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Old 05-14-2014, 12:08 AM
 
23 posts, read 42,745 times
Reputation: 31

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Hi everyone,

I'm from Northern California where I love the weather/culture. I would like to move back but it is just too expensive. I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona 6 years ago and at first the cost of living was so much lower but every year I have earned less than the year before in massage therapy. Now I am looking for some place new to move. I want to teach at a massage school to have a steady income while working at a resort spa a couple of days. Tucson has very inexpensive rents and is similar to here but I may earn even less there and the crime is higher. Las Vegas is less seasonal for work with a low cost of living but jobs at resort spas are difficult to get. Denver seems best but the rents are much higher and I have never lived in the snow before. I would love to live in Boulder due to the amount of healthy food, yoga and outdoor activities but was surprised it is almost as expensive as Cali with awful looking rentals. I use to make triple what I do now but with seasonal work and the economy it's hard to make it 4-5 months out of the year. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-14-2014, 12:30 AM
 
Location: PHX -> ATL
6,311 posts, read 6,770,956 times
Reputation: 7167
Scottsdale is pretty expensive. Have you tried looking at any of the other Phoenix suburbs? Or Phoenix itself? Really any of the other suburbs are cheaper than Scottsdale except MAYBE Tempe. And Paradise Valley is more expensive, for obvious reasons.

Phoenix proper actually has some of the lowest taxes out of all of them, and will have the best commute time to Scottsdale if you do have a job out there. If you live in North Phoenix you can be very close to PV or Desert Ridge mall and still be in a good part of town. It's like almost getting all of the benefits without the price.

I do not recommend Tucson to the working individual. The economy down here is straight up depressing. Tucson is more of a ghost town than Detroit is for the working individuals, the only reason it doesn't look that way is because of the wealthy retirees who are choosing to live down in the desert. Wages are even worse. It would be better to stay in Phoenix.
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Old 05-14-2014, 01:17 AM
 
23 posts, read 42,745 times
Reputation: 31
I actually have very inexpensive rent here in Scottsdale but the house I live in is being sold and after years of earning less I have decided to move. It is very over saturated with therapists here and seasonal work as well. Massage envy and Groupon have ruined the spa industry which is why I want to teach and work at a resort only during the busy weekends. I know the Tucson economy is worse than the Phoenix area but I am surprised you are comparing it to Detrioit. I don't rely on the locals as much as tourism and snow birds for my work.
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Old 05-14-2014, 01:24 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia
5,294 posts, read 10,177,614 times
Reputation: 2136
I would say try out Denver. The winters are cold but also sunny and the snow does not really last as long on the ground as Chicago or the Northeastern cities.
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Old 05-14-2014, 05:18 AM
 
27,007 posts, read 43,601,931 times
Reputation: 31869
Quote:
Originally Posted by SweetHome7 View Post
Hi everyone,

I'm from Northern California where I love the weather/culture. I would like to move back but it is just too expensive. I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona 6 years ago and at first the cost of living was so much lower but every year I have earned less than the year before in massage therapy. Now I am looking for some place new to move. I want to teach at a massage school to have a steady income while working at a resort spa a couple of days. Tucson has very inexpensive rents and is similar to here but I may earn even less there and the crime is higher. Las Vegas is less seasonal for work with a low cost of living but jobs at resort spas are difficult to get. Denver seems best but the rents are much higher and I have never lived in the snow before. I would love to live in Boulder due to the amount of healthy food, yoga and outdoor activities but was surprised it is almost as expensive as Cali with awful looking rentals. I use to make triple what I do now but with seasonal work and the economy it's hard to make it 4-5 months out of the year. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
If you're looking for consistent earnings and less seasonal work it would seem that resort areas would not be the best bet, not to mention the amount of competition in your field attracted to those places. In this economy I would urge you to opt toward cities with not only year-round consistency but also where the general population largely has disposable income for personal luxuries like massages. Below is a link for the top cities ranked by disposable income after monthly housing costs are paid. Boulder is among the top cities and even though you may find rentals in Boulder less than appealing, remember there are areas just outside of Boulder where your housing dollar will go much further. Check out Louisville, Broomfield, Lafayette, Longmont and Niwot.

The U.S. Cities With the Most Leftover to Spend ... After Paying for Housing - Richard Florida - The Atlantic Cities
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