My wife and I are planning to move to Burlington from RI (Chittenden: schools)

[Steel*Faith]

Seems like there's a lot of negativity on this forum regarding Burlington. My only real concern right now is quality of work for the both of us. My wife is a Bachelor's Degree RN with 5 years experience, and I'ma CNA and disability health care worker for 8+ years. Does anyone think we will have the same problems with making a comfortable living in Burlington that others seem to be having there?

I've checked out some tax and cost of living expenses between Burlington and Rhode Island, and RI is higher in every category.

Any help or info is greatly appreciated!

[68vette]

The cost of living calculators are not very accurate. I work in health care as well and moved here from CT. On paper everything looks cheaper in Vermont. The income drop was significant at the time. This has gotten somewhat better in the past few years for health care workers. The only thing that may work in your favor is your careers. Your wife's income may not be that different, but I'm not sure what CNA's make.
You will need to factor in what you earn as far as cost of living. Something in the state congress as we chat is between 25 and 70 million dollars in new taxes. They are going to impact everyone. The taxes will be on everything from cigarettes, shopping, fuel and some grocery items. Many other items are as expensive and in some cases more expensive. Chittenden County is probably the most expensive county in the state.
I would avoid living in Burlington unless you have to. Housing costs are ridiculously expensive as well as property taxes if you buy. The surrounding towns offer better schools, larger lot sizes, more affordable prices (in most cases), etc.
If your incomes will not be impacted that bad, the move could be a good one. The problem is most jobs outside of the health care industry are grossly underpaid and thus the cost of living is much higher. One catch to the scenario is health care reform. Vermont will be the first state to implement reform. At this point no one knows how we will all be effected.