What do nurses make in Pit...please help

[juliempdx]

Originally Posted by onwardandupward

While I'm not a nurse, so I can't dispute any salary figures, I find this seriously hard to believe, unless you shop exclusively at Whole Foods or the like...

Ok I might have exaggerated but on average we found items to be a $1.50 to $3.00 more. Were not talking meat either, things like frozen pizza, mustard, ketchup. The only grocery store we have been to is none other than Pittsburgh's Giant Eagle! We didn't even shop at whole foods when we lived in Portland.

[Katarina Witt]

$840 is a lot for an apt. How many bedrooms do you have? My DD is paying $650 for a 2 BR in what is considered a good neighborhood in Denver (good for young people, that is). It's surprising, b/c housing is definitely more expensive to buy here. However, it's all apples to oranges. Housing tend to be newer here, even in the older neighborhoods (if that makes sense).

[juliempdx]

It's two bedrooms 1200 sq feet and has been completely renovated, central air, tile floors etc. Maybe thats why it is more, all I know is we looked at over 40 different places and most of them cost more and were complete dumps. I think a lot of that had to deal with location though.

[mr.davon24]

Originally Posted by onwardandupward

While I'm not a nurse, so I can't dispute any salary figures, I find this seriously hard to believe, unless you shop exclusively at Whole Foods or the like...

No, they are right I could never go to Giant Eagle and not spend one hundred dollars or more. I am a father of two and a child on the way and I find this a very difficult. Although the cost of living is low the salaries still doesn't help in most cases.


EX: About two years ago I was making 11.49 an hour that translates to be around 24k a year. Now the math part 80hrs got me to a paycheck a little bit under 650. I pay 600 for rent in Apartment building that transferring ownership now. So the owner doesn't want to do crap. The good thing though is that I don't Pay Gas, water, and sewage. The bad everything runs off electric. In the winter its ok the electricity bill only averages 78-80 dollars. In the summer that bill almost triples on the account of the air conditioners. My car insurance for both car is only 116 dollars ( yes liability), My school loan after I consolidated them totals 78.92, CONcast cable is around 180 dollars, two cell phones 94 dollars, Kays credit card bill 55.00 dollars and about 100 dollars on gas each month.

So after taxes, take home for me was 1300 minus all my bills I am left with a measly 170. If I was a single parent I would be in trouble.

[juliempdx]

Originally Posted by mr.davon24

No, they are right I could never go to Giant Eagle and not spend one hundred dollars or more. I am a father of two and a child on the way and I find this a very difficult. Although the cost of living is low the salaries still doesn't help in most cases.


EX: About two years ago I was making 11.49 an hour that translates to be around 24k a year. Now the math part 80hrs got me to a paycheck a little bit under 650. I pay 600 for rent in Apartment building that transferring ownership now. So the owner doesn't want to do crap. The good thing though is that I don't Pay Gas, water, and sewage. The bad everything runs off electric. In the winter its ok the electricity bill only averages 78-80 dollars. In the summer that bill almost triples on the account of the air conditioners. My car insurance for both car is only 116 dollars ( yes liability), My school loan after I consolidated them totals 78.92, CONcast cable is around 180 dollars, two cell phones 94 dollars, Kays credit card bill 55.00 dollars and about 100 dollars on gas each month.

So after taxes, take home for me was 1300 minus all my bills I am left with a measly 170. If I was a single parent I would be in trouble.

Thanks for giving supporting evidence, now I don't feel like I'm the only one who feels like it is hard to make a living here

[mr.davon24]

Originally Posted by juliempdx

Thanks for giving supporting evidence, now I don't feel like I'm the only one who feels like it is hard to make a living here

No, Problem. Although I make good money now it still feels like I'm getting paid 11.49 . Whats the point of a raise though when every year umpc ups it's health insurance?

[sketchbooks]

Originally Posted by juliempdx

Ok I might have exaggerated but on average we found items to be a $1.50 to $3.00 more. Were not talking meat either, things like frozen pizza, mustard, ketchup. The only grocery store we have been to is none other than Pittsburgh's Giant Eagle! We didn't even shop at whole foods when we lived in Portland.

Cost of living gets you in sneaky ways here. What I've found is the only real savings over PDX is the cost of buying a house. (Taxes on that house are another story.) Rents are about market rate, and you have to be careful that you don't end up in a place that the owner is unable or unwilling to maintain.

Utilities used to be much cheaper here than in Portland, but they may have caught up. And you don't get billed for garbage collection (see taxes, above)

Health insurance for the self-employed is much more expensive here (again, it may have caught up) However, the quality of care has been much better overall here, in my experience. In Portland an ER visit with a sick or injured kid meant waiting hours every time. Here, we've been seen and treated within an hour every time but once.

Groceries? I never thought I'd hear myself saying I missed Fred Meyer and Safeway. GE is on the expensive side- I've found things for less here at TJs and Costco and in the Strip - unfortunately, there's no one place where everything is cheaper. However, from what I saw there this summer, grocery costs are flying up in Portland too.

Gas is a mite cheaper, but the hills mean worse MPG than Portland. Downtown parking and public transportation...**cry**

[fleetiebelle]

I rarely go to Giant Eagle for groceries because it tends to be more expensive. (Like, a week's worth of groceries for me at GE will be $50, and other stores will be $35.) Luckily I live near a Kuhns and a Foodland, so I end up not going to the Iggle unless they have something the others don't.

[TielschA]

yeah- it is looking like the RN salaries are lower in Pgh- I'm an APRN (or CRNP in Pgh) and it looks like they pay about 30/hour-