Is this salary worth moving to AZ for? (Phoenix, Glendale: apartment, for rent)

[enjoi]

$16 an hour. Doing something I enjoy in IT. I'm on the east coast. I'm sick of cold weather here, I live in a city where there is nothing so I can't find a job that pays enough to get ahead in life. I lived in FL and wanted to move back there but that's not really coming together. This job in Phoenix is pretty much guaranteed as it's with the company I work for already. But is $16 an hour enough to live there comfortably? What kind of rent could I afford? It's tempting but that is so far to move just to keep struggling. IT's a lot more than what I make now though.

[Sabiya]

You can live comfortably on $9 an hour (provided that you're by yourself and have NO debts! And only pay for rent in a studio apartment or one bedroom, groceries, car gas, internet, cell phone, and one night out a month).

$9 an hour for two people is pushing it, it's doable but still pushing it (I'm in that situation now lol). So $16 an hour is more than enough wiggle room for someone like yourself. Also, I would caution against moving here for jobs, that IT job might be awesome but this state has a problem with firing people left and right and just hiring illegals to replace you... so you don't really know how long you'll have that job.

I would think the East Coast has a better job market than the South West. If you're looking for warmth, a better option would be Texas.

[LBTRS]

$16/hour is $33k per year. You're not going to live comfortably on that as that is only about $1000 per two week pay period. Sure you can survive and will be doing much better if you don't have debt and live within your means. You're still going to have to watch what you spend and you're not going to be able to do whatever you want.

That said, it's more than a lot of people make and you can certainly survive on that.

Comfortable to me is much more than surviving and having to watch every penny.

[Bondurant]

You won't live like a king but you can make it. I've been living off less since I moved here in '10. Able to eat out, enjoy the weekend and take a few trips.

[HTY483]

Sounds like an entry level job. A good network administrator or architect can make $90k/yr so just do your best, learn as much as possible and over time things will work out.

Regarding the pay, $16/hr isn't great but it isn't horrible and the Valley is still a relatively cheap place to live. You should be able to live on that income. Make sure you drive a reliable vehicle that gets good gas mileage and is, if possible, paid for.

$16/hr -> roughly $2.1k/month after taxes.
-$750/month for an average, non ghetto 1 br apartment
-$200/month for utilities
-$200/month for gas
-$50/month for cell phone
-$200/month for groceries
-$250/month for entertainment(includes short trips to San Diego and Sedona here and there in addition to going to RedBox on Friday night or meeting friends for drinks).
-200/month for retirement
= $1850/month


That's roughly $250 left over for a rainy day savings fund. Seems doable.

[enjoi]

Thanks for the replies. I'm really considering it. My biggest fear is not knowing anyone out there. I have a buddy in LA and Denver but as we know those cities are not exactly next door. Where I live out east right now the winters are so brutal and as I move into my thirties my joints are really starting to bother me so I really want to settle down somewhere warm.

I'm gathering that Chandler or Glendale are relatively safe, cheap places to live?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by enjoi

Thanks for the replies. I'm really considering it. My biggest fear is not knowing anyone out there. I have a buddy in LA and Denver but as we know those cities are not exactly next door. Where I live out east right now the winters are so brutal and as I move into my thirties my joints are really starting to bother me so I really want to settle down somewhere warm.

I'm gathering that Chandler or Glendale are relatively safe, cheap places to live?

To save money (as well as time and stress) you want to live close to where you work. Chandler or Glendale, which are many miles apart, are good choices if either is close to your work. There are parts of each that you might want to avoid (not bad, just not as good as others), but you need to look at where you will be working and go from there.

[goolsbyjazz]

If it's just you I say yes, you can live off of that. Don't expect to live in a penthouse. It all depends on how you handle your money. Just know that summers are really hot and that's where you will see a jump in your expenses for cooling costs.

[ShampooBanana]

Can you get by on $16/mo? Seems a bit low for IT but yes, you can manage if you have no debts (students loans or credit cards).

If you already own a cheap, somewhat older but reliable car you should be fine as insurance isn't that bad. You can find a studio/1 bedroom for as little as $650-700/mo in decent parts of town. Groceries are expensive in AZ, as is the cost of cooling in the summer (I'd recommend doing the levelized payment plan to help keep power bills even). There are gyms you can join for as little as $10/mo to stay in shape even when it's 100+ outside.

If you know where you'd be working I'd find a place as close as possible to reduce your commute time and monthly gas costs. Within 5 miles would be ideal. If you do all this you should have a reasonable amount left over each month to save and also to enjoy life a bit.

[The_Cadillac_Lawyer]

That seems really low for IT, however with most tech jobs, experience is paramount. If you really desire moving here, at least you'll have a job you can count on while you get yourself certified and look for gainful employment.

The Community Colleges here teach Cisco classes for your certifications and you'd most likely qualify for financial aid.
I moved here for a tech job in 12/2006 that paid $21/hr, I eventually went back to school, then on to law school.

Living here with limited contacts has the advantage of allowing you focus on building your life. It's like being away at college. Just make sure you go back/to college. The Desktop level IT field is shrinking, but networking, server admin and Hyper-V environments are the way to go

**ETA** the above figures don't include car insurance, or vehicle registration, which can be pricey depending on what you have. $200/mo. for utilities seems conservative. Internet and cable alone are $100.