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Old 05-10-2009, 12:51 AM
 
177 posts, read 582,572 times
Reputation: 51

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I am thinking of moving to Oregon now, but I orginally was interested in living in CA (live in MO now). I am freaked out about the housing prices I have seen out there. I honestly do not understand how the average people can afford it there at all? I was wanting to live around the Mendocino area orginally ... average house price was what $948,000? But, not just there, everywhere I have looked. I am an RN and not sure what the wage difference is there for RNS, but I make $28 an hour here (that's working nights & weekends) and I can't imagine paying more for rent now than what I do. If I moved to CA I'm afraid I'd always live in poverty.
Does anyone know RNs there and average wages? Also is there housing and rental places I'm not coming across online that aren't so bad? Any thoughts?
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Old 05-10-2009, 02:30 AM
 
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
268 posts, read 900,024 times
Reputation: 160
Melissa -
Not all but most Americans live in debt or off credit. Now-a-days, thanks to reality TV shows depicting every guy owning a new BMW, mini-masion and 25 plasma TVs, we Americans feel we need it all right here, right now. That said, Californians are a materialistic bunch. Rest asured they are working their buns off every day just stay above water. Finally after many, many years the sh*t has it the fan and high rollers or people living high on the hog are falling off their little hollywood hills mountain-top-min-mansions right and left.... and it's not over.....

Last edited by The Floridian; 05-10-2009 at 02:55 AM..
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Old 05-10-2009, 05:35 AM
 
177 posts, read 582,572 times
Reputation: 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Floridian View Post
Melissa -
Not all but most Americans live in debt or off credit. Now-a-days, thanks to reality TV shows depicting every guy owning a new BMW, mini-masion and 25 plasma TVs, we Americans feel we need it all right here, right now. That said, Californians are a materialistic bunch. Rest asured they are working their buns off every day just stay above water. Finally after many, many years the sh*t has it the fan and high rollers or people living high on the hog are falling off their little hollywood hills mountain-top-min-mansions right and left.... and it's not over.....
I know what you're saying. =)
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Old 05-10-2009, 08:56 AM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,471,872 times
Reputation: 29337
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melissa E View Post
Does anyone know RNs there and average wages? Also is there housing and rental places I'm not coming across online that aren't so bad? Any thoughts?
I'd do a whole bunch more research if I was you. Wages for nurses in state civil service, my former venue, run from a beginning wage of $26.85 per hour to as much as $56.63 depending upon where you work. With good negotiation skills and prior experience, you don't have to start at the bottom of the wage scale. For most positions there is copious overtime available and/or ordered. There is the possibility of hiring incentive packages and state jobs come with excellent, easily affordable benefits.

I can't speak to private sector salaries or wages but I can tell you this, nurses are in high demand throughout the state.

Have you thought about testing the waters in CA, OR and elsewhere as a visiting nurse? If that was my field and I looking for a change in venue, that's what I'd do.
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:21 AM
 
Location: Baywood Park
1,634 posts, read 6,718,027 times
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You can make it out here and you won't be in poverty.
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:33 AM
 
Location: Sacramento
2,568 posts, read 6,750,001 times
Reputation: 1934
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melissa E View Post
I was wanting to live around the Mendocino area orginally ... average house price was what $948,000? But, not just there, everywhere I have looked.
I live in the Sacramento area and you can get a decent house around here in the 200k-300k range.
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,213,400 times
Reputation: 2715
Looking at the foreclosure rates.It appears to be a house of cards.
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:40 AM
 
30,896 posts, read 36,949,177 times
Reputation: 34521
Default It depends on your expectations

Quote:
Originally Posted by Melissa E View Post
I am thinking of moving to Oregon now, but I orginally was interested in living in CA (live in MO now). I am freaked out about the housing prices I have seen out there. I honestly do not understand how the average people can afford it there at all? I was wanting to live around the Mendocino area orginally ... average house price was what $948,000? But, not just there, everywhere I have looked. I am an RN and not sure what the wage difference is there for RNS, but I make $28 an hour here (that's working nights & weekends) and I can't imagine paying more for rent now than what I do. If I moved to CA I'm afraid I'd always live in poverty.
Does anyone know RNs there and average wages? Also is there housing and rental places I'm not coming across online that aren't so bad? Any thoughts?
It mostly depends on your expectations. I work in the public sector and make just over $24/hr. plus good benefits. I live in the SF Bay Area. I live in a studio apartment and pay $850 month rent (cheap for my area). I manage to save over $12K per year in my deferred compensation plan (similar to 401K) I don't want a big house to take care of or pay high rent / mortgage on. Some people would say my lifestyle is "poverty". But if you compare it to a middle class lifestyle even in most European countries, it would be fairly close to "normal".

However, I know that I am definitely not the norm. I have had to say "no" to a lot of things other people regularly say "yes" to. Including blowing money at expensive entertainment venues every weekend, etc.

Americans expect to have huge amounts of living space to put all their "stuff' in (that they often don't use) and also expect to drive the biggest possible SUV the bank will lend them money for. And then they act shocked when they're stressed out because they can barely pay their bills and then want someone to come in and bail them out.

You most certainly can get a decent house in any area for much less than 900K. However, housing prices are definitely much higher here than in other areas (often double or even triple the prices of many ares). So, if you expect to buy a house earning an income of, say $30 an hour, well you might not be able to, or you might qualify but be "house poor". But you are certainly not going to live in "poverty" on that income. But it definitely is true that the higher wages in CA usually don't make up for the higher cost of living. However, I'm not sure if this applies to nurses specifically.

Last edited by mysticaltyger; 05-10-2009 at 11:52 AM..
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:49 AM
 
Location: Superficial Sanctuary, CA
6 posts, read 23,029 times
Reputation: 10
I know that Kaiser in Santa Rosa is in need of RN's. They pay great and have AMAZING benefits. I have been thinking about going back to school because of this....
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:51 AM
 
Location: yeah
5,717 posts, read 16,347,216 times
Reputation: 2975
It's relative.
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