If Homes are Inexpensive in NC are the Wages too? (Raleigh: real estate, sex offenders)

[Goldwing]

If Homes are Inexpensive in NC are the Wages too?
I can buy a nice 3 bedroom ranch style home for 125K in Cary or Raleigh
Dose this mean wadges are cheap too?

[DanielChang]

Wages compared to what?

You can search estimated median household income and a breakdown of professions on City-Data.

Cary, North Carolina (NC) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders
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[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by Goldwing

If Homes are Inexpensive in NC are the Wadges too?
I can buy a nice 3 bedroom ranch style home for 125K in Cary or Raleigh
Dose this mean wadges are cheap too?

I am guessing you mean Wages.

It depends on what you do, who you work for, and how good you are at it.

I make just as much here as I did in NJ. Some people make more, others make less. Varies from field to field, company to company, and of course a lot depends on the skills, abilities, and marketability of the individual. There is not true rule of thumb.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by jinxor

Wages compared to what?

You can search estimated median household income and a breakdown of professions on City-Data.

Cary, North Carolina (NC) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders
Raleigh, North Carolina (NC) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

So glad you cleared that up, lol. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what a "wadge" was!!!!

[starla]

It probably depends on what kind of job you're looking for. I'd wager that housing cost as a percent of income would be a lot lower here than in Silicon Valley for a salaried tech professional. I might be able to command a 20-50% higher salary in San Jose, but my house would cost 2-3x as much out there, and I wouldn't be able to afford it even with the pay increase.

BTW, 125k 3br houses in Cary are really hard to come by. That place must be tiny and falling apart. I'd say 250-400k is more likely what you'll end up spending to get something decent in any of the developed areas. If you're willing to drive a long ways, you might be able to get something for 125k.

[Goldwing]

Yes Wages.
I'm a massage therapist and pro photographer and happily there are many jobs in both fields from my search on the Craig's list.

[carolina chick]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

So glad you cleared that up, lol. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what a "wadge" was!!!!

LOL! cute...

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Goldwing

Yes Wages.
I'm a massage therapist and pro photographer and happily there are many jobs in both fields from my search on the Craig's list.

Oh, my back hurts...

[sacredgrooves]

Cheap housing is a pretty common misconception here (if you want to live in the city). Maybe 15 or 20 years ago....If you don't mind driving a bit and look in the outlying communities it is easier to find decent homes in that price range though.
a 125k house in Cary/most of Raleigh is a house that typically needs an additional 50-100k in repairs

[procfreq]

In my experience, wages do scale down with all the other things. I make almost $30K less here than I did in Chicago at a comparable job. Of course, I can afford a home here... but it definitely doesn't feel like I won the lottery or anything.

Of course, we did not make the move for financial reasons either. If this is your primary reason for relocating, it would pay to do more research on both housing prices and wages. $125K would definitely not get you a nice 3BR house in my area [of Durham], which I think is trending lower than the areas you mention.