obtain an $18,820.00 salary in OKC? It seems to be impossible in Norman; I checked Craigslist and there were almost no job postings for the area. I know I don't have my degree, but I do have some experience.
2. I will have to commute between OKC and Norman as far as I know. Should I be living in OKC or Norman? What is the commute like? And are these prices for real? I'm seeing $600 for a 2 bedroom house--I pay $875 for a small studio right now...
3. Is the commute insane? My friend says it's like an hour drive between OKC and Norman. If you drive for an hour in Hawaii you reach the end! Is there a bus system? How much does the bus cost there? It's $4 here.

I think mostly I would just like to know that this is the right decision for me. On paper everything seems to be cheaper in OKC, but since I have no firsthand knowledge I don't know if there are things I'm not keeping track of.

Edit: I posted this in the general forum rather than OKC forum because I'm not really sure what area would be best for me.

[windowphobe]

$18,820 is about $9.05 per hour; this shouldn't be hard to attain.

A friend of mine rents a two-bedroom house on the south side of OKC for $550. She's also studying at OU; I think she claims 35-40 minutes each way. Norman rentals might be a touch higher, but you're going to have a lot less of a drive. (Gas is around $2.10-$2.20 a gallon for regular right now.)

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by windowphobe

$18,820 is about $9.05 per hour; this shouldn't be hard to attain.

A friend of mine rents a two-bedroom house on the south side of OKC for $550. She's also studying at OU; I think she claims 35-40 minutes each way. Norman rentals might be a touch higher, but you're going to have a lot less of a drive. (Gas is around $2.10-$2.20 a gallon for regular right now.)

My son had a non-skilled manual labor job at Hobby Lobby in OKC a few months back that paid $11.00 per hour. Gas at the 7-11 in Mustang is $2.08.

[soonerguy]

I would suggest living in Norman. There's a lot going on here and you shouldn't have a problem finding a job.

Living in Norman is certainly preferable, especially if you are going to be attending OU. The commute to the southside of the city is 30 minutes and can be as much as an hour if you drive to the northwest or north part of the city. Traffic can be a headache, but not near as bad as it is in other cities. You will probably be much happier in Norman, crime is less than in the city and there are limitless rentals available. Living in Norman will save you gas and time for study. A small apartment within walking distance of the campus can be had for $400 to $600.

Here is a link to the Norman Transcript classified section:

http://classifieds.cnhi.com/categori...unt=2008-10-25

Good luck!

[jkiloindia]

Thanks so much for the information! It's invaluable to me. It's scary to move over the ocean without a good idea of what you're getting into.

I've lived in Hawaii all my life and I'm used to the prices here, honestly it's just blowing my mind the differential between here and there. When I added the numbers together--even factoring in travel--I just thought there had to be some sort of huge catch, like minimum wage jobs or no job market. Apparently it's just that I live in a ridiculous place. I asked a friend how much things are in general here--she's visited me--and she said "For starters, bread is less than $2." ...You can't get a loaf of bread for less than $5 here.

[Goodpasture]

Osyio

You will find quite a few things here different. Pineapple here sucks......coconut is mediocre. Your heating bill will be outrageous compared to the Islands........The women on beaches here will seem pale and unattractive (I have Hawaiian/Chinese female cousins...they are gorgeous). We are friendly, but we do not have anything close to an aloha mentality. Chinese food, in the best restaurants in the area are no where near your mediocre Chinese restaurants (our steak houses are second to none, though). Taking a day off to girl watch on the beach in December is pretty well non-existent. But all in all it is a good place to live. My grandfather settled here in the 20's (he was from Maui) and enjoyed this part of the country almost all his adult life, so I know Hawaiians can make the transition successfully.

[jlb27537]

My sister went to OSU. After graduating, took a job teaching in Hilo. That was 40 years ago. She still lives in Hilo. Her electricity is $.39 a KW. Here it is under $.10 a KW. We spent 2 months in Hilo last winter. Food is about 1/3-1/2 here in OK what you pay. Jimmy Dean sausage is 2/$5.00 here. There is $4.69 Everything here is much less expensive.

We have 4 seasons here. There you have 2. Rain and less rain. Depends on which side of the island you are on.

We looked at houses there. A $150K house here is $350K there. Rent in Norman will be a bit higher than the south side of OKC, but the cost of fuel, and such will probably off set it. Plus, if you are single, room-mates are easy to get in Norman/OU.

Stillwater/OSU is like Norman/OU, both are college towns, and have all the things college folks need. Depends on the degree you are after.

As for the beaches, not here, but you can troll the pools at the different apartment complexes